Effects of soil moisture on gross N transformations and N2O emission in acid subtropical forest soils

Soil moisture changes, arising from seasonal variation or from global climate changes, could influence soil nitrogen (N) transformation rates and N availability in unfertilized subtropical forests. A ¹⁵?N dilution study was carried out to investigate the effects of soil moisture change (30–90 % water-holding capacity (WHC)) on potential gross N transformation rates and N₂O and NO emissions in two contrasting (broad-leaved vs. coniferous) subtropical forest soils. Gross N mineralization rates were more sensitive to soil moisture change than gross NH₄ ⁺ immobilization rates for both forest soils. Gross nitrification rates gradually increased with increasing soil moisture in both forest soils. Thus, enhanced N availability at higher soil moisture values was attributed to increasing gross N mineralization and nitrification rates over the immobilization rate. The natural N enrichment in humid subtropical forest soils may partially be due to fast N mineralization and nitrification under relatively higher soil moisture. In broad-leaved forest soil, the high N₂O and NO emissions occurred at 30 % WHC, while the reverse was true in coniferous forest soil. Therefore, we propose that there are different mechanisms regulating N₂O and NO emissions between broad-leaved and coniferous forest soils. In coniferous forest soil, nitrification may be the primary process responsible for N₂O and NO emissions, while in broad-leaved forest soil, N₂O and NO emissions may originate from the denitrification process.     

Nitrification potential of marsh soils from two natural saline–alkaline wetlands

Few studies have been carried out on nitrification potential of marsh soils in natural saline wetlands with high alkalinity. The nitrification potentials of a closed wetland and an open wetland were monitored by an aerobic incubation at 25°C for 28 days. The relative nitrification index ( RNI,\frac\textNO₃^- \text - NNO₃^- - N + NH₄⁺ - N ) \left( {{\hbox{RNI,}}\frac{{{\text{NO}}_3^{-} {\text{ - N}}}}{{{\hbox{NO}}_3^{-} {\hbox{ - N}} + {\hbox{NH}}_4^{+} {\hbox{ - N}}}}} \right) rapidly increased with time in both wetlands and decreased with depth in soil profiles in both wetlands within the first 21 days. Nitrification proceeded much faster in the closed wetland than in the open wetland. The higher rate of nitrogen removal in closed wetlands than open wetland was probably due to the fast nitrification followed by denitrification or leaching loss.     

氮素浓度和水分对水稻土硝化作用和微生物特性的影响

为了明确不同氮素浓度和水分对土壤硝化作用和微生物特性的影响,特别是高氮素浓度下的响应特异性,以红壤水稻土为供试土壤,设置4个硫铵用量水平[0(CK)、120 mg(N).kg-1(A1)、600 mg(N).kg-1(A2)、1 200 mg(N).kg-1(A3)],调节土壤水分为饱和持水量(WHC)的40%、60%和80%,研究了短期内不同氮素浓度和不同水分条件下土壤硝化作用、微生物生物量碳和微生物功能多样性的变化。结果表明:在40%、60%和80%WHC水分条件时,硫铵A2、A3浓度处理土壤硝化率和硝化速率普遍较低,硫铵A1浓度处理硝化率和硝化速率随土壤含水量的升高而升高;同含水量时随硫铵用量的升高而显著降低。在40%、60%和80%WHC水分条件时,微生物生物量碳随硫铵浓度的升高而降低;同浓度硫铵用量水平时,微生物生物量碳的变化基本表现为:60%WHC80%WHC40%WHC。分析发现不同水分和硫铵处理之间存在交互作用。BIOLOG分析显示:不同氮素浓度和不同水分处理,60%WHC下A1处理的平均吸光值(AWCD)和Shannon、Simpson、McIntosh指数最大,其次为60%WHC的硫铵CK处理,而不同水分下硫铵A2、A3处理,其AWCD值和Shannon、Simpson、McIntosh多样性指数都较低,进一步说明过量施肥导致微生物活性降低。不同氮素浓度和水分条件下土壤微生物和生化性状不同,过量施用化肥后将有可能造成土壤微生物性状和生化功能衰减。     

