ConclusionThe results reported here show that gradients in soil nitrateconcentrations leading away from fertilized agricultural fields andinto forests are associated with significant changes in ecologicalcommunity compositions below-ground and in plant community coverage, both indicating significant shifts in ecosystem function-ing. However, such compositional and functional changes differedbetween the forests studied, suggesting that the consequences ofanthropogenic N inputs like fertilization are context-dependentand deserve further attention.