Carbon,nitrogen, phosphorus and enzymatic activity under different land uses in a tropical,dry ecosystem

We compared total C, N and P, available forms of N and P and dehydrogenase, urease and acid phosphatase activities in soils from primary forests, 26‐year‐old pastures and 26‐year‐old secondary forests in the tropical dry forest region of Chamela, Jalisco, Mexico. We hypothesized that, because of their natural regeneration and greater plant diversity, secondary forest soils would have higher fertility and enzyme activities than pasture soils and would be more similar to primary forest soils. We predicted also that enzymes would be better indicators of land‐use effects on soil fertility than nutrients. Only one nutrient, available phosphorus, and one enzyme, acid phosphatase, were significantly and consistently affected by land use. As expected, these parameters were greater in primary and secondary forests than in pastures. Principal components analysis using all variables placed secondary forests intermediate between primary forests and pastures, as predicted, and total C, N and P, available P, ammonium, phosphatase, urease and the C:P ratio were the variables associated with this spatial arrangement of land uses. We conclude that secondary forest soils showed improved fertility and were overall closer to primary forests than to pastures in most variables measured.     

亚高山林草交错带不同土地利用方式下的土壤氮库和氮转化速率

Soil nitrogen pools (NP), denitrification (DN), gross nitrification (GN), N2O and CO2 flux rates with their responses to temperature increases were determined under five different land uses and managements in a subalpine forest-grassland ecotone of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Land uses consisted of 1) sparse woodland, 2) shrub-land, 3) natural pasture, 4) fenced pasture, and 5) tilled pasture mimicking a gradient degenerating ecosystem under grazing impacts. The NO3--N content was higher than the NH4+-N content. Comparing tilled pasture with fenced pasture showed that higher intensive management (tillage) led to a significant decrease of soil organic matter (SOM) (P < 0.05) in the soils, which was in contrast to the significant increases (P < 0.05) of DN, GN, N2O and CO2 flux rates. GN (excluding tilled pasture) and CO2 flux rates increased with a temperature rise, but DN and N2O flux rates normally reached their maximum values at 12--14 oC with tilled pasture (the highest management intensity) being very sensitive to temperature increases. There was a difference between net nitrification and GN, with GN being a better indicator of soil nitrification.     

Living and dead soil organic matter under different land uses on a Mediterranean island

Soil under six different land uses on Pianosa Island, in the Mediterranean Sea, was characterized in terms of microbial activity and organic matter quality, in order to define relationships between living and dead organic matter. Biological measurements and chemical and spectroscopic (¹³C NMR and FTIR) investigation of the extracted soil organic matter provided clues to the effects of soil management on the reciprocal interactions between living and dead organic matter. In particular, the conversion from the original bushy maquis to other land uses, such as degraded thickets of holm oak, maquis‐invaded groves of olive trees, stands of Aleppo pines and abandoned pastures, implied significant reduction of soil organic carbon (SOC) and its microbial fraction (MBC). Cropland, which is the land use with the greatest perturbation of soil, had the smallest SOC, MBC and soil respiration rate. Significant differences in extractable SOC among land uses occurred, both as total amount and as molecular mass distribution. The relatively good relationship between soil respiration and the extracted SOM‐fraction of 2–50 kDa, expressed on a molecular mass basis, suggests that this size is strongly linked to heterotrophic organisms and that it could be representative of a transitory pool of C in soil.     

利用圆盘入渗仪测定不同土地利用类型土壤吸渗率

探讨利用圆盘入渗仪测定不同利用类型土壤吸渗率的适用性,该文选用盘径分别为10和20 cm的圆盘入渗仪对3种利用土壤(菜地、草地和茶园)在0、-3、-6、-9 cm 4个压力水头下的吸渗过程进行测定。研究以Vandervaere法为参考方法,对Philip法、Haverkamp三维吸渗法、Haverkamp三维吸渗改进法的适用性进行比较分析。结果表明:吸渗率的不同计算公式所适应的吸渗过程时间尺度不同,且Haverkamp三维吸渗法所得吸渗率值与参考方法最接近。盘径对吸渗率测定差异的影响不显著。除0 cm压力水头外,不同利用类型土壤吸渗率差异显著,且不同压力水头下测得3种土壤吸渗率大小排序不同。当压力水头为-9和-6 cm时,菜地吸渗率(0.0104和0.0119 cm/s0.5)显著高于茶园(0.0017和0.0025 cm/s0.5)(P0.05);当压力水头为-3 cm时,茶园吸渗率(0.0370 cm/s0.5)显著高于菜地和草地(0.0147和0.0132 cm/s0.5)(P0.05)。该研究可为南方丘陵区土壤水力参数的测定提供理论依据。     

