Dissolved Organic Nitrogen Concentrations and Ratios of Dissolved Organic Carbon to Dissolved Organic Nitrogen in Throughfall and Soil Waters in Norway Spruce and Scots Pine Forest Stands Throughout Norway

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) plays an important ecological role in forest ecosystems, and its concentration is related to that of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). We investigated DON concentrations and ratios of DOC to DON in throughfall and soil waters in 16 Norway spruce and two Scots pine forest stands sampled at weekly intervals between 1996 and 2006. The stands are all included in the ICP Forests Level II monitoring program and are located throughout Norway. DON concentrations were significantly and positively related to DOC concentrations in throughfall (r ²?=?0.72, p?<?0.0001) and soil water at 5, 15, and 40 cm (r ²?=?0.86, 0.32, and 0.84 and p?<?0.0001, 0.04, and <0.0001, respectively). At most sites, the annual median DOC/DON ratio in throughfall ranged from 20.3 to 55.5, which is lower than values in soil water, which ranged from 24.5 to 81.3, gradually decreasing with soil depth. DON concentrations varied seasonally in throughfall at many plots and in soil water at 5-cm depth at one plot only, with higher values in the growing season, but there was no noticeable seasonality at greater depth. The ratios of DOC/DON in soil water were significantly positively related to the C/N ratio in soil at the same depth. Above-ground litter input was the main factor having a significant, negative relationship to DOC/DON in soil water at all depths studied. This might reflect the effect of site conditions on both DOC/DON ratios and litter quantity.     

Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in precipitation,throughfall, soil solution,and stream water of the tropical highlands in northern Thailand

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is important for the cycling and transport of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soil. In temperate forest soils, dissolved organic N (DON) partly escapes mineralization and is mobile, promoting loss of N via leaching. Little information is available comparing DOC and DON dynamics under tropical conditions. Here, mineralization is more rapid, and the demand of the vegetation for nutrients is larger, thus, leaching of DON could be small. We studied concentrations of DOC and DON during the rainy seasons 1998–2001 in precipitation, canopy throughfall, pore water in the mineral soil at 5, 15, 30, and 80 cm depth, and stream water under different land‐use systems representative of the highlands of northern Thailand. In addition, we determined the distribution of organic C (OC) and N (ON) between two operationally defined fractions of DOM. Samples were collected in small water catchments including a cultivated cabbage field, a pine plantation, a secondary forest, and a primary forest. The mean concentrations of DOC and DON in bulk precipitation were 1.7 ± 0.2 and 0.2 ± 0.1 mg L^–1, respectively, dominated by the hydrophilic fraction. The throughfall of the three forest sites became enriched up to three times in DOC in the hydrophobic fraction, but not in DON. Maximum concentrations of DOC and DON (7.9–13.9 mg C L^–1 and 0.9–1.2 mg N L^–1, respectively) were found in samples from lysimeters at 5 cm soil depth. Hydrophobic OC and hydrophilic ON compounds were released from the O layer and the upper mineral soil. Concentrations of OC and ON in mineral‐soil solutions under the cabbage cultivation were elevated when compared with those under the forests. Similar to most temperate soils, the concentrations in the soil solution decreased with soil depth. The reduction of OC with depth was mainly due to the decrease of hydrophobic compounds. The changes in OC indicated the release of hydrophobic compounds poor in N in the forest canopy and the organic layers. These substances were removed from solution during passage through the mineral soil. In contrast, organic N related more to labile microbial‐derived hydrophilic compounds. At least at the cabbage‐cultivation site, mineralization seemed to contribute largely to the decrease of DOC and DON with depth, possibly because of increased microbial activity stimulated by the inorganic‐N fertilization. Similar concentrations and compositions of OC and ON in subsoils and streams draining the forested catchments suggest soil control on stream DOM. The contribution of DON to total dissolved N in those streams ranged between 50% and 73%, underscoring the importance of DOM for the leaching of nutrients from forested areas. In summary, OC and ON showed differences in their dynamics in forest as well as in agricultural ecosystems. This was mainly due to the differing distribution of OC and ON between the more immobile hydrophobic and the more easily degradable hydrophilic fraction.     

Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics in temperate coniferous forest plantations

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a central role in driving many chemical and biological processes in soil; however, our understanding of the fluxes and composition of the DOM pool still remains unclear. In this study we investigated the composition and dynamics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in five temperate coniferous forests. We subsequently related our findings to the inputs (litterfall, throughfall, atmospheric deposition) and outputs (leaching, respiration) of C and N from the forest and to plant available sources of N. With the exception of NO₃^?, most of the measured soil solution components (e.g. DOC, DON, NH₄⁺, free amino acids, total phenolics and proteins) progressively declined in concentration with soil depth, particularly in the organic horizons. This decline correlated well with total microbial activity within the soil profile. We calculated that the amount of C lost by soil respiration each day was equivalent to 70% of the DOC pool and 0.06% of the total soil C. The rapid rate of amino acid mineralization and the domination of the low molecular weight soluble N pool by inorganic N suggest that the microbial community is C‐ rather than N‐limited and that C‐limitation increases with soil depth. Further, our results suggest that the forest stands were not N‐limited and were probably more reliant on inorganic N as a primary N source rather than DON. In conclusion, our results show that the size of the DON and DOC pools are small relative to both the amount of C and N passing through the soil each year and the total C and N present in the soil. In addition, high rates of atmospheric N deposition in these forests may have removed competition for N resources between the plant and microbial communities.     

Dissolved soil organic nitrogen and carbon in a Norway spruce stand and an adjacent clear-cut

 The aims of this study were to characterize dissolved soil organic N (DON) and C (DOC) in a coniferous stand and an adjacent clear-cut, and to evaluate the importance of DON in N leaching. The study was carried out in a Norway spruce stand and a clear-cutting treatment in the same forest stand. Concentrations of DON in soil solution were monitored for 5 years after clear-cutting with gravity lysimeters. In the Norway spruce stand DON comprised 62–83% of the total N in soil solution over the 5-year period. The concentrations of DON in the clear-cut were higher than in the forest stand, but the proportion of total N was lower. To characterize dissolved organic matter, soil samples were aerobically incubated for 6 weeks in the laboratory, and the quantity, molecular size distribution and chemical nature of both DON and DOC were determined from water extracts made before and after the incubation. In the soil samples from the Norway spruce stand, C-rich compounds with a high C/N ratio and large molecular size were formed. In contrast, after the incubation the major carriers of DON in soil samples from the clear-cut were N-rich organic compounds with a low C/N ratio and a small molecular size. The distribution of different chemical fractions of DOC in soil did not differ much whether recovered from the Norway spruce stand or the clear-cut. It was (from highest to lowest concentration): hydrophobic acids>hydrophilic acids>phenols>hydrophilic neutrals. A major part of DON was also carried by these fractions. During incubation the concentration of N-containing hydrophilic acids increased, especially in the soil from the clearcut. In soil samples from the Norway spruce stand, the rate of net N mineralization was low and no NO₃ was formed, whilst the rate of net N mineralization was high and net nitrification was intensive in soil from the clear-cut. Received: 12 June 2000     

Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Fractions under Different Land Uses and Tillage Practices

Many questions have surfaced regarding long-term impacts of land-use and cultivation system on soil carbon (C) sequestration. The experiment was conducted at Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Only minor variations of soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N) fractions with depth under plow tillage (PT). The SOC, total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) concentrations were higher under grassland and forestland in the top 0–15 cm depth than arable soils. No-tillage (NT) also increased SOC and N fractions concentrations in the surface soils than PT. Compared to arable, grass and forest could significantly improve proportions of MBC and MBN, and reduce proportions of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). NT and forest also increased the ratio of SOC/TN, MBC/MBN, and DOC/DON. Overall, grass and forest provided more labile C and improved C sequestration than arable. So did NT under arable land-use.     

