长期施肥对棕壤氨氧化细菌和古菌丰度的影响

【目的】氨氧化是氮转化过程的限速步骤,其由氨氧化微生物所驱动。本研究旨在探明 37 年玉米–大豆轮作施肥条件下影响棕壤氨氧化微生物丰度的主要影响因子及变化规律。【方法】以沈阳农业大学棕壤肥料长期定位试验耕层土壤 (0—20 cm) 为材料,选取其中 9 个施肥处理进行取样分析:不施肥 (CK)、低量氮肥 (N₁)、高量氮肥 (N₂)、氮磷肥 (N₁P)、氮磷钾肥 (N₁PK)、高量有机肥 (M₂)、高量有机肥 + 低量氮肥 (M₂N₁)、高量有机肥 + 氮磷肥 (M₂N₁P)、高量有机肥 + 氮磷钾肥 (M₂N₁PK)。采用实时荧光定量 PCR 技术测定其氨氧化微生物丰度,通过对土壤基本化学性质和氨氧化微生物丰度的冗余分析找出影响氨氧化微生物丰度的主要因素。【结果】施用有机肥处理的土壤 pH、有机质、全氮、碱解氮、速效钾、速效磷、铵态氮、硝态氮含量明显高于不施肥和单施化肥处理。各施肥处理土壤有机质、全氮、碱解氮、速效钾、速效磷的含量总体呈现有机肥处理 > 化肥处理 > CK;与不施肥处理 (CK) 相比,单施化肥处理显著降低了土壤 pH 值,施用有机肥处理显著提高了土壤 pH 值,其中 N₂ 处理的土壤 pH 最低,M₂ 处理的土壤 pH 最高。不同施肥处理氨氧化细菌 (AOB) 的丰度为 0.94 × 106～5.77 × 106 copies/g 干土,氨氧化古菌 (AOA) 的丰度为 3.56 × 106～1.22 × 107 copies/g 干土;施用有机肥处理 AOB 和 AOA 丰度显著高于不施肥和单施化肥处理,其中 M₂ 处理的 AOB 和 AOA 丰度最高,单施氮肥处理的 AOB 和 AOA 丰度最低。冗余分析 (RDA) 表明,影响棕壤 AOB 和 AOA 丰度的主要环境因子有土壤 pH、有机质、全氮、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾,且与 AOB 和 AOA 丰度呈正相关关系。【结论】长期轮作施肥显著改变了棕壤的化学性质,从而对氨氧化微生物的丰度产生了显著影响。长期施用有机肥显著提高了土壤养分含量及 AOB 和 AOA 的丰度,对维持土壤氨氧化微生物的数量起到十分重要的作用;同时试验结果也为今后通过改变土壤 pH、有机质、全氮、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾等性质对 AOB 和 AOA 进行调节提供了依据。     

Soil layer-specific variability in net nitrification and denitrification in an acid coniferous forest

 High spatial variation in nitrification potentials has been observed in forest soils, but explanations for this variability have remained speculative. In the present study we determined whether sample treatment, sample size, denitrification or small-scale variations in abiotic properties could explain spatial variation in nitrogen transformations in the organic horizon of a pine forest soil. Net nitrate production in homogenates of the organic horizon was extremely variable. Sample size (60–600 cm²) had no significant effect on nitrate production. In homogenised samples no increased nitrogen production was observed compared to intact incubated cores. High small-scale variation in nitrate production was observed in the litter (L) horizon. When this stratified L layer was subdivided, high net nitrate production was observed in moss (LM) and fragmented needles, whereas no net nitrate production was found in intact needles. The addition of acetylene, inhibiting nitrous oxide reductase, led to significant nitrous oxide production in the L layer. Low nitrous oxide production was found in the LM layer and none in the fragmentation layer. These results show that denitrification can explain part of the spatial variation and plays a major role in nitrogen transformations in the L layer. The relatively higher pH and the presence of fungi are suggested as factors responsible for high denitrification rates in the L layer. As a consequence homogenisation of the organic horizon could lead to highly variable nitrate production due to denitrifying activity from the needles being introduced into other layers. Received: 10 December 1999     