Wetland conversion to beef cattle pasture changes in soil properties

Background and Objective  Largely influenced by the passage of the Swamp Land Act of 1849, many wetlands have been lost in the coastal plain region of southeastern United States primarily as a result of drainage to convert land for agriculture. While further wetland conversion or loss is universally acknowledged, the process continues with little public recognition of the causes or consequences. This study examined changes in soil carbon, pH, and Mehlich extractable nutrients in soils following conversion of wetland to beef cattle pasture. Methods  To better understand the chemical response of soils during wetland conversion to beef cattle pasture, soil samples were collected from the converted beef cattle pastures and from the adjoining reference wetland. Soil samples were collected from eleven sites in the beef cattle pasture, and from four in the adjoining reference wetland. Data that were collected from the reference wetland sites were used as the reference/baseline data to detect potential changes in soil properties associated with the conversion of wetlands to beef cattle pastures from 1940 to 2002. Results and Discussion  Compared with the adjoining reference wetland, the beef cattle pasture soils in 2002, 62 years after being drained, exhibited: (1) a decrease in organic carbon, TOC (-172.3 g kg^-1), nitrogen, TN (-10.1 g kg^-1), water soluble phosphorus, WSP (-5.1mg kg^-1), and potassium, K (-0.7 mg kg^-1); (2) an increase in soil pH (+1.8 pH unit), calcium, Ca (+88.4 mg kg^-1), magnesium, Mg (+7.5 mg kgc), manganese, Mn (+0.3 mg kg^-1), and iron, Fe (+6.9 mg kg^-1); and (3) no significant changes in sodium (Na), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and aluminum (Al). In 2002, the amount of TOC and the concentration of soil organic matter (OM) in pasture fields were significantly lower than the concentration in the reference wetland with average values of 7.8 ± 8 g kg^-1 and 36 ± 26 g kg^-1 and 180.1 ± 188 g kg^-1 and 257 ± 168 g kg^-1, respectively. It appeared that conversion of wetlands was proceeding toward a soil condition/composition like that of mineral soils. Conclusion and Outlook  Overall, conversion of wetland had significant effects on soil carbon, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and extractable nutrients. Results of our study have shown a decrease in TOC, TN, WSP, and K and an increase in soil pH, Ca, Mg, Mn, and Fe. These results are important in establishing useful baseline information on soil properties in pasture and adjoining reference wetland prior to restoring and converting pasture back to its original wetland conditions as a major part of the restoration effort being underway.     

Nitrification in soils incubated with pig slurry or ammonium sulphate

The effects of temperature, moisture content and the addition of pig slurry on nitrification in two soils were studed. There was no accumulation of NO₂^?-N under the incubation conditions investigated and the accumulation of NO₃^?-N was linear for additions of 50–250 μg NH₄⁺-N g^? soil, either as ammonium sulphate or as pig slurry. Nitrate formation was treated as a single step, zero order process to enable a rate constant to be calculated. Nitrification rate increased with increasing moisture content up to the highest level tested, soil water potential ?8.0 kPa, corresponding to approximately 60% of water holding capacity in both soils. Measurable nitrification was found in both soils at the lowest moisture content (soil water potential ?1.5 MPa) and temperature (5° C) tested. The nitrification rate constant in soils treated with 50 μg NH₄⁺-N g^? soil was not significantly affected (P = 0.05) by the form of ammonium added. Addition of 250 μg NH₄⁺-N as ammonium sulphate caused a marked inhibition of nitrification at all moisture contents and temperatures. Addition of 250 μg NH₄⁺-N as pig slurry caused a marked increase in nitrification rate, the increase being greater at the higher temperatures and moisture contents.     

