Nitrogen fixation by biological soil crusts and heterotrophic bacteria in an intact Mojave Desert ecosystem with elevated CO2 and added soil carbon

Fixation of N by biological soil crusts and free-living heterotrophic soil microbes provides a significant proportion of ecosystem N in arid lands. To gain a better understanding of how elevated CO₂ may affect N₂-fixation in aridland ecosystems, we measured C₂H₂ reduction as a proxy for nitrogenase activity in biological soil crusts for 2 yr, and in soils either with or without dextrose-C additions for 1 yr, in an intact Mojave Desert ecosystem exposed to elevated CO₂. We also measured crust and soil δ¹⁵N and total N to assess changes in N sources, and δ¹³C of crusts to determine a functional shift in crust species, with elevated CO₂. The mean rate of C₂H₂ reduction by biological soil crusts was 76.9±5.6 μmol C₂H₄ m⁻² h⁻¹. There was no significant CO₂ effect, but crusts from plant interspaces showed high variability in nitrogenase activity with elevated CO₂. Additions of dextrose-C had a positive effect on rates of C₂H₂ reduction in soil. There was no elevated CO₂ effect on soil nitrogenase activity. Plant cover affected soil response to C addition, with the largest response in plant interspaces. The mean rate of C₂H₂ reduction in soils either with or without C additions were 8.5±3.6 μmol C₂H₄ m⁻² h⁻¹ and 4.8±2.1 μmol m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively. Crust and soil δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values were not affected by CO₂ treatment, but did show an effect of cover type. Crust and soil samples in plant interspaces had the lowest values for both measurements. Analysis of soil and crust [N] and δ¹⁵N data with the Rayleigh distillation model suggests that any plant community changes with elevated CO₂ and concomitant changes in litter composition likely will overwhelm any physiological changes in N₂-fixation.     

Emission of N2O, N2 and CO2 from soil fertilized with nitrate: effect of compaction, soil moisture and rewetting

Soil compaction and soil moisture are important factors influencing denitrification and N₂O emission from fertilized soils. We analyzed the combined effects of these factors on the emission of N₂O, N₂ and CO₂ from undisturbed soil cores fertilized with (150 kg N ha⁻¹) in a laboratory experiment. The soil cores were collected from differently compacted areas in a potato field, i.e. the ridges (ρ_D=1.03 g cm⁻³), the interrow area (ρ_D=1.24 g cm⁻³), and the tractor compacted interrow area (ρ_D=1.64 g cm⁻³), and adjusted to constant soil moisture levels between 40 and 98% water-filled pore space (WFPS).High N₂O emissions were a result of denitrification and occurred at a WFPS≥70% in all compaction treatments. N₂ production occurred only at the highest soil moisture level (≥90% WFPS) but it was considerably smaller than the N₂O-N emission in most cases. There was no soil moisture effect on CO₂ emission from the differently compacted soils with the exception of the highest soil moisture level (98% WFPS) of the tractor-compacted soil in which soil respiration was significantly reduced. The maximum N₂O emission rates from all treatments occurred after rewetting of dry soil. This rewetting effect increased with the amount of water added. The results show the importance of increased carbon availability and associated respiratory O₂ consumption induced by soil drying and rewetting for the emissions of N₂O.     

AM真菌菌丝际细菌具有固氮解磷双重功能

为了认识和理解丛枝菌根真菌(AM真菌)根外菌丝表面定殖的细菌是否同时具有固氮和解磷能力,从田间生长的玉米菌根根外菌丝表面分离鉴定了固氮菌,评价了其固氮和解磷能力.从AM真菌根外菌丝表面分离出23株可在无氮培养基中生长的细菌,分属于变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)和放线菌门(Ac...     