土壤温度、水分和NH4+-N浓度对土壤硝化反应速度及N2O排放的影响

硝化反应是土壤、特别是干旱半干旱地区农业土壤N2O产生的重要途径之一。但是,目前环境条件对硝化反应中N2O排放的影响研究较少,而在国内外通用的几个模型中均用固定比例估算硝化反应过程中N2O的排放。本文通过砂壤土培养试验,研究了土壤温度、水分和NH4+-N浓度对硝化反应速度及硝化反应中N2O排放的影响,并用数学模型定量表示了各因素对硝化反应的作用,用最小二乘法最优拟合求得该土壤的最大硝化反应速度及N2O最大排放比例。结果表明,随着温度升高,硝化反应速度呈指数增长;水分含量由20%充水孔隙度(WFPS)增加到40%WFPS时,反应速度增加,水分含量增加到60%WFPS时反应速度略有降低;NH4+-N浓度增加对硝化反应速度起抑制作用。用米氏方程描述该土壤的硝化反应过程,其最大硝化反应速度为6.67mg·kg?1·d?1。硝化反应中N2O排放比例随温度升高而降低;随NH4+-N浓度增加而略有增加;20%和40%WFPS水分含量时,硝化反应中N2O排放比例为0.43%～1.50%,最小二乘法求得的最大比例为3.03%,60%WFPS时可能由于反硝化作用,N2O排放比例急剧增加,还需进一步研究水分对硝化反应中N2O排放的影响。     

Effect of application rate of a nitrification inhibitor,dicyandiamide (DCD), on nitrification rate,and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea growth in a grazed pasture soil: An incubation study

Purpose

Dicyandiamide (DCD) has been used commercially in New Zealand to reduce nitrate leaching and N₂O emissions in grazed pastures. However, there is a lack of information in the literature on the optimum rate of DCD to achieve the environmental benefits while at the same time reducing the cost of the technology. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of DCD application rate on its effectiveness to inhibit ammonia oxidizer growth and nitrification rate in a grazed pasture soil.

Materials and methods

The soil was a Templeton silt loam (Immature Pallic Soil; Udic Haplustepts) collected from Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm with a mixed pasture consisting of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and was incubated alone (control) or with cow urine at 700 kg N/ha with 6 rates of DCD [0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 (applied twice), 15 and 20 kg/ha] in incubation vessels. The incubation vessels were placed randomly in an incubator with a constant temperature of 12 °C. During 112 days of incubation, soil subsamples were taken at different time intervals to measure the concentrations of NO₃ ^?-N and NH₄ ⁺-N and the amoA gene copy numbers of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA).

Results and discussion

DCD applied at all the different rates inhibited nitrification in urine-treated soils, but the effectiveness increased with DCD application rate. In addition, AOB growth and the amounts of nitrate-N in the soil were significantly related to the application rate of DCD. However, AOA population abundance showed no relationship to the application rate of DCD. The DCD rate at which the AOB growth rate and nitrate-N concentration were halved (effective dosage that causes 50 % reduction in nitrification rate, or ED₅₀) was about 10 kg DCD/ha.

Conclusions

These results suggest that DCD applied at relatively low rates still slowed down the nitrification rate, and the current recommended rate of 10 kg DCD/ha for DCD use in New Zealand grazed pastures would result in a 50 % reduction in nitrification rate in this soil. The actual rate of DCD application used would depend on the cost of the product and the environmental and agronomic benefits that would result from its use.     

水蚀条件下硝酸铵施用对黄绵土氮素流失的影响

研究结果表明不同坡度谷子地,高N处理小区径流中铵态氮、硝态氮和有效氮浓度平均为1.06、0.76和1.82mg/kg,低N分别为0.64、1.29和1.93mg/kg;高氮处理土壤铵态氮、硝态氮和有效氮平均流失量分别达到17.90、12.93和30.84kg/(km²·a),低N流失量为11.90、23.86和35.77kg/(km²·a)。高氮处理小区泥沙中有机质和全氮浓度平均为5.21和0.536g/kg,而低氮处理分别为4.94和0.481g/kg;高氮和低氮处理土壤有机质流失量分别为5702和5743kg/(km²·a),土壤全氮流失量为498和559kg/(km²·a)     