秸秆还田对稻田土壤溶液中溶解性有机质的影响

研究了麦秆不同方式还田、施用无机氮肥及不同移栽时间对水稻田土壤溶液中溶解性有机碳（DOC）、溶解性有机氮（DON）浓度的影响。结果表明，淹水后土壤溶液中DOC浓度在淹水初期明显增加，而后逐渐下降。添加麦秆这一有机物料，在水稻生长期前2个月内显著提高了DOC，对DON在一段时间内也表现出促进作用，其后差异不显著。施用无机氮肥降低了土壤溶液中DOC、DON浓度。DON的浓度与施肥量呈负相关。水稻推迟移栽，土壤溶液中溶解性有机质（DOM）均显著降低。     

Temporal and spatial dynamics of soil solution C and N concentrations during Lolium perenne L. sward establishment and the effects of elevated CO2 and N additions

There is now clear evidence for a prolonged increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and enrichment of the biosphere with N. Understanding the fate of C in the plant-soil system under different CO₂ and N regimes is therefore of considerable importance in predicting the environmental effects of climate change and in predicting the sustainability of ecosystems. Swards of Lolium perenne were grown from seed in a Eutric Cambisol at either ambient (ca. 350 μmol mol⁻¹) or elevated (700 μmol mol⁻¹) atmospheric pCO₂ and subjected to two inorganic N fertilizer regimes (no added N and 70 kg N ha⁻¹ month⁻¹). After germination, soil solution concentrations of dissolved organic C (DOC), dissolved inorganic N (DIN), dissolved organic N (DON), phenolics and H⁺ were measured at five depths down the soil profile over 3 months. The exploration of soil layers down the soil profile by roots caused transient increases in soil solution DOC, DON and phenolic concentrations, which then subsequently returned to lower quasi-stable concentrations. In general, the addition of N tended to increase DOC and DON concentrations while exposure to elevated pCO₂ had the opposite effect. These treatment effects, however, gradually diminished over the duration of the experiment from the top of the soil profile downwards. The ambient pCO₂ plus added N regime was the only treatment to maintain a notable difference in soil solution solute concentration, relative to other treatments. This effect on soil solution chemistry appeared to be largely indirect resulting from increased plant growth and a decrease in soil moisture content. Our results show that although plant growth responses to elevated pCO₂ are critically dependent upon N availability, the organic chemistry of the soil solution is relatively insensitive to changes in plant growth once the plants have become established.     

不同松栎混交林土壤溶解性有机碳氮的差异分析

为揭示北亚热带地区不同林分类型的土壤活性碳氮分布特征,在驻马店市南部山区选取4处具有代表性的松栎人工混交林为研究对象,对其0-20 cm土壤的溶解性有机碳（DOC）,溶解性有机氮（DON）等组分进行研究。结果表明:4种林型土壤DOC的含量为麻栎纯林 > 湿地松麻栎混交林 > 火炬松麻栎混交林 > 马尾松麻栎混交林,DON的含量为马尾松麻栎混交林 > 麻栎纯林 > 湿地松麻栎混交林 > 火炬松麻栎混交林,不同林分类型间整体上差异性显著（p<0.05）;在垂直剖面上,4种林型土壤DOC和DON均随土层深度的增加而显著性下降（p<0.05）。4种林分类型DOC/SOC,DON/TN,DOC/DON分别以麻栎纯林、马尾松麻栎混交林、麻栎纯林最高,在垂直空间分布上,差异性整体上不显著。土壤DOC和DON与土壤含水率、土壤硬度、速效钾、全氮均呈显著（p<0.05）或极显著（p<0.01）相关性。     

春季解冻过程对2种温带森林土壤微生物量碳氮和可溶性有机碳氮的影响

为了研究春季土壤冻融过程对碳氮周转的影响,以长白山地区2种森林土壤为研究对象,利用原位培养连续取样法,测定和分析了土壤微生物量碳(MC)、氮(MN)和可溶性有机碳(DOC)、氮(DON)在春季解冻期间的含量动态变化。结果表明:土壤解冻过程中,2种林型土壤微生物量碳、氮的时间变化动态不同,且土壤微生物量碳、氮表现出明显的垂直空间异质性,0—10cm土层土壤微生物量氮显著高于10—20cm土层。除个别时期外,0—10cm土层土壤微生物量碳亦显著高于10—20cm土层土壤。解冻过程中,2种林型0—10cm土层土壤DOC含量时间变化动态基本一致,而红松阔叶林10—20cm土层土壤最大DOC释放量早于次生白桦林。2种林型DOC释放过程集中于解冻中后期。解冻期2种林型土壤DON时间变化动态表现一致,最大土壤DON释放量出现在解冻中后期。解冻期2种林型土壤DON存在明显的垂直空间分布特征,0—10cm土层土壤DON含量显著高于10—20cm土层。     

