Research project NITROPRIME: Impact of Arctic plant-soil interactions on plant nutrition and carbon sequestration

Arctic tundra environments are now rapidly changing, and show increased permafrost thaw, increased plant productivity and changes in vegetation distribution, such as a northward expansion of trees and large shrubs. Plants can speed up or slow down soil organic matter decomposition near their roots. This in turn can alter the release of CO2, but also that of plant-available nitrogen – the limiting nutrient in most tundra systems that is needed sustain plant CO2 uptake. NITROPRIME aims to dissect this complex interplay between plants, soils and microorganisms, and between carbon and nitrogen cycling, to quantify how different tundra plants change soil nitrogen supply and how this impacts plant CO2 uptake in a changing Arctic. To achieve this goal, we combine field experiments, detailed laboratory analyses and modelling.