Effects of warming and grazing on N2O fluxes in an alpine meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan plateau

A great deal of uncertainty is associated with estimates of global nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions because emissions from arid and polar climates were not included in the estimates due to a lack of available data. In particular, very few studies have assessed the response of N₂O flux to grazing under future warming conditions. This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of warming and grazing on N₂O flux at different time scales for three years under a controlled warming-grazing system. A free-air temperature enhancement system (FATE) using infrared heaters and grazing significantly increased soil temperatures for both of growing (average 1.8 °C in 2008) and no-growing seasons (average 3.0 °C for 3-years) within 20-cm depth, but only warming reduced soil moisture at 10-cm soil depth during the growing season during the drought year of 2008. Generally, the effects of warming and grazing on N₂O flux varied with sampling date, season, and year. No interactive effect between warming and grazing was found. Warming did not affect annual N₂O flux when grazing was moderate during the growing season because the tradeoff of the effect of warming on N₂O flux was observed between the growing season and no-growing season. No-warming with grazing (NWG) and warming with grazing (WG) significantly increased the average annual N₂O flux (57.8 and 31.0%) compared with no-warming with no-grazing (NWNG) and warming with no-grazing (WNG), respectively, indicating that warming reduced the response of N₂O flux to grazing in the region. Winter accounted for 36-57% of annual N₂O flux for NWNG and NWG, whereas only for 5-8% of annual N₂O flux for WNG and WG. Soil temperature could explain 5-35% of annual N₂O flux variation.     

Priming depletes soil carbon and releases nitrogen in a scrub-oak ecosystem exposed to elevated CO2

Elevated atmospheric CO₂ tends to stimulate plant productivity, which could either stimulate or suppress the processing of soil carbon, thereby feeding back to atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. We employed an acid-hydrolysis-incubation method and a net nitrogen-mineralization assay to assess stability of soil carbon pools and short-term nitrogen dynamics in a Florida scrub-oak ecosystem after six years of exposure to elevated CO₂. We found that soil carbon concentration in the slow pool was 27% lower in elevated than ambient CO₂ plots at 0-10 cm depth. The difference in carbon mass was equivalent to roughly one-third of the increase in plant biomass that occurred in the same experiment. These results concur with previous reports from this ecosystem that elevated CO₂ stimulates microbial degradation of relatively stable soil organic carbon pools. Accordingly, elevated CO₂ increased net N mineralization in the 10-30 cm depth, which may increase N availability, thereby allowing for continued stimulation of plant productivity by elevated CO₂. Our findings suggest that soil texture and climate may explain the differential response of soil carbon among various long-term, field-based CO₂ studies. Increased mineralization of stable soil organic carbon by a CO₂-induced priming effect may diminish the terrestrial carbon sink globally.     

Elevated CO2 stimulates N2O emissions in permanent grassland

To evaluate climate forcing under increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, feedback effects on greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide (N₂O) with a high global warming potential should be taken into account. This requires long-term N₂O flux measurements because responses to elevated CO₂ may vary throughout annual courses. Here, we present an almost 9 year long continuous N₂O flux data set from a free air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) study on an old, N-limited temperate grassland. Prior to the FACE start, N₂O emissions were not different between plots that were later under ambient (A) and elevated (E) CO₂ treatments, respectively. However, over the entire experimental period (May 1998–December 2006), N₂O emissions more than doubled under elevated CO₂ (0.90 vs. 2.07 kg N₂O-N ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ under A and E, respectively). The strongest stimulation occurred during vegetative growth periods in the summer when soil mineral N concentrations were low. This was surprising because based on literature we had expected the highest stimulation of N₂O emissions due to elevated CO₂ when mineral N concentrations were above background values (e.g. shortly after N application in spring). N₂O emissions under elevated CO₂ were moderately stimulated during late autumn–winter, including freeze–thaw cycles which occurred in the 8th winter of the experiment. Averaged over the entire experiment, the additional N₂O emissions caused by elevated CO₂ equaled 4738 kg CO₂-equivalents ha⁻¹, corresponding to more than half a ton (546 kg) of CO₂ ha⁻¹ which has to be sequestered annually to balance the CO₂-induced N₂O emissions. Without a concomitant increase in C sequestration under rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, temperate grasslands may be converted into greenhouse gas sources by a positive feedback on N₂O emissions. Our results underline the need to include continuous N₂O flux measurements in ecosystem-scale CO₂ enrichment experiments.     