有机物料输入对干润砂质新成土可溶性有机碳、氮的影响

对采集于干润砂质新成土不同土层土壤分别添加高C/N（黑麦草）和低C/N（苜蓿）有机物料后进行了室内培养试验。结果表明,各土层土壤添加有机物料后,均存在不同程度的矿质氮微生物净固定现象,且氮固定时间及程度与有机物料的C/N和土壤层次密切相关,添加高C/N黑麦草的深层低肥力土壤氮固定现象最明显。添加有机物料后,培养期间可溶性有机碳（DOC）累积量前期较高,中期先减后增,后期趋于稳定,不同土层土壤DOC的变化有所不同。0～20、20～40cm可溶性有机氮（DON）累积同时受矿质氮固定影响,低C/N苜蓿残体加入土壤后,在短暂氮素固定后,后期DON累积量明显提高;而加入高C/N黑麦草残体后,在较长时间内DON累积量无明显增加。添加有机物料导致培养前期土壤DOC/DON上升,随后降低。以上研究结果表明,如果从增加干润砂质新成土土壤有机质角度考虑,应该种植高C/N比的植物。因此,研究有利于进一步深入理解土壤溶液速效C、N养分的来源及其转化,对该地区土壤质量的调控具有一定参考价值。     

有机物料输入稻田提高土壤微生物碳氮及可溶性有机碳氮

土壤微生物量碳、氮和可溶性有机碳、氮是土壤碳、氮库中最活跃的组分,是反应土壤被干扰程度的重要灵敏性指标,通过设置相同有机碳施用量下不同有机物料处理的田间试验,研究了有机物料添加下土壤微生物量碳（soil microbial biomass carbon,MBC）、氮（soil microbial biomass nitrogen,MBN）和可溶性有机碳（dissolved organic carbon,DOC）、氮（dissolved organic nitrogen,DON）的变化特征及相互关系。结果表明化肥和生物碳、玉米秸秆、鲜牛粪或松针配施下土壤微生物量碳、氮和可溶性有机碳、氮显著大于不施肥处理（no fertilization,CK）和单施化肥处理,分别比不施肥处理和单施化肥平均高23.52%和12.66%（MBC）、42.68%和24.02%（MBN）、14.70%和9.99%（DOC）、22.32%和21.79%（DON）。化肥和有机物料配施处理中,化肥+鲜牛粪处理的微生物量碳、氮和可溶性有机碳、氮最高,比CK高26.20%（MBC）、49.54%（MBN）、19.29%（DOC）和32.81%（DON）,其次是化肥+生物碳或化肥+玉米秸秆处理,而化肥+松针处理最低。土壤可溶性有机碳质量分数（308.87 mg/kg）小于微生物量碳（474.71 mg/kg）,而可溶性有机氮质量分数（53.07 mg/kg）要大于微生物量氮（34.79 mg/kg）。与不施肥处理相比,化肥和有机物料配施显著降低MBC/MBN和DOC/DON,降低率分别为24.57%和7.71%。MBC和DOC、MBN和DON随着土壤有机碳（soil organic carbon,SOC）、全氮（total nitrogen,TN）的增加呈显著线性增加。MBC、MBN、DOC、DON、DOC+MBC和DON+MBN之间呈极显著正相关（P<0.01）。从相关程度看,DOC+MBC和DON+MBN较MBC、DOC、MBN、DON更能反映土壤中活性有机碳和氮库的变化,成为评价土壤肥力及质量的更有效指标。结果可为提高洱海流域农田土壤肥力,增强土壤固氮效果,减少土壤中氮素流失,保护洱海水质安全提供科学依据。     

Grassland plants affect dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soil

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) are central in many nutrient cycles within soil and they play an important role in many pedogenic processes. Plants provide a primary input of DOC and DON into soil via root turnover and exudation. Under controlled conditions we investigated the influence of 11 grass species alongside an unplanted control on the amount and nature of DOC and DON in soil. Our results showed that while the presence of plants significantly increases the size of a number of dissolved nutrient pools in comparison to the unplanted soil (e.g. DOC, total phenolics in solution) it has little affect on other pools (e.g. free amino acids). Grass species, however, had little effect on the composition of the DOC, DON or inorganic N pools. While the concentration of free amino acids was the same in the planted and unplanted soil, the flux through this pool was significantly faster in the presence of plants. The presence of plants also affected the biodegradability of the DOC pool. We conclude that while the presence of plants significantly affects the quantity and cycling of DOC and DON in soil, comparatively, individual grass species exerts less influence.     