地表水NH4和NO3随水体入渗在土壤和地下水中输送过程的土槽试验研究

The infiltration of water contaminants into soil and groundwater systems can greatly affect the quality of groundwater. A laboratory-designed large soil tank with periodic and continuous infiltration models, respectively, was used to simulate the migration of the contaminants NH4 and NO3 in a soil and groundwater system, including unsaturated and saturated zones. The unsaturated soil zone had a significant effect on removing NH4 and NO3 infiltrated from the surface water. The patterns of breakthrough curves of NH4 and NO3 in the unsaturated zone were related to the infiltration time. A short infiltration time resulted in a single sharp peak in the breakthrough curve, while a long infiltration time led to a plateau curve. When NH4 and NO3 migrated from the unsaturated zone to the saturated zone, an interracial retardation was formed, resulting in an increased contaminant concentration on the interface. Under the influence of horizontal groundwater movement, the infiltrated contaminants formed a contamination-prone area downstream. As the contaminants migrated downstream, their concentrations were significantly reduced. Under the same infiltration concentration, the concentration of NO3 was greater than that of NH4 at every corresponding cross-section in the soil and groundwater tank, suggesting that the removal efficiency of NH4 was greater than that of NO3 in the soil and groundwater system.     

Simulated acid rain (H2SO4) and microbial activity in soil

Soil mixtures containing 9% kaolinite, 9% montmorillonite, or no clay supplements were amended with 1% glucose and treated with H₂SO₄ to lower their bulk pH to levels ranging from 5.4 to 0.8. Acidification had little effect on soil respiration (CO₂ evolution) until the pH was lowered below 3. Glucose was not degraded at approximately pH 2 but was degraded once the soil pH was raised to non-inhibitory levels, i.e. pH 4.1–4.3. When the soil pH was reduced to 1.4 or below, it was necessary to reinoculate the soil and raise the pH to a non-inhibitory level to obtain CO₂ evolution. The addition of clay minerals, particularly montmorillonite, mitigated the toxic effect of H₂SO₄, especially at pH values below 3. The growth of Aspergillus niger, A. flavipes, Trichoderma viride and Penicillium brefeldianum was reduced or completely inhibited in soils acidified below pH 3.5. The addition of montmorillonite enhanced fungal growth under these acidic conditions, but kaolinite had no effect.     

黄绵土与淋溶土含水量与施肥方法对铵固定和肥料氮回收率的影响

Ammonium fixation and the effects of soil moisture and application methods on fertilizer N recovery were investigatedin two soils of Shaanxi Province, China, a Luvisol and an Entisol, through two experiments performed in the laboratoryand in a glass shelter, respectively, by using ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3). The laboratory closed incubationbox experiment was conducted using the Luvisol to study NH fixation rate at soil moisture levels of 10.1%, 22.7% and 35.3% water filled pore space (WFPS). The fixed NH -N increased dramatically to 51% and 66%, 67% and 74%,and 82% and 85% 1, 2 and 36 h after fertilizer incorporation at moisture levels of 10.1% and 22.7% WFPS and 35.3% WFPS, respectively. The rapid NH fixation rates at all moisture levels could help prevent NH losses from ammonia volatilization. In the glass shelter pot experiment, N fertilizer was applied by either banding (in a concentrated strip)or incorporating (thoroughly mixing) with the Entisol and the Luvisol. An average of 74.2% of the added N fertilizerwas recovered 26 days after application to the Luvisol, while only 61.4% could be recovered from the Entisol, due tohigher NH fixation capacity of the Luvisol. The amount of fixed NH decreased with increasing WFPS. The amountof fixed NH in the incorporated fertilizer treatment was, oll average, 10% higher than that in the banded treatment.Higher NH fixation rates could prevent N loss and thus increase N recovery. The results from the Luvisol showed lowernitrogen recovery as soil moisture level increased, which could be explained by the fact that most of the fixed NH wasstill not released when the soil moisture level was low. When the fertilizer was incorporated into the soil, the recovery ofN increased, compared with the banded treatment, by an average of 26.2% in the Luvisol and 11.2% in the Entisol, whichimplied that when farmers applied fertilizer, it would be best to mix it well with the soil.     

