Nitrogen Pollution and the Meltdown of Urban Ecosystems
Urban ecosystems are carrying an extinction debt. Mitigating this debt will require the development of a predictive framework that improves our understanding of the factors causing decline of native biodiversity in urban areas. I argue that nitrogen is a common currency around which such a predictiv...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2016-07-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/5/3/23 |
| Summary: | Urban ecosystems are carrying an extinction debt. Mitigating this debt will require the development of a predictive framework that improves our understanding of the factors causing decline of native biodiversity in urban areas. I argue that nitrogen is a common currency around which such a predictive framework could be built. I first summarise the evidence that shows the probable extent of nitrogen enrichment in urban ecosystems. I then review the body of empirical evidence that describes how nitrogen enrichment affects ecosystem process and function. By unifying these two bodies of empirical evidence, I generate a series of testable hypotheses that may allow for a better understanding of native biodiversity loss in urban areas. |
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| ISSN: | 2073-445X |