不同施肥对雷竹林渗漏水中可溶性有机碳、氮流失的影响

【目的】雷竹(Phyllostachys praecox f. preveynalis)是一种在我国亚热带地区被广泛引种栽培的优良笋用竹。为了提高竹笋产量,农民不合理地大量施用化肥,已造成土壤盐化、酸化,地力破坏,导致土壤磷钾大量残留,特别是氮磷的大量流失已造成了周边水体严重污染。虽然土壤DOC和DON在土壤全碳、全氮含量中所占的比例很小,但却是土壤有机质中最重要和最活跃的部分。因此本研究的目的旨在通过全年动态监测雷竹林渗漏水中溶解性有机碳(DOC)和溶解性有机氮(DON)浓度的变化,探明减量施用化肥和有机肥对减少雷竹林氮渗漏淋失负荷的作用,以便为解决雷竹生产上的面源污染问题提供理论依据。【方法】试验设置了5个处理为对照(CK)、常规施肥(CF)、减量有机肥(DO)、减量无机肥(DI)和减量有机无机肥(DOI),3次重复,随机区组设计,小区面积为100 m2。试验于5月18日、 9月7日、11月9日分别施用肥料总量的40%、30%和30%,施肥后均进行浅翻,深度5 cm左右。【结果】 不同施肥雷竹林中DOC及DON平均浓度为33.7~45.5 mg/L和6.6~12.6 mg/L,DOC和DON的渗漏流失负荷为84.5~138.2 kg/hm2和17.2~46.3 kg/hm2。DOC渗漏流失负荷大小顺序为常规施肥(138.2 kg/hm2)减量有机肥(133.7 kg/hm2)减量无机肥(120.9 kg/hm2)不施肥(99.8 kg/hm2)减量有机无机肥(84.5 kg/hm2),而DON渗漏流失负荷大小顺序为减量有机肥(46.3 kg/hm2)常规施肥(35.3 kg/hm2）减量有机无机肥(34.8 kg/hm2)减量无机肥(31.1 kg/hm2)不施肥(17.2 kg/hm2)。渗漏水中DOC(mg/L)与DON(mg/L)之间不存在显著相关性。【结论】大幅减少化肥和有机肥用量,并推广有机肥和无机肥配施,不仅维持了雷竹竹笋的较高产量,还能减少土壤养分损失,具有经济和环境双重效益,是雷竹合理施肥的发展方向。     

Dissolved organic carbon (doc) and dissolved organic nitrogen (don) content of an arenosol as affected by liming in a pot experiment

The effect of liming materials was investigated on the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) content of the soil in a pot experiment on an acidic soil using oat (Avena sativa L. ) as an indicator plant. Soil samples were taken three times during the growing season. The lime rates applied were 0, 1, 2, 3 g calcite/pot and 0.92, 1.84, 2.76 g dolomite/pot, respectively. Due to an increase in soil pH and microbial activity the DOC concentration significantly increased with increasing lime doses at all three samplings. An exponential relationship was found between soil pH and DOC concentration: y v = v 0.3733e 0.7893x , r v = v 0.903***. Lime had a significant effect on DON concentration at the first sampling, while for the remainder of the growing period no further significant increases were found. This could be explained by the fact that the biodegradability of DOC and DON differs under conditions of the experiment, resulting in a decrease in the N content of the dissolved organic matter, while the amount of DOM and DOC increased with increasing pH. Because of the above mentioned facts the DOC/DON ratio increased significantly with liming. There were no significant changes in the dissolved organic carbon content of the soil during the 15-week growing period, while DON concentration decreased significantly. It can be explained by the initial addition of N fertilizer, which increased the DON quantity at the first sampling in the soil.     