不同森林植被下土壤活性有机碳的含量及动态变化

Soil organic matter （SOM） in forest ecosystems is not only important to global carbon （C） storage but also to sustainable management of forestland with vegetation types, being a critical factor in controlling the quantity and dynamics of SOM. In this field experiment soil plots with three replicates were selected from three forest vegetation types： broadleaf, Masson pine （Pinus massoniana Lamb.）, and Chinese fir （Cunninghamia lanceolata Hook.）. Soil total organic C （TOC）, two easily oxidizable C levels （EOC1 and EOC2, which were oxidized by 66.7 mmol L^-1 K2Cr2O7 at 130-140℃ and 333 mmol L^-1 KMnO4 at 25 ℃, respectively）, microbial biomass C （MBC）, and water-soluble organic C （WSOC） were analyzed for soil samples. Soil under the broadleaf forest stored significantly higher TOC （P ≤ 0.05）. Because of its significantly larger total soil C storage, the soil under the broadleaf forest usually had significantly higher levels （P ≤ 0.05） of the different labile organic carbons, EOC1, EOC2, MBC, and WSOC; but when calculated as a percentage of TOC each labile C fraction of the broadleaf forest was significantly lower （P ≤ 0.05） than one of the other two forests. Under all the three vegetation types temperature as well as quality and season of litter input generally affected the dynamics of different organic C fractions in soils, with EOC1, EOC2, and MBC increasing closely following increase in temperature, whereas WSOC showed an opposite trend.     

Surface soil hydraulic properties in four soil series under different land uses and their temporal changes

The concepts of “genoform” and “phenoform” distinguish the genetically-defined soil series and the variation of soil properties resulted from different land uses and management practices. With the repeated field measurements over time, we attempted to understand the difference of soil hydraulic properties among different land uses for a given soil series, and their temporal dynamics. Four soil series (Glenelg, Hagerstown, Joanna, and Morrison) in Pennsylvania with contrasting textures, structures, and parent materials were investigated. Within each soil series, four common land uses (woodland, cropland, pasture, and urban) were examined. At each site of soil series–land use combination, field-saturated and near-saturated hydraulic conductivities, K(ψ), were measured at the soil surface using standard tension infiltrometers at water supply potentials (ψ) of − 0.12, − .06, − 0.03, − 0.02, − 0.01, and 0 m. Surface infiltration measurements were repeated at each site in May and October from 2004 to 2006. The analysis of variance indicated that the measurement time (May or October) had the greatest impact on all measured hydraulic conductivities (p < 0.001), followed by the land use (p < 0.05 for K_ψ = 0 and K_{ψ = − 0.06}) and soil series (p < 0.06 for K_{ψ = − 0.01} to K_{ψ = − 0.03}). The interactions between the time and land use and between the soil series and land use were statistically significant for K_ψ = 0 and K_{ψ = − 0.01.} When separated by the measurement time, land use showed greater impacts in October than in May, while soil series had greater impacts in May than in October. Among the four land uses, woodland showed less obvious temporal change compared to the other three land uses because of less human-induced impacts and more consistent ground cover. Other three land uses generally showed a higher hydraulic conductivity in May than in October due to the drier initial soil moisture condition and related management practices in the spring that gave rise to more significant macropore flow. The results suggested that the initial soil moisture is an important variable that drives the temporal variation of the surface soil hydraulic properties.     

