A reappraisal of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle: What can we learn by extracting concepts from Gaia theory?

TY - JOUR

T1 - A reappraisal of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle

T2 - What can we learn by extracting concepts from Gaia theory?

AU - Cresser, Malcolm S.

AU - Aitkenhead, Matthew J.

AU - Mian, Ishaq A.

PY - 2008/8/1

Y1 - 2008/8/1

N2 - Although soil scientists and most environmental scientists are acutely aware of the interactions between the cycling of carbon and nitrogen, for conceptual convenience when portraying the nitrogen cycle in text books the N cycle tends to be considered in isolation from its interactions with the cycling of other elements and water, usually as a snap shot at the current time; the origins of dinitrogen are rarely considered, for example. The authors suggest that Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis provides a useful and stimulating framework for consideration of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle. If it is used, it suggests that urbanization and management of sewage, and intensive animal rearing are probably bigger global issues than nitrogen deposition from fossil fuel combustion, and that plant evolution may be driven by the requirement of locally sustainable and near optimal soil mineral N supply dynamics. This may, in turn, be partially regulating global carbon and oxygen cycles. It is suggested that pollutant N deposition may disrupt this essential natural plant and terrestrial ecosystem evolutionary process, causing biodiversity change. Interactions between the Earth and other bodies in the solar system, and possibly beyond, also need to be considered in the context of the global N cycle over geological time scales. This is because of direct potential impacts on the nitrogen content of the atmosphere, potential long-term impacts of past boloid collisions on plate tectonics and thus on global N cycling via subduction and volcanic emissions, and indirect effects upon C, 0 and water cycling that all may impact upon the N cycle in the long term. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

AB - Although soil scientists and most environmental scientists are acutely aware of the interactions between the cycling of carbon and nitrogen, for conceptual convenience when portraying the nitrogen cycle in text books the N cycle tends to be considered in isolation from its interactions with the cycling of other elements and water, usually as a snap shot at the current time; the origins of dinitrogen are rarely considered, for example. The authors suggest that Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis provides a useful and stimulating framework for consideration of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle. If it is used, it suggests that urbanization and management of sewage, and intensive animal rearing are probably bigger global issues than nitrogen deposition from fossil fuel combustion, and that plant evolution may be driven by the requirement of locally sustainable and near optimal soil mineral N supply dynamics. This may, in turn, be partially regulating global carbon and oxygen cycles. It is suggested that pollutant N deposition may disrupt this essential natural plant and terrestrial ecosystem evolutionary process, causing biodiversity change. Interactions between the Earth and other bodies in the solar system, and possibly beyond, also need to be considered in the context of the global N cycle over geological time scales. This is because of direct potential impacts on the nitrogen content of the atmosphere, potential long-term impacts of past boloid collisions on plate tectonics and thus on global N cycling via subduction and volcanic emissions, and indirect effects upon C, 0 and water cycling that all may impact upon the N cycle in the long term. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KW - Nitrogen cycling

KW - Gaia

KW - Ammonium

KW - Nitrate

KW - Earth

KW - Weathering

KW - Biodiversity

KW - Evolution

KW - PLANET-HARBORING STARS

KW - SOLAR-SYSTEM BODIES

KW - NITRATE CONCENTRATIONS

KW - TITANS ATMOSPHERE

KW - ORGANIC-MATTER

KW - MASS-BALANCE

KW - NE ATLANTIC

KW - NOBLE-GASES

KW - ORIGIN

KW - CARBON

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=54149115872&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.06.047

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.06.047

M3 - Literature review

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 400

SP - 344

EP - 355

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

IS - 1-3

ER -