Release of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen from forest floors in relation to solid phase properties,respiration and N-mineralization

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) are important components of the carbon and nitrogen turnover in soils. Little is known about the controls on the release of DOC and DON from forest floors, especially about the influence of solid phase properties. We investigated the spatial variation of the release of DOC and DON from Oe and Oa forest floor samples at a regional scale. Samples were taken from 12 different Norway spruce sites with varying solid phase properties, including C/N ratio, pH, different fractions of extractable carbon and exchangeable cations. Most of these solid phase properties are available for large forested areas of Europe in high spatial resolution. The samples were incubated at water holding capacity for eight weeks at 15°C and then extracted with an artificial throughfall solution to measure DOC and DON release. The rates of soil respiration and N-mineralization were determined to estimate soil microbial activity. The release of DOC and DON from Oe samples was two- to threefold higher than from Oa samples. The amounts released differed by one order of magnitude among the sites. The DOC/DON ratios in the percolates of the Oa samples were much higher as compared to the solid phase C/N, indicating different release rates of DOC and DON. In contrast, the DOC/DON ratios of the Oe percolates were in the range of the C/N ratios of the solid phase. The release of DOC and DON from Oe samples was not statistically correlated to any of the measured solid phase parameters, but to N-mineralization. The DOC and DON release from the Oa samples was positively related only to pH and soil respiration. Overall it was not possible to explain the large spatial variation of DOC and DON release by the measured solid phase properties with satisfying accuracy.     

大兴安岭天然林不同林分溶解有机碳变化特征

为确定不同林分和季节变化对森林碳库影响。在内蒙古大兴安岭根河林业局境内选取具有代表性的林分,即白桦林、白桦落叶松混交林以及落叶松林为研究对象。收集并测定了树干径流、有机质层和0-30 cm土层中DOC浓度,并分析了DOC变化特征以及不同月份对DOC的影响。结果表明:不同林分中树干径流中DOC平均浓度分别为60.12,172.77,205.02 mg/L;有机质层中DOC平均浓度分别为35.32,39.64,34.45 mg/L;0-30 cm土层中DOC平均浓度分别为26.23,37.08,26.53 mg/L。结果表明:不同林分中DOC浓度表现为树干径流 > 有机质层 > 0-30 cm土层,落叶松林树干径流DOC浓度明显高于白桦林（p<0.05）,且落叶松树干比白桦树干淋溶DOC强;不同林分中有机质层和0-30 cm土层表现为白桦落叶松混交林>白桦林、落叶松林,但无明显的差异（p>0.05）,而且有机质层和土层对DOC有吸附固定作用;不同林分6-9月份树干径流中DOC浓度呈现先升高后降低的趋势,7月份达到最大,机质层和0-30 cm土层中DOC浓度6月份最高,7月、8月最低,而9月份又升高。不同林分和月份的变化,影响了天然林中DOC浓度分布。     

Different effect of drying on the fluxes of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen from a Norway spruce forest floor

The forest floor represents the major source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in forest soils. The release mechanisms of DOC and DON from forest floors and their environmental controls as well as the dynamics of concentrations and fluxes are still poorly understood. We investigated the effect of drying and rewetting on the release of DOC and DON from a Norway spruce forest floor. Undisturbed soil columns of 17 cm diameter and 15—20 cm height were taken with 7 replicates from the forest floor of a mature Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) site and established at 10°C in the laboratory. Columns were exposed to different periods of drying (3, 5, 10, 20 days). Each drying period was followed by a rewetting for 5 days at an irrigation rate of 10 mm d^—1 with a natural throughfall solution. The percolates from the forest floor were collected daily and analyzed for DOC, total N, NH₄, NO₃, pH, electrical conductivity and major ions. Drying for 10 and 20 days decreased the water content of the Oi horizon from 280% dry weight to about 30%. The water content of the Oe and the Oa horizon only changed from about 300% to 200%. The fluxes of DOC from the forest floor were moderately effected by drying and rewetting with an increase after 3 and 5 days of drying, but a decrease after 10 and 20 days. On the contrary, the drying for 10 and 20 days resulted in a drastic increase of the DON fluxes and a subsequent decrease of the DOC/DON ratios in the forest floor percolates from about 50 to 3.3. These results suggest that the mechanisms for DOC release in forest floors differ from those for DON and that drying and rewetting cause temporal variations in the DOC/DON ratios in forest floor percolates.     