Nitrification is the key process determining N use efficiency in paddy soils

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer use efficiency (NUE) in flooded paddy fields is relatively low. Many N fertilizer management options have been proposed to enhance NUE and minimize environmental damage. However, few investigations are focusing on the role of the characteristics of soil N transformations in regulating NUE and N losses in paddy fields. In this study, we test the role of soil N transformations on NUE and N losses under rice growth conditions in two paddy soils collected from Jiangxi (JX) and Sichuan (SC) in China. The N recoveries of applied ¹⁵N either as nitrate or ammonium in plant and soil, and N losses estimated by ¹⁵N balance were investigated in rice pot experiments using a ¹⁵N tracing technique. The results showed that gross nitrification rates in soil collected from JX were much lower than those in soils collected from SC either at 60% water holding capacity (WHC) or rice growth (flooding) conditions, which could be due to the difference in soil pH. The ‐N concentration in soil solution was maintained at a relatively high level for a long time period after N fertilizer application in the JX soil (41 d) compared to the SC soil (26 d), caused by different nitrification rates owing to different soil pH. The ¹⁵N uptake by rice in the JX soil (29–78%) was always significantly higher than that in the SC soil (22–54%), while N losses from the plant–soil system in the JX soil (17–21%) were always significantly lower than those from the SC soil (20–34%) at the same rice growth stage in the labeled ¹⁵N ammonium treatment. However, there were no significant differences in ¹⁵N uptake by rice and N losses in applied treatment between the two studied soils. These results indicate that nitrification, not denitrification, was the key process determining NUE and N losses in paddy soils. The results of the N application gradient experiment also indicated that higher amounts of N fertilizer should be applied for the same amount of N uptake, however, this caused higher N losses, in soils characterized by high nitrification rate (e.g ., the alkaline soil). Results highlighted that soil N transformations in particular nitrification rate provided a very good guideline for an optimized N management.     

Functional dependencies of soil CO2 emissions on soil biological properties in northern German agricultural soils derived from a glacial till

Agricultural soil CO₂ emissions and their controlling factors have recently received increased attention because of the high potential of carbon sequestration and their importance in soil fertility. Several parameters of soil structure, chemistry, and microbiology were monitored along with soil CO₂ emissions in research conducted in soils derived from a glacial till. The investigation was carried out during the 2012 growing season in Northern Germany. Higher potentials of soil CO₂ emissions were found in grassland (20.40 µg g^?1 dry weight h^?1) compared to arable land (5.59 µg g^?1 dry weight h^?1) within the incubating temperature from 5°C to 40°C and incubating moisture from 30% to 70% water holding capacity (WHC) of soils taken during the growing season. For agricultural soils regardless of pasture and arable management, we suggested nine key factors that influence changes in soil CO₂ emissions including soil temperature, metabolic quotient, bulk density, WHC, percentage of silt, bacterial biomass, pH, soil organic carbon, and hot water soluble carbon (glucose equivalent) based on principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Slightly different key factors were proposed concerning individual land use types, however, the most important factors for soil CO₂ emissions of agricultural soils in Northern Germany were proved to be metabolic quotient and soil temperature. Our results are valuable in providing key influencing factors for soil CO₂ emission changes in grassland and arable land with respect to soil respiration, physical status, nutrition supply, and microbe-related parameters.     