Simultaneous measurement of S, macronutrients, and heavy metals in the soil microbial biomass with CHCl3 fumigation and NH4NO3 extraction

The study was carried out to investigate whether 1 M NH₄NO₃ extraction is a useful alternative to 10 mM CaCl₂ extraction for estimating soil microbial biomass S and whether the data of CHCl₃-labile NH₄NO₃-extractable macronutrients and heavy metals are useful and in agreement with the available data on element concentrations in soil microorganisms. Microbial biomass C was followed by microbial biomass S after CaCl₂ extraction with an average C/S ratio of 82, and by microbial biomass S after NH₄NO₃ extraction with an average C/S ratio of 57. The mean contribution of CHCl₃-labile metals in relation to the NH₄NO₃-extractable fraction from non-fumigated soils ranged from 0.1 to 112% in the order potassium < magnesium < cadmium < sodium < zinc + nickel < manganese < copper. The mean contribution of CHCl₃-labile metals in relation to the microbial biomass C ranged from 0.03 to 22‰ in the order cadmium < nickel < zinc < manganese < magnesium < copper < sodium < potassium. These relative contributions varied within the different metals from a 4-fold (Na⁺) to a more than 200-fold range (Cu²⁺). Significant positive correlations with microbial biomass C were observed for CHCl₃-labile zinc, sodium and especially potassium. The concentration of all elements except copper in relation to microbial biomass C were in the range known from the limited literature on fungi grown on heavy metal contaminated soils.     

Effect of the inhibitors nitrapyrin and sodium chlorate on nitrification and N2O formation in an acid forest soil

An acid forest soil from beech forest gaps, which were either limed or unlimed, and the undisturbed forest was investigated for the type of nitrifying populations and the process of N₂O evolution. To see whether nitrifiers were of heterotrophic or autotrophic origin, the nitrification inhibitors nitrapyrin and sodium chlorate were applied to disturbed soil samples which underwent laboratory incubations. Nitrapyrin inhibits autotrophic nitrification. In different studies, sodium chlorate has been identified as an inhibitor either of autotrophic or of heterotrophic nitrification. In the samples investigated only nitrapyrin inhibited the autotrophic nitrification occurring in the limed soil. Sodium chlorate effectively inhibited heterotrophic nitrification. In the limed forest floor samples, where most autotrophic nitrification occured, sodium chlorate showed no inhibitory effect. In another laboratory incubation experiment, N₂O evolution from undisturbed soil columns, to which the above inhibitors were applied, was investigated. In those samples, in which nitrification had been reduced, neither inhibitor significantly reduced N₂O evolution. Thus it was concluded that the contribution of nitrification to N₂O losses is negligible, and that N₂O evolution arises from the activity of denitrifying organisms. Microbial biomass and respiration measurements showed that the inhibitors did not affect microflora negatively.     

不同液土比和温度条件下塿土铵离子吸附

Effects of NH₄⁺ concentration, solution/soil ratio and temperature on NH₄⁺ adsorption were studied in a Eum-Orthic Anthrosol. The slopes of the soil NH₄⁺ adsorption isotherms and the fitted n, the coefficient for the adsorption intensity, and k, the coefficient related to adsorption capacity, of the Freundlich equation increased with increasing solution/soil ratio (SSR) and with decreasing temperature (T). For the range of experimental conditions, the value of ∂q/∂c, the rate of change of the amount of NH₄⁺ adsorbed in the soil solid phase (q) with respect to the equilibrium concentration of NH₄⁺ in soil solution (c), was 0.840, indicating that q increased with increasing c. From 2 to 45 ℃, ∂q/∂SSR, the rate of change of q with respect to SSR, decreased from 2.598 to 1.996, showing that q increased with increasing SSR, while its increasing rate decreased with temperature. From SSR 1:1 to 20:1, ∂q/∂T, the rate of change of q with respect to T, decreased from -0.095 to -0.361, indicating that q decreased with increasing temperature, and at the same time the negative effect of temperature became larger as SSR increased. Thus under the experimental conditions the order of importance in determining the amount of NH₄⁺ adsorbed in the soil solid phase was ∂q/∂SSR > ∂q/∂c > |∂q/∂T|, indicating that the greatest effect on the amount of NH₄⁺ adsorbed was with the solution/soil ratio; the equilibrium concentration of NH₄⁺ had a lesser effect; and temperature had the least effect.     

