Degradability of black carbon and its impact on trace gas fluxes and carbon turnover in paddy soils

Rice paddy soils are characterized by anoxic conditions, anaerobic carbon turnover, and significant emissions of the greenhouse gas methane. A main source for soil organic matter in paddy fields is the rice crop residue that is returned to fields if not burned. We investigated as an alternative treatment the amendment of rice paddies with rice residues that have been charred to black carbon. This treatment might avoid various negative side effects of traditional rice residue treatments. Although charred biomass is seen as almost recalcitrant, its impact on trace gas (CO₂, CH₄) production and emissions in paddy fields has not been studied. We quantified the degradation of black carbon produced from rice husks in four wetland soils in laboratory incubations. In two of the studied soils the addition of carbonised rice husks resulted in a transient increase in carbon mineralisation rates in comparison to control soils without organic matter addition. After almost three years, between 4.4% and 8.5% of the black carbon added was mineralised to CO₂ under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. The addition of untreated rice husks resulted in a strong increase in carbon mineralisation rates and in the same time period 77%-100% of the added rice husks were mineralised aerobically and 31%-54% anaerobically. The ¹³C-signatures of respired CO₂ gave a direct indication of black carbon mineralisation to CO_2. In field trials we quantified the impact of rice husk black carbon or untreated rice husks on soil respiration and methane emissions. The application of black carbon had no significant effect on soil respiration but significantly enhanced methane emissions in the first rice crop season. The additional methane released accounted for only 0.14% of black carbon added. If the same amount of organic carbon was added as untreated rice husks, 34% of the applied carbon was released as CO₂ and methane in the first season. Furthermore, the addition of fresh harvest residues to paddy fields resulted in a disproportionally high increase in methane emissions. Estimating the carbon budget of the different rice crop residue treatments indicated that charring of rice residues and adding the obtained black carbon to paddy fields instead of incorporating untreated harvest residues may reduce field methane emissions by as much as 80%. Hence, the production of black carbon from rice harvest residues could be a powerful strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from rice fields.     

Rhizosphere priming of soil organic matter by bacterial groups in a grassland soil

Plants often impact the rate of native soil organic matter turnover through root interactions with soil organisms; however the role of root-microbial interactions in mediation of the “priming effect” is not well understood. We examined the effects of living plant roots and N fertilization on belowground C dynamics in a California annual grassland soil (Haploxeralf) during a two-year greenhouse study. The fate of ¹³C-labeled belowground C (roots and organic matter) was followed under planted (Avena barbata) and unplanted conditions, and with and without supplemental N (20 kg N ha⁻¹ season⁻¹) over two periods of plant growth, each followed by a dry, fallow period of 120 d. Turnover of belowground ¹³C SOM was followed using ¹³C-phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarkers. Living roots increased the turnover and loss of belowground ¹³C compared with unplanted soils. Planted soils had 20% less belowground ¹³C present than in unplanted soils after 2 cycles of planting and fallow. After 2 treatment cycles, unlabeled soil C was 4.8% higher in planted soils than unplanted. The addition of N to soils decreased the turnover of enriched belowground ¹³C during the first treatment season in both planted and unplanted soils, however no effect of N was observed thereafter. Our findings suggest that A. barbata may increase soil C levels over time because root and exudate C inputs are significant, but that increase will be moderated by an overall faster C mineralization rate of belowground C. N addition may slow soil C losses; however, the effect was minor and transient in this system. The labeled root-derived ¹³C was initially recovered in gram negative (highest enrichment), gram positive, and fungal biomarkers. With successive growing seasons, the labeled C in the gram negative and fungal markers declined, while gram positive markers continued to accumulate labeled belowground C. The rhizosphere of A. barbata shifted the microbial community composition, resulting in greater abundances of gram negative markers and lower abundances of gram positive, actinobacteria and cyclopropyl PLFA markers compared to unplanted soil. However, the longer-term utilization of labeled belowground C by gram positive bacteria was enhanced in the rhizosphere microbial community compared with unplanted soils. We suggest that the activities of gram positive bacteria may be major controllers of multi-year rhizosphere-related priming of SOM decomposition.     

Carbon and nitrogen degradation on molecular scale of grass-derived pyrogenic organic material during 28 months of incubation in soil

The present study focuses on the microbial recalcitrance of pyrogenic organic material (PyOM) on a molecular scale. We performed microcosm incubation experiments using ¹³C- and ¹⁵N-enriched grass-derived PyOM mixed with a sub soil material taken from a Haplic Cambisol. Solid-state ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR studies were conducted to elucidate the humification processes at different stages of PyOM degradation. The chemical structure of the remaining PyOM after incubation was clearly different from the initial pyrogenic material. The proportion of O-containing functional groups was increased, whereas that of aryl C and of N-containing heterocyclic structures had decreased, probably due to mineralisation and conversion to other C and N groups. After 20 months of incubation the aryl C loss reached up to 40% of the initial amount and up to 29% of the remaining PyOM C was assigned to carboxyl/carbonyl C and O-aryl C. These reactions alter the chemical and physical properties of the char residue and make it more available for further microbial attack but also for adsorption processes. Our study presents direct evidence for the degradation of N-heterocyclic domains in charred plant remains adding new aspects to the understanding of the N cycling in fire-affected ecosystems.     