Kinetics of nitrification under upland and flooded soils of varying texture

Abstract

Higher rates of nitrification often reported in fine than in coarse textured soils may not be a direct effect of soil texture because in most of the earlier studies, soil water content has been usually expressed as gravimetric, volumetric or soil's water‐holding capacity without consideration of differences in density/ porosity for soils of varying texture. The same water content in texturally different soils could provide very different conditions of soil aeration and associated nitrifying activity. Effects of soil texture on nitrification was studied by incubating three semiarid subtropical soils having sandy loam, loam, and silty clay textures at 35°C for 30 days using water‐filled pore space (WFPS) as the criterion of soil aeration. Upland or aerobic soil conditions, simulated by incubating soil at 60% WFPS, exhibited very fast nitrification of added fertilizer nitrogen (N) and most of the applied 100 mg of ammonium‐nitrogen (NH₄+‐N/kg soil) was nitrified within 10 days of incubation in all three soils irrespective of the differences in texture. Under flooded soil conditions (120% WFPS), nitrification was slow and only 84 to 92% of the applied NH₄+‐N was nitrified even after 30 days. Nitrification could be described by first‐order kinetics for both the upland and flooded moisture regimes, thus nitrification rate depended upon NH₄+ concentration. At similar gravimetric water contents, rates of nitrification differed greatly in soils of varying texture, but when varying water‐holding capacity and bulk density were accounted for using WFPS, all the soils behaved similarly at 60% WFPS. Under impeded aeration (flooded conditions), however, substantial differences were observed in nitrification in soils of varying texture, the largest in fine‐textured Chamror silty clay followed by Habowal loam and the smallest in Tolewal sandy loam soil. These results illustrate the utility of WFPS, compared with soil water content, and its reliability as an indicator of aeration dependent nitrification for soils of varying texture.     

Phosphorus addition enhances loss of nitrogen in a phosphorus-poor soil

Plants and microbes have limited stoichiometric flexibility to take up and store nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Variation in the relative availability of N and P to plants and microbes may therefore affect how strongly N and P are held in terrestrial ecosystems with important implications for net primary productivity and carbon sequestration. We hypothesized that an increase in P availability in a P-poor soil would increase N uptake by plants and microbes thereby reducing N loss. We grew mixtures of the C3 grass Phalaris aquatica L. and the legume Medicago sativa L. in mesocosms with soils low in P availability and then used a novel technique by adding a ¹⁵N tracer with and without 1 g P m⁻² to soil with different moisture and available N conditions, and measured the ¹⁵N recovery after 48 h in microbes, plants and soil. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found that P addition reduced ¹⁵N in microbes without water stress by 80% and also reduced total¹⁵N recovery, particularly without water stress. Water stress in combination with N addition further showed low total ¹⁵N recovery, possibly because of reduced plant uptake thereby leaving more ¹⁵N in the soil available for nitrification and denitrification. Our results suggest that P addition can result in large gaseous N loss in P-poor soils, most likely by directly stimulating nitrification and denitrification.     

控温条件下秸秆腐解过程中黄泥田氮素转化及酸度对水肥耦合的应答

【目的】在华中低产酸化黄泥田双季稻区,研究不同温度、水分条件及施肥对添加微生物促腐菌剂下秸秆腐解过程中土壤氮素转化和酸度矫治的影响。【方法】采用室内培养试验,于15℃和35℃条件下,设2个水分条件[40%和100%最大田间持水量(WHC)]及2种氮肥处理(尿素、猪粪),动态监测水稻秸秆腐解过程中土壤无机硝态氮(NO-3-N)、 铵态氮(NH+4-N)和总水溶性氮(TDN)含量,以及土壤pH变化在105 d培养周期内的变化特征。【结果】温度与各形态氮含量及土壤pH间均缺乏相关性,不同温度下水分、 氮肥类型对氮转化及pH影响大致相同; 35℃和15℃条件下几乎整个培养周期内,各处理铵态氮含量表现为WHC40%+U WHC40%+M WHC100%+U WHC100%+M,即尿素处理优于猪粪处理(P0.01),不论添加何种氮素均表现为WHC40% WHC100% (P0.01);NO-3-N和TDN含量顺序为WHC100%+U WHC100%+M WHC40%+U WHC40%+M,其中后二者NO-3-N含量无差异,WHC100%条件下NO-3-N和TDN含量均显著高于40% WHC(P0.05); 氮净矿化量为WHC40%+U WHC100%+U,添加猪粪处理后在两水分条件下都为负值,表现生物固定,而净硝化强度为WHC100%+U WHC100%+M,低水分含量的两氮肥添加均表现弱硝化;各处理至培养结束时土壤pH均大幅提升,pH值大小呈WHC40%+M WHC40%+U WHC100%+M WHC100%+U,净变化值则分别为+0.35、 +0.51、 -0.61和+0.15,其中,WHC100%+M处理虽然最终表现有0.61单位降低,但在前期仍有大幅上升的现象。【结论】高温度、 水分含量下,施尿素可因其短期内氮矿化与pH(高净氮矿化量、 净硝化量、 酸度提升)方面的优势而作为田间推荐的水肥耦合管理措施;微生物在氮素循环中对设定的温度条件有一定适应能力;相比于尿素在改变各种氮浓度和诱导pH变化方面的良好作用,猪粪从供氮时效方面讲,是一种可采用的但也相对难以利用的氮源。     

