Dr. Phillip Fay
USDA-ARS, Temple, TX
Nitrogen deposition is an ongoing process in which various forms of nitrogen produced through human agricultural and industrial activity becomes suspended in the atmosphere, then eventually precipitates onto land surfaces. Nitrogen is a key nutrient for living organisms, and the input of extra nitrogen into ecosystems can increase the productivity of plants, but has also been shown to increase the success of invasive plants. Nitrogen deposition has been strongly linked in many studies to losses of native plant biodiversity as well.