Short-term effects of clearfelling on soil CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes in a Sitka spruce plantation

We examined the effects of forest clearfelling on the fluxes of soil CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O in a Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) plantation on an organic-rich peaty gley soil, in Northern England. Soil CO₂, CH₄, N₂O as well as environmental factors such as soil temperature, soil water content, and depth to the water table were recorded in two mature stands for one growing season, at the end of which one of the two stands was felled and one was left as control. Monitoring of the same parameters continued thereafter for a second growing season. For the first 10 months after clearfelling, there was a significant decrease in soil CO₂ efflux, with an average efflux rate of 4.0 g m⁻² d⁻¹ in the mature stand (40-year) and 2.7 g m⁻² d⁻¹ in clearfelled site (CF). Clearfelling turned the soil from a sink (−0.37 mg m⁻² d⁻¹) for CH₄ to a net source (2.01 mg m⁻² d⁻¹). For the same period, soil N₂O fluxes averaged 0.57 mg m⁻² d⁻¹ in the CF and 0.23 mg m⁻² d⁻¹ in the 40-year stand. Clearfelling affected environmental factors and lead to higher daily soil temperatures during the summer period, while it caused an increase in the soil water content and a rise in the water table depth. Despite clearfelling, CO₂ remained the dominant greenhouse gas in terms of its greenhouse warming potential.     

15N标记的土壤估测某些豆科植物N2固定的温室实验

Pot experiments were carried out to estimate N2 fixation by vetch,milk vetch,sickle alfalfa and broadbean in pure stand using a ^15N-labelled soil.Winter wheat was used as the non-fixing control.The 15N-labelled soil used was prepared by growing corn-wheat-corn successively on a nearly organic-matter-free Xiashu loess supplemented with adequate amounts of (15NH4)2SO4,P,K and micronutrients,then incorporating these 15N-labelled plant materials into the soil after each havest,and allowing the plant materials to be decomposed aerobically for 410d after incorporation of the plant material of the thire crop.The 15N enrichment of wheat plant-N varied slightly with organs,with a maximum difference of 9.8%,Based on 15N enrichment of soil N inferred from the mean value of the 15N enrichment in different organs of wheat 79%-91% of total N in the tops and 67%-74% of total N in the roots of legumes studied were derived from atmosphere .Estimate by isotope dilution method was in good agreement with that by the conventional difference method provided values obtained by the latter were corrected for seed N,and also with that from the measurement of N accumulated in the tops of the legumes.     

庐山毛竹扩张及模拟氮沉降对土壤N_2O和CO_2排放的影响

毛竹是我国南方广泛分布的一种典型的森林资源,其扩张已引发了多方面的生态问题,但是目前关于氮沉降背景下毛竹扩张引起的土壤N_2O和CO_2气体排放变化的研究甚少,且无原位观测数据。采用静态箱-气相色谱法,分析江西庐山毛竹纯林、毛竹扩张形成的毛竹-日本柳杉混交林及日本柳杉纯林3种林分土壤的N_2O和CO_2排放速率和累积排放量及其对模拟氮沉降的响应。结果表明:(1)混交林土壤的NH_4~+-N含量、NO_3~--N含量及pH分别为14.39mg·kg~(-1)、8.65mg·kg~(-1)、4.88,显著高于日本柳杉纯林的9.75 mg·kg~(-1)、5.58 mg·kg~(-1)、4.05,但是混交林土壤DOC含量(236.5 mg·kg~(-1))却显著低于日本柳杉纯林(382.0mg·kg~(-1))。(2)混交林土壤N_2O累积排放量(393.6mg·m~(-2))显著高于毛竹纯林(202.5mg·m~(-2))和日本柳杉纯林(192.8mg·m~(-2)),混交林土壤CO_2累积排放量(4 655 g·m~(-2))显著高于日本柳杉纯林(2 815 g·m~(-2))。(3)模拟氮沉降未对3种林分类型土壤的CO_2排放速率和累积排放量产生显著影响,但明显增加了混交林和日本柳杉纯林的N_2O累积排放量。本研究表明:毛竹扩张不同阶段土壤的理化性质、N_2O及CO_2排放表现出不同特征。毛竹扩张过程中一定程度上增大了土壤N_2O和CO_2的排放量,但是完全扩张后N_2O排放出现明显下降趋势,而CO_2的排放未发生显著变化。同时,氮沉降促进了毛竹未扩张和扩张初期土壤的N_2O排放,而对CO_2排放未产生显著影响。表明在未来气候变化条件下管理亚热带毛竹扩张时,必须明确考虑这些生态系统组成、结构和影响因子之间的影响。     