Soil N transformations after application of 15N‐labeled biomass in incubation experiments with repeated soil drying and rewetting

The effects of repeated soil drying and rewetting on microbial biomass N (N_bio) and mineral N (N_min) were measured in incubation experiments simulating typical moisture and temperature conditions for soils from temperate climates in the post‐harvest period. After application of in vitro ¹⁵N‐labeled fungal biomass to a silty loam, one set of soils was exposed to two drying‐rewetting cycles (treatment DR; 14 days to decrease soil moisture to 20 % water‐holding capacity (WHC) and subsequently 7 days at 60 % WHC). A control set (treatment CM) was kept at constant moisture conditions (60 % WHC) throughout the incubation. N_bio and N_min as well as the ¹⁵N enrichment of these N pools were measured immediately after addition of ¹⁵N‐labeled biomass (day 0) and after each change in soil moisture (day 14, 21, 35, 42). Drying and rewetting (DR) resulted in higher N_min levels compared to CM towards the end of the incubation. Considerable amounts of N_bio were susceptible to mineralization as a result of soil drying (i.e., drying enhanced the turnover of N_bio), and significantly lower N_bio values were found for DR at the end of each drying period. Immediately after biomass incorporation into the soil (day 0), 22 % of the applied ¹⁵N was found in the N_min pool. Some of this ¹⁵N_min must have been derived from dead cells of the applied microbial biomass as only about 80 % of the microbes in the biomass suspension were viable, and only 52 % of the ¹⁵N_bio was extractable (using the fumigation‐extraction method). The increase in ¹⁵N_min was higher than for unlabeled N_min, indicating that added labeled biomass was mineralized with a higher rate than native biomass during the first drying period. Overall, the effect of drying and rewetting on soil N turnover was more pronounced for treatment DR compared to CM during the second drying‐rewetting cycle, resulting in a higher flush of mineralization and lower microbial biomass N levels.     

温室菜园土壤氮矿化和微生物群落对水分的响应

Soil drying and wetting impose significant influences on soil nitrogen (N) dynamics and microbial communities. However, effects of drying-wetting cycles, while common in vegetable soils, especially under greenhouse conditions, have not been well studied. In this study, two greenhouse vegetable soils, which were collected from Xinji (XJ) and Hangzhou (HZ), China, were maintained at 30% and 75% water-holding capacity (WHC), or five cycles of 75% WHC followed by a 7-day dry-down to 30% WHC (DW). Soil inorganic N content increased during incubation. Net N mineralization (Nmin), microbial activity, and microbial biomass were significantly higher in the DW treatment than in the 30% and 75% WHC treatments. The higher water content (75% WHC) treatment had higher Nmin, microbial activity, and microbial biomass than the lower water content treatment (30% WHC). Multivariate analyses of community-level physiological profile (CLPP) and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) data indicated that soil moisture regime had a significant effect on soil microbial community substrate utilization pattern and microbial community composition. The significant positive correlation between Nmin and microbial substrate utilization or PLFAs suggested that soil N mineralization had a close relationship with microbial community.     