宁南山区不同土地利用方式土壤酶活性特征研究

试验研究不同土地利用方式土壤酶活性特征结果表明,天然草地表层土壤酶活性较高,灌木林地和人工草地次之,果园和农地较低;20~40cm土层果园和农地土壤酶活性稍高;天然草地和灌木林地对土壤酶活性改良效果显著,而果园和农地则较差;土壤蔗糖酶活性在剖面上变化明显,脲酶和碱性磷酸酶活性变化趋势大多一致,过氧化氢酶活性在不同土地利用类型和剖面层次上均无明显差异。土壤蔗糖酶、脲酶和碱性磷酸酶活性互呈极显著正相关,且均与速效氮及有机质呈极显著正相关。土壤酶活性可作为较理想的土壤肥力指标。     

三种不同利用方式土壤上黄瓜根际微生物群落差异

蔬菜塑料大棚是一种高度集约化利用的设施农业类型,在太湖地区一般由原来的稻麦(或油菜)轮作或露地蔬菜改变而来。稻麦(或油菜)轮作或露地蔬菜改为蔬菜塑料大棚后,土壤养分高度累积,出现了次生盐渍化和酸化的现象[1-2]。可能受土壤酸化和次生盐渍化的影响,蔬菜塑料大棚土壤     

Wetting and drying events determine soil N pools in two Mediterranean ecosystems

To improve our knowledge of how nutrient cycling in Mediterranean environments responds to climate change, we evaluated the effects of the continuous changes in soil nitrogen (N) pools during natural wetting and drying events. We measured soil N pools (microbial biomass [MB-N], dissolved organic nitrogen [DON], NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻) and N ion exchange resins at weekly intervals for one year in two contrasting Mediterranean ecosystems. All soil N fractions in both ecosystems showed high intraseasonal and interseasonal variability that was greater in inorganic soil fractions than in organic N soil fractions. MB-N, DON and resin-NH₄⁺ showed increased concentrations during wetting events. Only the soil NO₃⁻ and resin-NO₃⁻ showed the opposite trend, suggesting a different response to water pulses compared to the other soil variables. Our results show that N pools are continuously changing, and that this high variability is not associated with the total amount of organic matter and labile soil carbon (C) and N soil fractions found in each ecosystem. The highest variability was found for inorganic N forms, which suggests that organic N forms are more buffered in soils exposed to wetting-drying cycles. Our results suggest that the changes in wetting-drying cycles expected with global climate change may have a significant impact on the availability and turnover of organic and inorganic N.     

Belowground carbon allocation patterns in a dry Mediterranean ecosystem: A comparison of two models

Total belowground C allocation (TBCA) accounts for a large fraction of gross primary production, it may overtake aboveground net primary production, and contributes to the primary source of detrital C in the mineral soil. Here, we measure soil respiration, water erosion, litterfall and estimate annual changes in C stored in mineral soil, litter and roots, in three representative land uses in a Mediterranean ecosystem (late-successional forest, abandoned agricultural field, rain-fed olive grove), and use two C balance approaches (steady-state and non-steady-state) to estimate TBCA. Both TBCA approaches are compared to assess how different C fluxes (outputs and inputs) affect our estimates of TBCA within each land use. In addition, annual net primary productivity is determined and C allocation patterns are examined for each land use. We hypothesized that changes in C stored in mineral soil, litter and roots will be slight compared to soil respiration, but will still have a significant effect on the estimates of TBCA. Annual net primary productivity was 648 ± 31.5, 541 ± 42.3 and 324 ± 22.3 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ for forest, abandoned agricultural field and olive grove, respectively. Across land uses, more than 60% of the C was allocated belowground. Soil respiration (F_S) was the largest component in the TBCA approaches across all land uses. Annual C losses through water erosion were negligible compared to F_S (less than 1%) and had little effect on the estimates of TBCA. Annual changes in C stored in the soil, litter layer and roots were low compared to F_S (16, 24 and 10% for forest, abandoned agricultural field and olive grove, respectively), but had a significant effect on the estimates of TBCA. In our sites, an assumption that Δ[C_S + C_R + C_L]/Δt = 0 will underestimate TBCA, particularly in the abandoned agricultural field, where soil C storage may be increasing more rapidly. Therefore, the steady-state model is unsuited to these Mediterranean ecosystems and the full model is recommended.     