渤海沉积物中微生物铁还原能力及其影响因素探讨

采用恒温厌氧培养实验,以Fe（OH）3为唯一电子受体,通过测定接种不同沉积物提取液后的体系中Fe（Ⅱ）含量变化,研究了渤海沉积物在不同的碳源、温度、厌氧培养时间及pH条件下的铁还原特征。结果表明,从不同水质海区沉积物提取的微生物群落均可以葡萄糖和丙酮酸盐为优势碳源,并迅速还原Fe（Ⅲ）,其利用不同碳源的铁还原能力表现为葡萄糖〉丙酮酸盐〉乳酸盐〉乙酸盐;在不同水质海区之间Fe（Ⅲ）还原程度存在一定差异,Ⅲ类和Ⅳ类水质区域的微生物Fe（Ⅲ）还原能力明显低于Ⅰ类和Ⅱ类水质区域;以葡萄糖和丙酮酸盐作为碳源培养时,在15℃和30℃培养条件下其Fe（Ⅲ）还原反应的活性随着温度的升高而升高,表明微生物在优势碳源下,提高培养温度可促进铁还原反应的效率;淹水时间延长可改变微生物群落结构,促进利用葡萄糖和丙酮酸盐的微生物恢复增长,使Fe（Ⅲ）还原能力增强;微生物群落在pH中性体系条件下Fe（Ⅲ）还原能力最强,随着体系pH值由8.0升高到11.0或pH由6.0降低到3.0,体系中Fe（Ⅲ）还原能力均逐渐降低。     

毛竹叶片生物量、养分及与土壤的耦合特征

叶片对植物的生长、发育和生活史的完成具有极其重要的作用,叶生物量(叶量)及其养分含量将直接影响树体对光能的接收与利用,而土壤为植物的生长发育提供了所需的养分元素。本研究对不同年龄毛竹的叶量、叶片和土壤养分含量及其相互关系进行了研究。结果表明:(1)毛竹叶量随着径阶的增大而增大。(2)5块样地中,样地1和3的毛竹叶量明显高于其他3块样地,样地4的毛竹叶量最小。(3)毛竹叶片中镁含量随着年龄的变化差异不显著(p>0.05);氮、总磷、有机磷、钾、钙含量在1度毛竹叶片与其他年龄毛竹叶片含量差异显著(p<0.05);2度以上各年龄毛竹叶间氮含量差异显著(p<0.05);毛竹叶无机磷含量仅1度竹叶与4度竹叶含量差异显著(p<0.05);叶片中的氮磷比值(N/P)随年龄增加先增大后减小;相同年龄不同径阶毛竹的叶片养分含量虽有变化却不存在显著差异(p>0.05)。(4)竹叶中氮含量与有机磷、全磷、钾、钙含量呈极显著相关(p<0.01);总磷、无机磷、有机磷含量与钙、钾含量显著相关(p<0.05);钾与钙含量呈极显著负相关(p<0.01)。(5)毛竹林土壤pH值与叶片镁含量显著负相关(p<0.05);土壤中镁含量与叶片中钙含量显著负相关(p<0.05),而与叶片全氮、总磷、有机磷、镁含量呈极显著负相关(p<0.01)。     

低碳城市的发展策略研究

以低碳城市为主要研究对象,重点阐述了低碳城市的理论内涵,介绍了国内外典型低碳城市的发展现状,为中国发展低碳城市提供一定参考。     

Carbon sequestration potential of recommended management practices for paddy soils of China, 1980-2050

China's rice paddies, accounting for 19% of the world's total, play an important role in soil carbon (C) sequestration. In order to reduce uncertainties from upscaling spatial processes of the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model for improving the understanding of C sequestration under recommended management practices (RMPs), we parameterized the DNDC model with a 1:1,000,000 polygonal soil database to estimate how RMPs influence potential C sequestration of the top 30 cm of Chinese paddy soils and to identify which management practices have the greatest potential to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) in these soils. These practices include reduced/no tillage, increasing crop residue return, and increasing manure applications. A baseline and eleven RMP scenarios were projected from 2009 to 2080, including traditional and conservation tillage, increasing crop residue return, increasing manure incorporation, and the combination of these practices. The results indicated that C sequestration potential under modeled RMPs increased compared to the baseline scenario, and varied greatly from 29.2 to 847.7 Tg C towards the end of the study period with an average rate of 0.7 to 20.2 Tg C yr^− 1. In general, increasing crop residue return was associated with higher rates of C sequestration when compared to increasing manure application or practicing conservation tillage. The simulations demonstrated that the most effective soil C sequestration strategy probably involves the implementation of a combination of RMPs, and that they vary by location.     