Controls on soil nitrogen cycling and microbial community composition across land use and incubation temperature

We conducted a laboratory incubation of forest (Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) or beech (Fagus sylvatica)), grassland (Trifolium repens/Lolium perenne) and arable (organic and conventional) soils at 5 and 25 °C. We aimed to clarify the mechanisms of short-term (2-weeks) nitrogen (N) cycling processes and microbial community composition in relation to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and N (DON) availability and selected soil properties. N cycling was measured by ¹⁵N pool dilution and microbial community composition by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and community level physiological profiles (CLPP). Soil DOC increased in the order of arable<grassland<forest soil while DON and gross N fluxes increased in the order of forest<arable<grassland soil; land use had no affect on respiration rate. Soil DOC was lower, while respiration, DON and gross N fluxes were higher at 25 than 5 °C. Gross N fluxes, respiration and bacterial biomass were all positively correlated with each other. Gross N fluxes were positively correlated with pH and DON, and negatively correlated with organic matter, fungal biomass, DOC and DOC/DON ratio. Respiration rate was positively correlated with bacterial biomass, DON and DOC/DON ratio. Multiple linear modelling indicated that soil pH, organic matter, bacterial biomass, DON and DOC/DON ratio were important in predicting gross N mineralization. Incubation temperature, pH and total-C were important in predicting gross nitrification, while gross N mineralization, gross nitrification and pH were important in predicting gross N immobilization. Permutation multivariate analysis of variance indicated that DGGE, CLPP and PLFA profiles were all significantly (P<0.05) affected by land use and incubation temperature. Multivariate regressions indicated that incubation temperature, pH and organic matter content were important in predicting DGGE, CLPP and PLFA profiles. PLFA and CLPP were also related to DON, DOC, ammonium and nitrate contents. Canonical correlation analysis showed that PLFA and CLPP were related to differences in the rates of gross N mineralization, gross nitrification and soil respiration. Our study indicates that vegetation type and/or management practices which control soil pH and mediate dissolved organic matter availability were important predictors of gross N fluxes and microbial composition in this short-term experiment.     

Dissolved organic nitrogen and carbon in pastoral soils: the New Zealand experience

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soils are increasingly recognized as important components of nutrient cycling and biological processes in soil‐plant ecosystems. The aims of this study were to: (i) quantify the pools of DON and DOC in a range of New Zealand pastoral soils; (ii) compare the effects of land use changes on these pools; and (iii) examine the seasonal variability associated with these two components of dissolved organic matter. Soil samples (0–7.5 cm depth) from 93 pastoral sites located in Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Otago/Southland, New Zealand, were collected in autumn. Adjacent sites under long‐term arable cropping or native vegetation and forestry land use were also sampled at the same time to estimate the impacts of different land use on DON and DOC in these soils. Twelve dairy and 12 sheep and or beef pastures were sampled in winter, spring, summer and autumn for a 2‐year period to study the seasonal fluctuations of DON and DOC. A field incubation study was also carried out in a grazed pasture to examine fluctuations in the concentrations of and and DON levels in soil. Other soil biological properties, such as microbial biomass‐C, biomass‐N and mineralizable N, were also measured. Pastoral soils contained the greatest amounts of DON (13–93 mg N kg⁻¹ soil, equivalent to 8–55 kg N ha⁻¹) and DOC (73–718 mg C kg⁻¹ soil, equivalent to 44–431 kg C ha⁻¹), followed by cropping and native vegetation and forestry soils. The DON concentration in soils was found to be more seasonally variable than DOC. There was approximately 80% fluctuation in the concentration of DON in winter from the annual mean concentration of DON, while DOC fluctuated between 23 and 28% at the dairy and the sheep and beef monitoring sites. Similar fluctuations in the concentrations of DON were also observed in the field incubation studies. These results indicate that DON is a dynamic pool of N in soils. There was a strong and significant positive correlation between DON and DOC in pastoral soils (r = 0.71, P < 0.01). There were also significant positive correlations between DON and total soil C (r = 0.59, P < 0.01), total soil N (r = 0.62, P < 0.01) and mineralizable N (r = 0.47, P < 0.01). The rather poor correlations between total soil C and N with DOC and DON, suggest other biogeochemical processes may be influencing concentrations of DOC and DON in these soils. Given the size of DON and DOC pools in the pastoral soils, we suggest that these pools of C and N should be taken into account when assessing the impact of pastoral land use on soil C and N enrichment of surface and groundwater.