红壤坡地不同土地利用方式土壤蒸发和植被蒸腾规律研究

为明确红壤坡地土壤水分耗散特征,通过田间定位观测,分析了农作区、茶园和桠柑园土壤水分蒸发和蒸腾过程。结果表明：蒸发、蒸腾与土壤表层含水率和植被叶面积指数关系密切,不同利用方式日蒸发量大小顺序为遮荫茶园〈对照茶园〈桠柑园〈农作区。茶树和桠柑蒸腾速率日变化曲线均呈现单峰型,桠柑日蒸腾速率比对照茶树弱,这两种土地利用方式下6—10月均以蒸腾耗水为主。遮荫可有效削弱茶园土壤蒸发及植被蒸腾。茶园蒸发受微地形条件影响较大,梯地蒸发比梯坎蒸发弱,而农作区和桠柑园土壤蒸发更多受水分条件的影响。合理的土地利用方式和适度遮荫可以有效降低红壤坡地土壤水分散失,提高水分利用效率和防治季节性干旱。     

Changes of soil ecological stoichiometric ratios under different land uses in a small catchment of subtropical China

The role of soil elemental ecological stoichiometry in evaluation of nutrient cycling and limitation was not clear in local spatial scale. Thus, characteristic of soil C, N and P stoichiometric ratios and their relationships to land-use and soil properties were analyzed in a small catchment of subtropical China. Results showed that there were constrained soil C:N ratios in a small catchment. Soil C:P and N:P ratios were also constrained at the beginning; but they became variable after 10 years of different land uses. Soil C:N ratios in the small catchment were similar to those at national scale, but soil C:P and N:P ratios were remarkably lower at the local scale. Soil C:P ratios in paddy fields were 5.1–76.9% and 16.0–80.4% higher than those for other land uses in 2000 and 2010, respectively; the corresponding soil N:P ratios were also 3.8–66.7% and 19.1–75.0% higher. Over time, soil C:N ratios increased approximately 19.7–29.6% for all land uses after 10 years of utilization. Soil C:P and N:P ratios also increased for most land uses. Clay content was an important factor influencing soil C:P and N:P ratios. Except for paddy fields, N was still the limiting nutrient in most land uses, evaluating by elemental stoichiometry. Future work should focus on determining direct evidence of C and N limitations and their relationships to elemental stoichiometry in a small catchment.     

Effects of crop growth and soil treatments on microbial C,N, and P in dry tropical arable land

We studied the dynamics of microbial C, N, and P in soil cropped with rice (Oryza sativa) and lentils (Lens culinaris) in a dryland farming system. The crop biomass and grain yield were also studied. The microbial biomass and its N and P contents were larger under the lentil than under the rice crop. Microbial nutrients decreased as the crops grew and then increased again. Farmyard manure and NPK fertilizer applications increased the level of microbial nutrients, crop biomass, and grain yield by 35–80%, 55–85%, and 74–86%, respectively. However, these applications had no significant effect on most of the soil physicochemical properties in the short term. The microbial biomass was correlated with the crop biomass and grain yield. The calculated flux of N and P through the microbial biomass ranged from 30–45 and 10–19 kg ha^-1 year^-1, respectively. Cultivation of a cereal crop followed by a leguminous crop sustains higher levels of microbial nutrients and hence greater fertility in impoverished tropical arable soils. The soil microbial biomass appears to contribute significantly to crop productivity by releasing nutrients, and applications of manure, either alone or with fertilizers, promote this effect more strongly than the application of NPK fertilizers alone.     

Effects of land use on soil erosion in a tropical dry forest ecosystem,Chamela watershed,Mexico

During the past few decades, Mexico has been converting tropical dry forest (TDF) into cropland and pasture, with land degradation expressed as soil erosion being the main environmental consequence. The factors and processes influencing soil erosion are related to scale. At a microscale, the stability of soil aggregates has a significant impact on soil erodibility and strongly influences other soil properties. However, at plot and watershed scales, these relationships are less well known. The relationships between the distribution of soil aggregate size, soil properties and soil erosion were examined for two soil geomorphological units (hillslopes over granite and hillslopes over tuffs) and three land uses (TDF, unburned pasture and burned pasture) within the Chamela watershed of west–central Mexico. To evaluate soil aggregation as a parameter for upscaling soil erosion, the researchers measured microtopographic features at plot scales and interpreted 1:35,000 panchromatic aerial photographs at a watershed scale. Analysis of variance indicated significant differences in soil organic carbon (P < 0.05) and soil moisture (P < 0.01) contents between the two soil geomorphological units, and field tests showed differences in soil texture and structure.     