农田土壤主要温室气体(CO2、CH4、N2O)的源/汇强度及其温室效应研究进展

气候变化是当今全球面临的重大挑战, 人类社会生产生活引起的温室气体排放是全球气候变暖的主要原因。大气中CO₂、CH₄ 和N₂O 是最重要的温室气体, 对温室效应的贡献率占了近80%。据估计, 大气中每年有5%~20%的CO₂、15%~30%的CH₄、80%~90%的N₂O 来源于土壤, 而农田土壤是温室气体的重要排放源。本文重点阐述了农田土壤温室气体产生、排放或吸收机理及其影响因素, 指出土地利用方式和农业生产力水平等人为控制因素通过影响土壤和作物生长条件来影响农田土壤温室气体产生与排放或吸收。所以, 我们可以从人类活动对农田生态系统的影响着手, 通过改善农业生产方式和作物生长条件来探索温室气体减排措施, 达到固碳/氮增汇的目的。对国内外关于农田温室气体排放的源/汇强度及其综合温室效应评估的最新研究进展进行了综述, 指出正确估算与评价农田土壤温室气体的源/汇强度及其对大气中主要温室气体浓度变化的贡献, 有助于为温室气体减排以及减少气候变化预测的不确定性提供理论依据。     

添加H2O2改性和HNO3/H2SO4改性生物质炭对一种酸性水稻土吸附Cd (Ⅱ)的影响

选择稻草、玉米秸秆和油菜秸秆作为制备生物质炭的原料，分别用H2O2和HNO3/H2SO4对生物质炭进行改性处理，以未改性的生物质炭和HCl处理的生物质炭作为对照。按土重3%的比例向采自安徽郎溪的酸性水稻土中添加上述生物质炭，在经历一个干湿交替周期后，进行Cd(Ⅱ)吸附/解吸实验，研究添加生物质炭对水稻土吸附Cd(Ⅱ)的影响及其机制。结果表明，两种改性方法均有效增加了生物质炭表面的质子结合位点数，且HNO3/H2SO4改性对生物质炭表面羧基官能团的扩增效果更显著。官能团的增加使得添加了HNO3/H2SO4改性生物质炭的水稻土对Cd(Ⅱ)的专性吸附能力显著增强。因此，添加HNO3/H2SO4改性生物质炭可以作为酸性水稻土吸附固定重金属Cd的一种新型方法。     

中国陕西省施有机肥黄土NH4+固定的热力学性质

Some thermodynamic properties of NH₄⁺ fixation by loess soil in plowing and clay layers are discussed. The results indicate that the four ion adsorption equations commonly used can describe the properties of NH₄⁺ fixation in these soils under constant temperature. Among the four adsorption equations, the single-surface Langmuir equation is the best. When the concentration of NH₄Cl solution is 10^-1 mol below, the Freundlich equation can be used. The changes of apparent standard free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS°) illustrate that NH₄⁺ fixation in soil is an endothermic adsorption and spontaneous reaction, and the process can be enhanced by a higher temperature and clay content in soil. The "proper value of NH₄⁺ fixation by soil (K₁ × q_m) increased with increasing clay content and temperature. The heat of NH₄⁺ fixation in soil (Q_m) confirms the conclusions made in this paper.     

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.     

Soil heterogeneity effects on O2 distribution and CH4 emissions from wetlands: In situ and mesocosm studies with planar O2 optodes and membrane inlet mass spectrometry

The importance of soil heterogeneity for methane emission from a wetland soil is assessed by in situ point measurements of depth-specific O₂ and CH₄ concentrations and simultaneous soil CH₄ fluxes at contrasting water levels. Profile measurements, and associated assumptions in their interpretation, were validated in a controlled mesocosm drainage and saturation experiment applying planar O₂ optodes and membrane inlet mass spectrometry. Results show that peat soil is heterogeneous containing dynamic macropore systems created by both macrofauna and flora, which facilitate preferential flow of water, O₂ and CH₄ and vary temporally with changes in the moisture regime. The O₂ content above the water table after drainage varied horizontally from 0 to 100% air saturation within few mm. Oxic zones were observed below the water level and anoxic zones were observed in layers above the water level in periods up to days after changes in the water level. This study shows that although water table position is a competent proxy of soil CH₄ fluxes at larger spatio-temporal scales, it becomes inadequate at higher spatial resolution, i.e. at the scale of the soil pedon and below. High resolution O₂ measurements using planar O₂ optodes have great potential to enhance our understanding of the effect of the water table position on O₂ dynamics on scales of several cm to mm in wetland soils.     

