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Multiple global change factors amplify nitrogen loss and croplands are at the highest risk

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Abstract

Microbial-driven processes, particularly denitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), convert inorganic nitrogen (N) in soils into gaseous forms, causing substantial N losses. However, their responses to global change across ecosystem types remain unclear. Here, we synthesized global data on denitrification and anammox from experiments examining major global change factors (GCFs), including elevated CO2, N addition, warming, and altered precipitation. Our analysis shows that N addition markedly stimulated both processes, and warming enhanced denitrification. On average, multiple GCFs exerted stronger effects on N-loss processes than single or two GCFs. These effects are ecosystem dependent, with croplands being the most affected, particularly under N addition. Furthermore, the sensitivity of N-loss processes to each GCF varies greatly among ecosystems and is largely explained by local climate and soil conditions. Our findings reveal accelerated soil N losses under multifactor global change and offer insights for improving future N-cycle predictions and sustainable N management.

Data availability

The datasets64 generated during this study are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29367797.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32301369 and U24A20641) and Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (2024AFD214).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Danjiangkou Wetland Ecosystem Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Hubei Province, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China

    Bangjing Ding, Wenzhi Liu & Quanfa Zhang

  2. State key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China

    Bangjing Ding & Wenzhi Liu

  3. Hubei Key Laboratory of Wetland Evolution & Ecological Restoration, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China

    Di Xu, Shuo Wang & Quanfa Zhang

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Di Xu & Shuo Wang

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  1. Bangjing Ding
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  2. Di Xu
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  3. Shuo Wang
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  4. Wenzhi Liu
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  5. Quanfa Zhang
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Contributions

B.D., Q.Z., and W.L. developed the original idea of the analyses presented in the manuscript. B.D., D.X., and S.W. collected and analyzed the data. B.D., Q.Z., and W.L. wrote the original draft. Q.Z. and W.L. contributed significantly to improve subsequent drafts.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to
Wenzhi Liu.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Communications Earth and Environment thanks the anonymous reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary Handling Editors: Martina Grecequet. [A peer review file is available.]

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Ding, B., Xu, D., Wang, S. et al. Multiple global change factors amplify nitrogen loss and croplands are at the highest risk.
Commun Earth Environ (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03316-2

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