Short-term dynamics of carbon and nitrogen after tillage in a freshwater marsh of northeast China

The Sanjiang Plain, one of the largest freshwater marshes in China, has experienced intensive cultivation over the past 50 years. However, there were few reports of short-term dynamics of soil carbon and nitrogen and CO₂ emission after tillage. In this paper, we studied the short-term dynamics of carbon and nitrogen after tillage in a freshwater marsh of northeast China. The results showed that response of carbon and nitrogen dynamic to tillage was different for intact wetland and soil cultivated for 10 years. Tillage was followed by immediate and significant increases in CO₂ efflux, which peaked at 0.25 h after tillage, four times higher than control in the wetland soils; while, only 2.5 times higher than control in the cultivated soils. Although, dissolved organic C (DOC) increased, the relative stability of microbial biomass C (MBC) pools together with the decreased respiration in the wetland soil suggested that the tillage did not lead to a burst in microbial activity and growth. Other factors such as moisture content before and after tillage may play an important role in determining microbial activity in the intact wetland. On the contrary, although dissolved organic C did not change, MBC pools, and soil respiration increase after tillage, suggesting tillage led to an increase in microbial activity and growth in the cultivated soil. Tillage initiated changes in soil aeration that was an important factor affecting soil microbiology in the long history of cultivation. Net N mineralization and nitrification occurred in both wetland and cultivated soils, but at different rates after tillage that in the intact wetland soil was higher than cultivated soil. Macroaggregates in the wetland soil would be expected to contain larger amounts of organic matter, and thus release a larger source of newly available substrate for microbes after tillage. In the intact wetland soil, ammonium, nitrate, and dissolved organic N (DON) concentrations were significantly negatively correlated to soil moisture (p < 0.01), suggesting high soil moisture in the natural wetland was not in favor of N mineralization.     

Conversion of grassland to coniferous woodland has limited effects on soil nitrogen cycle processes

In the last century, conversion of native North American grasslands to Juniperus virginiana forests or woodlands has dramatically altered ecosystem structure and significantly increased ecosystem carbon (C) stocks. We compared soils under recently established J. virginiana forests and adjacent native C₄-dominated grassland to assess changes in potential soil nitrogen (N) transformations and plant available N. Over a 2-year period, concentrations of extractable inorganic N were measured in soils from forest and grassland sites. Potential gross N ammonification, nitrification, and consumption rates were determined using ¹⁵N isotope-dilution under laboratory conditions, controlling for soil temperature and moisture content. Potential nitrification rates (V_max) and microbial biomass, as well as soil physical and chemical properties were also assessed. Extractable NH₄⁺ concentrations were significantly greater in grassland soils across the study period (P ≤ 0.01), but analysis by date indicated that differences in extractable inorganic N occurred more frequently in fall and winter, when grasses were senescent but J. virginiana was still active. Laboratory-based rates of gross N mineralization (ammonification) and nitrification were greater in grassland soils (P ≤ 0.05), but only on one of four dates. Potential nitrification rates (V_max) were an order of magnitude greater than gross nitrification rates in both ecosystems, suggesting that nitrification is highly constrained by NH₄⁺ availability. Differences in plant uptake of N, C inputs, and soil microclimate as forests replace grasslands may influence plant available N in the field, as evidenced by seasonal differences in soil extractable NH₄⁺, and total soil C and N accumulation. However, we found few differences in potential soil N transformations under laboratory conditions, suggesting that this grassland-to-forest conversion caused little change in mineralizable organic N pools or potential microbial activity.     