Effects of C and N availability and soil-water potential interactions on N2O evolution and PLFA composition

Mitigation of agricultural N₂O emissions via management requires quantitative information about the regulation of the underlying processes. In this laboratory study, short-term evolution of N₂O from repacked soil was determined using an arable sandy loam soil adjusted to three water potentials (−15, −30 or −100 hPa) that were reached by adjustment of partly air-dried soil with nutrient solutions or water; a water retention curve of repacked soil had been determined prior to the incubation experiment. The amendments included a control treatment receiving water (CTL), and aqueous solutions of carbon in the form of glucose (C), ammonium sulfate (N), or both (CN). Rates of CO₂ and N₂O evolution were followed during 14 days. Soil inorganic N and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) composition were analyzed by the end of incubation. Across all nutrient treatments, the soil at the lower moisture content (−100 hPa) showed little or no N₂O evolution irrespective of nutrient treatment. Adding glucose alone reduced N₂O evolution relative to CTL. The addition of N alone had no effect on soil respiration, but significantly increased nitrate accumulation and N₂O evolution. The CN treatment resulted in higher respiration than with C amendment alone, but less N₂O evolution than with N alone, at least at −15 and −30 hPa. Whole-soil PLFA fingerprints at the end of incubation reflected the complex response of gaseous emissions. At −15 hPa growth of Gram negative bacteria, probably including denitrifiers, in the CN treatment was indicated by low cyclopropane-to-precursor ratios. At −100 hPa differentiation of branched-chain fatty acids was taken as evidence for an effect of C amendment on Gram positive bacteria. The highest potential for N₂O evolution was observed at the intermediate soil wetness level; the corresponding gas diffusivities indicated that this parameter may be a better predictor of N₂O emissions than water-filled pore space.     

Dinitrogen emissions and the N2:N2O emission ratio of a Rendzic Leptosol as influenced by pH and forest thinning

Reduction of nitrous oxide (N₂O) to dinitrogen (N₂) by denitrification in soils is of outstanding ecological significance since it is the prevailing natural process converting reactive nitrogen back into inert molecular dinitrogen. Furthermore, the extent to which N₂O is reduced to N₂ via denitrification is a major regulating factor affecting the magnitude of N₂O emission from soils. However, due to methodological problems in the past, extremely little information is available on N₂ emission and the N₂:N₂O emission ratio for soils of terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we simultaneously determined N₂ and N₂O emissions from intact soil cores taken from a mountainous beech forest ecosystem. The soil cores were taken from plots with distinct differences in microclimate (warm-dry versus cool-moist) and silvicultural treatment (untreated control versus heavy thinning). Due to different microclimates, the plots showed pronounced differences in pH values (range: 6.3–7.3). N₂O emission from the soil cores was generally very low (2.0 ± 0.5–6.3 ± 3.8 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹ at the warm-dry site and 7.1 ± 3.1–57.4 ± 28.5 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹ at the cool-moist site), thus confirming results from field measurements. However, N₂ emission exceeded N₂O emission by a factor of 21 ± 6–220 ± 122 at the investigated plots. This illustrates that the dominant end product of denitrification at our plots and under the given environmental conditions is N₂ rather than N₂O. N₂ emission showed a huge variability (range: 161 ± 64–1070 ± 499 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹), so that potential effects of microclimate or silvicultural treatment on N₂ emission could not be identified with certainty. However, there was a significant effect of microclimate on the magnitude of N₂O emission as well as on the mean N₂:N₂O emission ratio. N₂:N₂O emission ratios were higher and N₂O emissions were lower for soil cores taken from the plots with warm-dry microclimate as compared to soil cores taken from the cool-moist microclimate plots. We hypothesize that the increase in the N₂:N₂O emission ratio at the warm-dry site was due to higher N₂O reductase activity provoked by the higher soil pH value of this site. Overall, the results of this study show that the N₂:N₂O emission ratio is crucial for understanding the regulation of N₂O fluxes of the investigated soil and that reliable estimates of N₂ emissions are an indispensable prerequisite for accurately calculating total N gas budgets for the investigated ecosystem and very likely for many other terrestrial upland ecosystems as well.     