Co-localization of atmospheric H2 oxidation activity and high affinity H2-oxidizing bacteria in non-axenic soil and sterile soil amended with Streptomyces sp. PCB7

Two complementary experimental approaches were utilized to examine the extent to which free soil hydrogenases and H₂-oxidizing bacteria contribute to the soil uptake of atmospheric H₂. First, high affinity hydrogenase activity and H₂-oxidizing bacteria were fractionated in non-axenic soil and axenic soil colonized with the high affinity H₂-oxidizing bacterium Streptomyces sp. PCB7. Non-axenic soil was fractionated by buoyant density centrifugation. High affinity H₂ oxidation activity measured in individual fractions was proportional to the copy number of hhyL gene, specifying the large subunit of putative high affinity [NiFe]-hydrogenases. 2.5% of the hydrogenase activity was recovered in bacteria-free soil extract. Similarly, sequential centrifugation and wet filtrations of strain PCB7-colonized soil dispersed in solubilization buffer caused a loss of the activity, at a ratio proportional to the number of living cells removed. No abiontic hydrogenase activity was detected in bacteria-free fractions. The second experimental approach was designed to verify whether or not the [NiFe]-hydrogenase of strain PCB7 retains high affinity H₂ oxidation activity in soil, under the abiontic state. H₂ oxidation rates of crude enzyme extract of strain PCB7 measured under aerobic and anaerobic conditions were indistinguishable, indicating that the high affinity hydrogenase of strain PCB7 is oxygen-tolerant. The hydrogenase activity of sterile soil spiked with as much as 0.14 mg_(protein) g_(soil-dw)⁻¹ was equivalent to the H₂-oxidation activity of only 10⁶-10⁷ CFU of strain PCB7 g_(soil-dw)⁻¹. Taken together, our results indicate that high affinity hydrogenase activity is proportional to the abundance of H₂-oxidizing bacteria in soil and, that abiontic hydrogenases contribute only a few percent of the total high affinity H₂ oxidation activity detected in soil.     

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.     

Effect of 7-year application of a nitrification inhibitor, dicyandiamide (DCD), on soil microbial biomass, protease and deaminase activities, and the abundance of bacteria and archaea in pasture soils

Purpose

The nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) has been shown to be highly effective in reducing nitrate (NO₃ ^?) leaching and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions when used to treat grazed pasture soils. However, there have been few studies on the possible effects of long-term DCD use on other soil enzyme activities or the abundance of the general soil microbial communities. The objective of this study was to determine possible effects of long-term DCD use on key soil enzyme activities involved in the nitrogen (N) cycle and the abundance of bacteria and archaea in grazed pasture soils.

Materials and methods

Three field sites used for this study had been treated with DCD for 7 years in field plot experiments. The three pasture soils from three different regions across New Zealand were Pukemutu silt loam in Southland in the southern South Island, Horotiu silt loam in the Waikato in the central North Island and Templeton silt loam in Canterbury in the central South Island. Control and DCD-treated plots were sampled to analyse soil pH, microbial biomass C and N, protease and deaminase activity, and the abundance of bacteria and archaea.

Results and discussion

The three soils varied significantly in the microbial biomass C (858 to 542 μg C g^?1 soil) and biomass N (63 to 28 μg N g^?1), protease (361 to 694 μg tyrosine g^?1 soil h^?1) and deaminase (4.3 to 5.6 μg NH₄ ⁺ g^?1 soil h^?1) activity, and bacteria (bacterial 16S rRNA gene copy number: 1.64?×?10⁹ to 2.77?×?10⁹ g^?1 soil) and archaea (archaeal 16S rRNA gene copy number: 2.67?×?10⁷ to 3.01?×?10⁸ g^?1 soil) abundance. However, 7 years of DCD use did not significantly affect these microbial population abundance and enzymatic activities. Soil pH values were also not significantly affected by the long-term DCD use.

Conclusions

These results support the hypothesis that DCD is a specific enzyme inhibitor for ammonia oxidation and does not affect other non-target microbial and enzyme activities. The DCD nitrification inhibitor technology, therefore, appears to be an effective mitigation technology for nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions in grazed pasture soils with no adverse impacts on the abundance of bacteria and archaea and key enzyme activities.