Plant species traits regulate methane production in freshwater wetland soils

Ecosystem and biogeochemical responses to anthropogenic stressors are the result of complex interactions between plants and microbes. A mechanistic understanding of how plant traits influence microbial processes is needed in order to predict the ecosystem-level effects of natural or anthropogenic change. This is particularly true in wetland ecosystems, where plants alter the availability of both electron donors (e.g., organic carbon) and electron acceptors (e.g., oxygen and ferric iron), thereby regulating the total amount of anaerobic respiration and the production of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. In this study, we examined how plant traits associated with plant inputs of carbon (photosynthesis and biomass) and oxygen (root porosity and ferric iron on roots) to mineral soils relate to microbial competition for organic carbon and, ultimately, methane production. Plant productivity was positively correlated with microbial respiration and negatively correlated to methane production. Root porosity was relatively constant across plant species, but belowground biomass, total biomass, and the concentration of oxidized (ferric) iron on roots varied significantly between species. As a result the size of the total root oxidized iron pool varied considerably across plant species, scaling with plant productivity. Large pools of oxidized iron were related to high CO₂:CH₄ ratios during microbial respiration, indicating that as plant productivity and biomass increased, microbes used non-methanogenic respiration pathways, most likely including the reduction of iron oxides. Taken together these results suggest that increased oxygen input from plants with greater biomass can offset any potential stimulation of methanogenic microbes from additional carbon inputs. Because the species composition of plant communities influences both electron donor and acceptor availability in wetland soils, changes in plant species as a consequence of anthropogenic disturbance have the potential to trigger profound effects on microbial processes, including changes in anaerobic decomposition rates and the proportion of mineralized carbon emitted as the greenhouse gas methane.     

Rhizospheric and heterotrophic respiration of a warm-temperate oak chronosequence in China

Plot trenching and root decomposition experiments were conducted in a warm-temperate oak chronosequence (40-year-old, 48-year-old, 80-year-old, and 143-year-old) in China. We partitioned total soil surface CO₂ efflux (R_S) into heterotrophic (R_H) and rhizospheric (R_R) components across the growing season of 2009. We found that the temporal variation of R_R and R_H can be well explained by soil temperature (T₅) at 5 cm depth using exponential equations for all forests. However, R_R of 40-year-old and 48-year-old forests peaked in September, while their T₅ peaks occurred in August. R_R of 80-year-old and 143-year-old forests showed a similar pattern to T₅. The contribution of R_R to R_S (RC) of 40-year-old and 48-year-old forests presented a second peak in September. Seasonal variation of R_R may be accounted for by the different successional stages. Cumulative R_H and R_R during the growing season varied with forest age. The estimated R_H values for 40-year-old, 48-year-old, 80-year-old and 143-year-old forests averaged 431.72, 452.02, 484.62 and 678.93 g C m⁻², respectively, while the corresponding values of R_R averaged 191.94, 206.51, 321.13 and 153.03 g C m⁻². The estimated RC increased from 30.78% in the 40-year-old forest to 39.85% in the 80-year-old forest and then declined to 18.39% in the 143-year-old forest. We found soil organic carbon (SOC), especially the light fraction organic carbon (LFOC), stock at 0-10 cm soil depth correlated well with R_H. There was no significant relationship between R_R and fine root biomass regardless of stand age. Measured apparent temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) of R_H (3.93 ± 0.27) was significantly higher than that of R_R (2.78 ± 0.73). Capillary porosity decreased as stand age increased and it was negatively correlated to cumulative R_S. Our results emphasize the importance of partitioning soil respiration in evaluating the stand age effect on soil respiration and its significance to future model construction.     

Addition of Leucaena-KX2 mulch in a shaded coffee agroforestry system increases both stable and labile soil C fractions

Agroforestry systems have the potential to increase sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) as soil organic carbon (SOC) because of the increased rates of organic matter addition and retention. However, few studies have characterized the relative stability of sequestered SOC in soil. We characterized SOC storage in aggregate size and chemical stability classes to estimate the relative stability of SOC pools after the addition of Leucaena-KX2 pruning residues (mulch) from 2006 to 2008 in a shaded coffee agroforestry system in Hawaii. Soil samples were separated by microaggregate isolation, density flotation and dispersion, and acid hydrolysis, resulting in five distinct fractions that differed in relative stability: coarse particulate organic matter (POM), fine POM, microaggregate-protected POM, silt + clay hydrolyzable soil organic matter (SOM), and silt + clay non-hydrolyzable SOM. With mulch addition, the fine POM fraction increased. There was also a shift in the proportion of SOC to more stable silt + clay fractions. In the absence of mulch there was no significant change in SOC fractions. Given that the turnover time of SOC in silt + clay fractions is on the order of decades to centuries, the potential benefits of active shade management and mulching compensate for the loss of C sequestration in tree biomass from pollarding.