Temporal patterns of nutrient availability around nests of leaf-cutting ants (Atta colombica) in secondary moist tropical forest

Leaf-cutting ants consume up to 10% of canopy leaves in the foraging area of their colony and therefore represent a key perturbation in the nutrient cycle of tropical forests. We used a chronosequence of nest sites on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, to assess the influence of leaf-cutting ants (Atta colombica) on nutrient availability in a neotropical rainforest. Twelve nest sites were sampled, including active nests, recently abandoned nests (<1 year) and long-abandoned nests (>1 year). Waste material discarded by the ants down-slope from the nests contained large concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in both total and soluble forms, but decomposed within one year after the nests were abandoned. Despite this, soil under the waste material contained high concentrations of nitrate and ammonium that persisted after the disappearance of the waste, although soluble phosphate returned to background concentrations within one year of nest abandonment. Fine roots were more abundant in soil under waste than control soils up to one year after nest abandonment, but were not significantly different for older sites. In contrast to the waste dumps, soil above the underground nest chambers consistently contained lower nutrient concentrations than control soils, although this was not statistically significant. We conclude that the ‘islands of fertility’ created by leaf-cutting ants provide a nutritional benefit to nearby plants for less than one year after nest abandonment in the moist tropical environment of Barro Colorado Island.     

大田条件下草本及灌木豆科植物固氮能力的评价

Natural ¹⁵N abundance method was used in this study to investigate the N₂-fixing capacities of several herbaceous and shrub legumes by a field experiment. For herbaceous legumes, the results were in consistent with those obtained by a pot experiment. Crotalaria mucronata Desv. had a higher N₂-fixing capacity than Vigna sinensis (L.) Savi. For shrub legumes, N₂-fixing capacity under field condition was slightly different from that in pot experiment. These results demonstrated that the natural ¹⁵N abundance method was applicable to evaluating N₂-fixing capacities of herbaceous and shrub legumes, and that pot experiment was suitable for evaluating the N₂-fixing capacities of not only herbaceous legumes but also shrub legumes. Leguminous N₂-fixing plants differed in response to phosphorus fertilization. Phosphorus fertilizer application greatly increased the percentage of nitrogen derived from air (% N dfa) and total amount of N₂ fixed by Lespedeza formosa (Vog.) Koehne (Jiangxi). Phosphorus fertilizer showed no significant effect on the N₂-fixing percentage of Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. but increased its total biomass, thus increasing the total amount of N₂ fixed.     

