Nitrogen Deposition Significantly Altered the Climatic Sensitivity of Vegetation Phenology

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtaf195

J Plant Ecol ›› Advance articles DOI:10.1093/jpe/rtaf195

• Research Article •

Nitrogen Deposition Significantly Altered the Climatic Sensitivity of Vegetation Phenology

Yuzhu Chen¹, Peng Li^1*, Yunpeng Luo², Longjun Wang¹, Ying Peng¹, Tong Li¹, Xiaolu Zhou^1*, Changhui Peng^1,3

¹College of Geographic Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China

²Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

³Department of Biological Sciences, University of Québec at Montreal, Montreal, OC8H3C 3P8, Canada

^*Corresponding author: Peng Li (lipeng2019@hunnu.edu.cn); Xiaolu Zhou (zhoux1977@163.com)

Received:2025-09-03 Accepted:2025-11-06 Online:2025-11-18 Published:2025-11-18
Supported by:
This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 42371121, U22A20570); Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (Grant 2024JJ5262).

氮沉降显著改变了植被物候的气候敏感性

Abstract

Abstract: Nitrogen deposition substantially alters nutrient absorption by plant root systems, which has far-reaching consequences for leaf growth and development. However, its effects on plant phenology and climatic sensitivity remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of nitrogen deposition on vegetation phenology and its sensitivity to moisture and temperature from 1982 to 2022 by combining data from field experiments, remote-sensing observations, and land surface models. The results revealed that the start of the growing season (SOS) has become more sensitive to vapor pressure deficit (VPD), whereas its sensitivity to temperature and soil moisture (SM) has decreased in recent decades. Conversely, there was no notable trend in climatic sensitivity at the end of the growing season (EOS). The model results show that SOS's sensitivity to VPD (S_VPD) and temperature (S_Tem) increased with higher nitrogen deposition levels (S_VPD, a = 1.07 d unit^–1, P < 0.01; S_Tem, a = 0.10 d unit^–1, P < 0.01). The sensitivity of EOS to soil moisture (S_SM) decreased significantly with increasing nitrogen deposition (a = –1.82 d unit^–1, P < 0.05), whereas S_VPD decreased (a = –0.38 d unit^–1, P < 0.01). Attribution analysis indicated that nitrogen deposition was the primary driver of changes in the climatic sensitivity of SOS, whereas atmospheric CO₂ predominantly influenced changes in the S_SMof EOS. These results emphasize the critical role of nitrogen deposition in determining the climatic sensitivity of vegetation phenology and provide a novel perspective for understanding and predicting vegetation phenology dynamics under ongoing global change.

Key words: carbon cycle, climatic sensitivity, global change, nitrogen deposition, vegetation phenology

摘要：
氮沉降显著改变了植物根系对养分的吸收过程，从而对叶片的生长与发育产生深远影响。然而，其对植被物候及其气候敏感性的影响仍不明确。本研究结合氮添加实验、遥感数据和陆面模型，探讨了1982−2022年间北半球中高纬度地区氮沉降对植被物候及其对水分与温度敏感性的影响。结果表明，近四十年来，生长季开始期 (the start of the growing season, SOS) 对饱和水汽压差 (vapor pressure deficit, VPD) 的敏感性增强，而对温度 (temperature, Tem) 和土壤湿度 (soil moisture, SM) 的敏感性则有所减弱；相比之下，生长季结束期 (the end of the growing season, EOS) 的气候敏感性未呈现出显著变化趋势。模型结果显示，随着氮沉降水平的升高，SOS对VPD (S_VPD) 和温度 (S_Tem) 的敏感性均显著增强 (S_VPD, a = 1.07 d unit⁻¹, P < 0.01; S_Tem, a = 0.10 d unit⁻¹, P < 0.01)；而EOS对土壤湿度的敏感性 (S_SM) 随氮沉降增加显著减弱(a = −1.82 d unit⁻¹, P < 0.05), S_VPD呈下降趋势(a = −0.38 d unit⁻¹, P < 0.01)。归因分析结果表明，氮沉降是导致SOS气候敏感性变化的主要驱动因子，而大气CO₂浓度的上升主要影响了EOS对S_SM的敏感性变化。本研究强调了氮沉降在调控植被物候气候敏感性中的关键作用，为深入理解和预测全球变化背景下植被物候动态提供了新的科学视角。

关键词: 碳循环, 气候敏感性, 全球变化, 氮沉降, 植被物候

Yuzhu Chen, Peng Li, Yunpeng Luo, Longjun Wang, Ying Peng, Tong Li, Xiaolu Zhou, Changhui Peng. Nitrogen Deposition Significantly Altered the Climatic Sensitivity of Vegetation Phenology[J]. J Plant Ecol, DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf195.

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Nitrogen Deposition Significantly Altered the Climatic Sensitivity of Vegetation Phenology

氮沉降显著改变了植被物候的气候敏感性

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