Effects of salts and moisture content on N2O emission and nitrogen dynamics in Yellow soil and Andosol in model experiments

 The effects of salt type and its concentration on nitrification, N mineralization and N₂O emission were examined under two levels of moisture content in Yellow soil and Andosol samples as simulated to agriculture under arid/semi-arid conditions and under heavy application of fertilizer in a glass-house, respectively. The salt mixtures were composed of chlorides (NaCl and NH₄Cl) or sulphates [Na₂SO₄ and (NH₄)₂SO₄] and were added at various concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 M as in the soil solution). These salts were added to non-saline Yellow soil at different moisture contents (45 or 40 and 65% of maximum water-holding capacity; WHC) and their effects on the changes in mineral N (NH₄ ⁺-N and NO₃ ^–-N) concentration as well as N₂O emission were examined periodically during laboratory incubation. We also measured urease activities to know the effect of salts on N mineralization. Furthermore, Ca(NO₃)₂ solution was added at various concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.8 M as in the soil solution) to a non-saline Andosol taken from the subsurface layer in a glass-house and incubated at different moisture contents (50% and 70% of WHC) to examine their effects on changes in mineral N. Nitrification was inhibited by high, but remained unaffected by low, salt concentrations. These phenomena were shown in both the model experiments. It was considered that the salinity level for inhibition of nitrification was an electric conductivity (1 : 5) of 1 dS m^–1. This level was independent of the type of salts or soil, and was not affected by soil moisture content. The critical level of salts for urease activities was about 2 dS m^–1. The emission rate of N₂O was maximum at the beginning of the incubation period and stabilized at a low level after an initial peak. There was no significant difference in N₂O emission among the treatments at different salt concentrations, while higher moisture level enhanced N₂O emission remarkably. Received: 29 July 1998     

Differences in isotopic fractionation of nitrogen in water-saturated and unsaturated soils

Temporal variations in δ¹⁵N of NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ in water-saturated and unsaturated soils were examined in a laboratory incubation study. Ammonium sulfate (δ¹⁵N=−2.6‰) was added to 25 g samples of soil at concentrations of 160 mg N kg⁻¹. Soils were then incubated under unsaturated (50% of water holding capacity at saturation, WHC) or saturated (100% of WHC) water conditions for 7 and 36 d, respectively. During 7 d incubation of unsaturated soil, the NH₄⁺-N concentration decreased from 164.8 to 34.4 mg kg⁻¹, and the δ¹⁵N of NH₄⁺ increased from −0.4 to +57.2‰ through nitrification, as evidenced by corresponding increase in NO₃⁻-N concentration and lower δ¹⁵N of NO₃⁻ (product) than that of NH₄⁺ (substrate) at each sampling time. In saturated soil, the concentration of NH₄⁺-N decreased gradually from 162.4 to 24.2 mg kg⁻¹, and the δ¹⁵N values increased from +0.8 to +21.0‰ during 36 d incubation. However, increase in NO₃⁻ concentration was not observed due to loss of NO₃⁻ through concurrent denitrification in anaerobic sites. The apparent isotopic fractionation factors (α_s/p) associated with decrease in NH₄⁺ concentration were 1.04 and 1.01 in unsaturated and saturated soils, respectively. Since nitrification is likely to introduce greater isotope fractionation than microbial immobilization, the higher value for unsaturated soil probably reflected faster nitrification under aerobic conditions. The lower value for saturated soil suggests that immobilization and subsequent remineralization of NH₄⁺ were relatively more dominant than nitrification under the anaerobic conditions.     

黄河口滨岸潮滩不同类型湿地土壤氮素分布特征

对黄河口滨岸潮滩不同类型湿地土壤氮分布特征进行了对比研究。结果表明,湿地土壤氮以有机氮为主,无机氮所占比例较低且以铵态氮为主。土壤氮水平分布特征明显,TN、NH4+-N和NO3--N含量较高的分别是芦苇湿地、碱蓬-柽柳湿地(过渡带)湿地和芦苇湿地;土壤氮垂直分布特征亦明显,表现为表层土壤氮含量大于下层,其中,TN、NH4+-N和NO3--N含量垂直变化最明显的分别是三棱蔗草-朝天委陵菜湿地、碱蓬湿地和芦苇湿地。影响土壤氮分布的主要因素有水分条件、植被类型及微生物活动等。相关分析表明TN与有机氮、有机质呈极显著正相关(P<0.01),NH4+-N与TP呈显著负相关(P<0.05)。研究发现,植被对调整湿地氮的空间分布有一定作用,从而为湿地生态修复提供了理论依据。     