No-till only increases N2O emissions in poorly-aerated soils

Denitrification rates are often greater in no-till than in tilled soils and net soil-surface greenhouse gas emissions could be increased by enhanced soil N₂O emissions following adoption of no-till. The objective of this study was to summarize published experimental results to assess whether the response of soil N₂O fluxes to the adoption of no-till is influenced by soil aeration. A total of 25 field studies presenting direct comparisons between conventional tillage and no-till (approximately 45 site-years of data) were reviewed and grouped according to soil aeration status estimated using drainage class and precipitation during the growing season. The summary showed that no-till generally increased N₂O emissions in poorly-aerated soils but was neutral in soils with good and medium aeration. On average, soil N₂O emissions under no-till were 0.06 kg N ha⁻¹ lower, 0.12 kg N ha⁻¹ higher and 2.00 kg N ha⁻¹ higher than under tilled soils with good, medium and poor aeration, respectively. Our results therefore suggest that the impact of no-till on N₂O emissions is small in well-aerated soils but most often positive in soils where aeration is reduced by conditions or properties restricting drainage. Considering typical soil C gains following adoption of no-till, we conclude that increased N₂O losses may result in a negative greenhouse gas balance for many poorly-drained fine-textured agricultural soils under no-till located in regions with a humid climate.     

Estimate of N2-fixation in waste-derived compost after treatment with glucose

It has been shown previously that treatment of grass swards cultured in waste-derived compost and treated with 8–24 g (5–15 g·L⁻¹) glucose over 8 weeks resulted in a substantial increase of shoot dry matter and total nitrogen content, while a growth inhibiting effect was observed in unamended field soil. The improved sward performance in compost was associated with a significant expansion of the aerobic, diazotrophic bacterial population in the growth medium. The purpose of the present experiment was to measure the contribution of N₂-fixation to the improved growth. Glucose treatment resulted in the fixation of at least 128 mg total nitrogen per pot (equivalent to 14.5 mg N fixed per g C respired; 104 kg·ha⁻¹), with 32 % made available to shoots for growth over the following 6 months. There was no evidence of accelerated soil organic matter decomposition that could account for the increased N availability.

Résumé

Nous avons montré précédemment que les pelouses prairiales arrosées avec des eaux issues de compost traitées avec 8–24 g de glucose (5–15 g·L⁻¹) pendant 8 semaines voient une augmentation substantielle de la matière sèche et de la teneur en azote des pousses alors qu'un effet inhibiteur de croissance est observé sur les sols non traités. L'amélioration des performances prairiales sont associées à une augmentation significative des population de bactéries aérobies fixatrices d'azote libre. Le but de l'expérimentation présentée ici était d'évaluer la contribution de la fixation d'azote dans l'amélioration de la croissance. Le traitement par le glucose conduit à la fixation d'au moins 128 mg d'azote par pot (équivalent à 14,5 mg d'azote fixé par g de C respiré; 104 kg·ha⁻¹), dont 32 % utilisable pour la croissance des pousses durant les 6 mois suivant. Aucune accélération de la décomposition de la matière organique n'est détectée, qui pourrait contribuer à cette augmentation d'azote disponible.     

施肥方式对冬小麦—夏玉米轮作土壤N_2O排放的影响

氧化亚氮(N_2O)是一种重要的农田温室气体,本研究利用紫色土长期施肥试验平台,采用静态箱/气相色谱法对紫色土旱作农田冬小麦—夏玉米轮作系统的N_2O排放进行了定位观测(2012年11月至2013年9月),研究单施氮肥(N)、常规氮磷钾肥(NPK)、猪厩肥(OM)、猪厩肥配施氮磷钾肥(OMNPK)和秸秆还田配施氮磷钾肥(ICRNPK)等施肥方式对紫色土N_2O排放特征的影响;不施肥(NF)作为对照计算排放系数,以探寻紫色土地区可操作性强、环境友好的施肥方式。结果表明,所有施肥方式的N_2O排放均呈现双峰排放,峰值出现在施肥初期;玉米季N_2O排放峰值显著高于小麦季(p0.05)。在相同的施氮水平(小麦季130 kg hm~(~(-2)),玉米季150 kg hm~(~(-2)))下,施肥方式对N_2O排放和作物产量均有显著影响(p0.05)。N、OM、NPK、OMNPK和ICRNPK处理的土壤N_2O周年累积排放量分别为1.93、1.96、1.12、1.50和0.79 kg hm~(~(-2)),排放系数分别为0.62%、0.63%、0.33%、0.47%和0.21%,全年作物产量分别为4.35、11.95、8.39、9.77、10.93 t hm~(~(-2))。施用猪厩肥显著增加N_2O排放量,而秸秆还田在保证作物产量的同时显著降低N_2O排放量,可作为紫色土地区环境友好的施肥方式。土壤无机氮(NO_3~--N和NH_4~+-N)是N_2O排放的主要限制因子。因此,在施氮水平相同时,施肥方式对紫色土活性氮含量的影响导致N_2O排放差异显著,是土壤N_2O排放差异的根本原因。土壤孔隙充水率也是影响N_2O排放的重要环境因子,并且其对N_2O排放的影响存在阈值效应。     