不同利用方式的苏打盐渍土剖面盐分组成及分布特征

通过野外调查、采样和室内分析,研究了松嫩平原不同利用方式的苏打盐渍土剖面形态特征及可溶盐含量与组成在土壤剖面中的变化。结果表明,土壤的利用方式不同,土壤剖面腐殖质层厚度、耕层和腐殖质层的有机质含量等有明显差异。在围栏草原、旱田、新水田及老水田4个剖面中,土壤可溶盐总量、pH与ESP均是在剖面中部最高,上部和下部较低;可溶盐组成均以K++Na+和HCO 3-、CO23-为主。表明草原围栏、旱田及水田利用均有抑制苏打盐分表聚的作用。放牧草原剖面的可溶盐含量自下向上逐渐增多,盐分表聚非常显著。开垦20余年的水田剖面中,表层土壤的可溶盐总量、pH和ESP值分别降至0.21%、7.56和9.1%,表明苏打盐碱地种稻较草原和旱田利用更有利于土壤脱盐脱碱。     

Characteristics of soil organic carbon fractions under different land use patterns in a tropical area

Journal of Soils and Sediments - To explore the effects of land use patterns on the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions in tropical areas, soil samples from paddy fields, abandoned...     

The impact of vegetative cover type on runoff and soil erosion under different land uses

The effects of different vegetation types on runoff generation and soil erosion were investigated. The study was conducted at the Southern part of West Bank, about 10 Km north-west of Hebron city, during 2005, 2006 and 2007. Five treatments were implemented; forests planted with P. halepensis (F), natural vegetation dominated by S. spinosum (W.S), natural vegetation where S. spinosum was removed (W/o.S), cultivated land (C), and deforestation (Df). Three types of data were estimated in each plot: runoff after each rainfall event, sedimentation at the end of the rainy season, and chemical and physical soil properties. The obtained results indicate that there are significant and important differences in runoff generation and sediment production with respect to the different types of vegetative cover. Forest and natural vegetation dominated by S. spinosum treatments exhibited the lowest amounts of runoff, with averages of 2.02 and 1.08 mm, respectively, in comparison to other treatments. The removal of S. spinosum significantly increased the total amount of runoff and sedimentation compared to the forest and S. spinosum treatments. In addition, runoff significantly increased (4.03 mm) for the Df treatment compared to that of the forest site. The greatest amount of sedimentation was observed in cultivated land and with deforestation.     

Nitrogen addition stimulates different components of soil respiration in a subtropical bamboo ecosystem

Soil respiration is an important carbon (C) flux of global C cycle, and greatly affected by nitrogen (N) addition in the form of deposition or fertilization. However, the effects of N addition on the different components of soil respiration are poorly understood. The aim of this study is to investigate how the components of soil respiration response to N addition and the potential mechanisms in a subtropical bamboo ecosystem. Four N treatment levels (0, 50, 150, 300 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) were applied monthly in a Pleioblastus amarus bamboo plantation since November 2007. Total soil respiration (RS_T) and soil respiration derived from litter layer (RS_L), root-free soil (RS_S), and plant roots (RS_R) were measured for one year (February 2010 to January 2011). The results showed that the mean rate of RS_T was 428 ± 11 g C m⁻² year⁻¹, and RS_L, RS_S, RS_R contributed (30.2 ± 0.7)%, (20.7 ± 0.9)%, and (49.1 ± 0.7)%, respectively. The temperature coefficients (Q₁₀) of RS_T, RS_L, RS_S, and RS_R were 2.87, 2.28, 3.09, and 3.19, respectively, in control plots. Nitrogen additions significantly increased RS_T and its three components. RS_R was stimulated by N additions through increasing fine root biomass and root metabolic rate. The positive effects of N additions on soil fertility, microbial activity, and the quality and amount of aboveground litterfall also stimulated other CO₂ production processes. In the background of increased N input, response of RS_T and components of RS_T are primarily due to the positive response of plant growth in this bamboo ecosystem.