Determinants of annual fluxes of CO2 and N2O in long-term no-tillage and conventional tillage systems in northern France

The greenhouse gases CO₂ and N₂O emissions were quantified in a long-term experiment in northern France, in which no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) had been differentiated during 32 years in plots under a maize–wheat rotation. Continuous CO₂ and periodical N₂O soil emission measurements were performed during two periods: under maize cultivation (April 2003–July 2003) and during the fallow period after wheat harvest (August 2003–March 2004). In order to document the dynamics and importance of these emissions, soil organic C and mineral N, residue decomposition, soil potential for CO₂ emission and climatic data were measured. CO₂ emissions were significantly larger in NT on 53% and in CT on 6% of the days. From April to July 2003 and from November 2003 to March 2004, the cumulated CO₂ emissions did not differ significantly between CT and NT. However, the cumulated CO₂ emissions from August to November 2003 were considerably larger for NT than for CT. Over the entire 331 days of measurement, CT and NT emitted 3160 ± 269 and 4064 ± 138 kg CO₂-C ha⁻¹, respectively. The differences in CO₂ emissions in the two tillage systems resulted from the soil climatic conditions and the amounts and location of crop residues and SOM. A large proportion of the CO₂ emissions in NT over the entire measurement period was probably due to the decomposition of old weathered residues. NT tended to emit more N₂O than CT over the entire measurement period. However differences were statistically significant in only half of the cases due to important variability. N₂O emissions were generally less than 5 g N ha⁻¹ day⁻¹, except for a few dates where emission increased up to 21 g N ha⁻¹ day⁻¹. These N₂O fluxes represented 0.80 ± 0.15 and 1.32 ± 0.52 kg N₂O-N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ for CT and NT, respectively. Depending on the periods, a large part of the N₂O emissions occurred was probably induced by nitrification, since soil conditions were not favorable for denitrification. Finally, for the period of measurement after 32 years of tillage treatments, the NT system emitted more greenhouses gases (CO₂ and N₂O) to the atmosphere on an annual basis than the CT system.     

福建省农业生态系统氧化亚氮排放量估算及特征分析

N2O是重要的温室气体,了解福建省农业生态系统N2O排放情况及其年代变化规律,对于寻找减排的技术路线与对策,进而实现全国的控制目标有重要意义。本研究基于福建省农业活动水平数据,采用区域氮素循环模型IAP-N方法,估算1991—2010年福建省农业生态系统氧化亚氮(N2O)的排放量(以纯氮量计)并分析其排放特征。结果表明:(1)1991—2010年福建省农业生态系统N2O排放总量(包括农田直接、间接排放,田间秸秆燃烧排放,粪便管理系统排放)呈先增加后降低趋势,从1991年的23 675.3 t·a–1增加到2006年的32 610.4t·a–1,之后降低至30 810.7 t·a–1(2010年)。1991—1995年、1996—2000年、2001—2005年、2006—2010年农业生态系统年平均N2O排放量分别为26 170.7 t·a–1、29 870.0 t·a–1、32 085.8 t·a–1、31 287.6 t·a–1。各类型排放量大小依次为:农田直接(66.2%)-粪便管理系统(20.7%)-农田间接(12.9%)-田间秸秆燃烧(0.2%)。(2)1991—2010年,农田N2O直接排放量呈先增加后降低趋势,从1991年的15 108 t·a–1增加到2006年的21 547 t·a–1,之后下降到2010年的20 594 t·a–1。4个时期年平均N2O直接排放量分别为17 073.0 t·a–1、19 976.8 t·a–1、21 183.4 t·a–1、20 778.6 t·a–1。农田旱作(包括蔬菜地、非蔬菜旱地、水旱轮作的旱季)N2O排放占农田N2O直接排放量的83.0%~90.7%,是农田直接排放的关键源。(3)1991—2010年间,福建省粪便管理系统N2O排放量保持在5 213.2~6 988.0 t·a–1,变化较稳定。粪便管理系统N2O排放的关键源为猪,占粪便管理系统N2O排放量的57.4%~67.9%。(4)2010年,农业生态系统N2O排放高值区主要分布在漳州市、南平市、泉州市和宁德市,其N2O排放量均在4 000 t·a–1以上,占全省总排放量的61.7%,应优先考虑削减这些地区的N2O排放。研究结果为决策者合理利用肥料,制定福建省农业生态系统温室气体减排措施提供科学依据。     

地膜覆盖对土壤中N2O释放的影响

研究地膜覆盖下土壤中N₂O释放可为进一步探明膜下土壤中N₂O的传输、消耗和排放到大气的动力学过程提供理论依据。在2001年3月至6月和2001年10月至2002年6月连续两个冬小麦生长季，采用静态漏斗法和揭膜—封闭箱法测定了地膜覆盖下耕层5、10、20 cm土层处和地表处N₂O的释放特征及相应土壤性质。结果表明：地膜覆盖下，地表和耕层10、20 cm土层处N₂O释放通量显著增加；0～5 cm土层土壤水分和10～20 cm土层土壤硝态氮的浓度的变化分别解释了休闲地和冬小麦地土壤中N₂O释放通量85.23%和92.11%的变异，它们是膜下休闲地和冬小麦地土壤中N₂O释放通量增加的主要原因。该结论对地膜覆盖下科学地控制农田水分、养分以及地膜覆盖在中国西北地区的科学使用和推行具有实际意义。     

Modelling variability in N2O emissions from fertilized agricultural fields

Estimates of long-term landscape-scale N₂O emissions for greenhouse gas inventories are complicated by large temporal and spatial variability. Much of this variability is likely caused by topographic effects on surface and subsurface water flows. We hypothesized that this variability could be explained as degassing events during anaerobic soil conditions and during transitions from anaerobic to aerobic soil conditions as controlled by precipitation and subsequent water redistribution in complex landscapes. We simulated degassing events in the ecosystem model ecosys run in three-dimensional mode to simulate a fertilized agricultural field with topographic variation derived from a digital terrain map. N₂O emissions modelled from two areas within the field that had received 15.5 and 9.9 g N m⁻² as urea in May 1998 were compared with those measured by micrometeorological flux towers during June and July 1998. Modelled N₂O emissions during 1998 accounted for 2.3 and 2.0% of urea N applied at 15.5 and 9.9 g N m⁻², respectively. Degassing events in the model coincided with a key N₂O emission event measured in the field during several days after a rainfall in mid-June. During this event, modelled and measured surface fluxes rose rapidly to exceed 1 mg N m⁻² h⁻¹ for 2-3 d before declining. Emissions modelled concurrently at different topographic positions within the landscape during the emission event had coefficients of variation that varied over time between 30 and 180%. Much of the spatial variability in modelled emissions was attributed to temporal differences in the progression of emission events at different landscape positions caused by lateral water movement. The magnitude of temporal and spatial variability in N₂O emissions suggests that aggregation of flux measurements to regional scales should be based upon sub-daily measurements at representative landscape positions, rather than upon less frequent measurements at individual sites as currently done. The use of three-dimensional ecosystem models with input from digital terrain maps may provide a means for such aggregation to be conducted.