Effects of carbon and phosphorus addition on microbial respiration,N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O emission,and gross nitrogen mineralization in a phosphorus-limited grassland soil

Soil microbes are frequently limited by carbon (C), but also have a high phosphorus (P) requirement. Little is known about the effect of P availability relative to the availability of C on soil microbial activity. In two separate experiments, we assessed the effect of P addition (20 mg P kg^?1 soil) with and without glucose addition (500 mg C kg^?1 soil) on gross nitrogen (N) mineralization (¹⁵N pool dilution method), microbial respiration, and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission in a grassland soil. In the first experiment, soils were incubated for 13 days at 90% water holding capacity (WHC) with addition of NO₃^? (99 mg N kg^?1 soil) to support denitrification. Addition of C and P had no effect on gross N mineralization. Initially, N₂O emission significantly increased with glucose, but it decreased at later stages of the incubation, suggesting a shift from C to NO₃^? limitation of denitrifiers. P addition increased the N₂O/CO₂ ratio without glucose but decreased it with glucose addition. Furthermore, the ¹⁵N recovery was lowest with glucose and without P addition, suggesting a glucose by P interaction on the denitrifying community. In the second experiment, soils were incubated for 2 days at 75% WHC without N addition. Glucose addition increased soil ¹⁵N recovery, but had no effect on gross N mineralization. Possibly, glucose addition increased short-term microbial N immobilization, thereby reducing N-substrates for nitrification and denitrification under more aerobic conditions. Our results indicate that both C and P affect N transformations in this grassland soil.     

Gross nitrogen transformation rate in soil is affected by coastal wetland cultivation

Abstract

A ¹⁵N tracing experiment was carried out to investigate gross N dynamics in coastal wetland soils. The results showed that the cultivation of coastal wetland has resulted in a significant increase in the gross mineralization rate, gross nitrification rate and gross microbial immobilization of ammonium rate (p<0.01). However, the effect of cultivation on the gross microbial immobilization of nitrate rate was not significant. The gross nitrification rate was much higher than nitrate immobilization (p<0.01), indicating that cultivation of coastal wetland could increase the risk of losses of N from the soil through leaching.     

高氮和NO2-对中亚热带森林土壤N2O和NO产生的影响

利用15N同位素标记方法,研究在两种水分条件即60％和90％ WHC下,添加硝酸盐(NH4NO3,N 300 mg kg-1)和亚硝酸盐(NaNO2,N 1 mg kg-1)对中亚热带天然森林土壤N2O和NO产生过程及途径的影响.结果表明,在含水量为60％ WHC的情况下,高氮输入显著抑制了N2O和NO的产生(p＜0.01);但当含水量增为90％ WHC后,实验9h内抑制N2O产生,之后转为促进.所有未灭菌处理在添加NO2-后高氮抑制均立即解除并大量产生N2O和NO,与对照成显著差异(p＜0.01),在60％ WHC条件下,这种情况维持时间较短(21 h),但如果含水量高(90％ WHC)这种情况会持续很长时间(2周以上),说明水分有效性的提高和外源NO2-在高氮抑制解除中起到重要作用.本实验中N2O主要来源于土壤反硝化过程,而且加入未标记NO2-后导致杂合的N2O(14N15NO)分子在实验21 h内迅速增加,表明这种森林土壤的反硝化过程可能主要是通过真菌的“共脱氮”来实现,其贡献率可多达80％以上.Spearman秩相关分析表明未灭菌土壤NO的产生速率与N2O产生速率成显著正相关性(p＜0.05),土壤含水量越低二者相关性越高.灭菌土壤添加NO2-能较未灭菌土壤产生更多的NO,但却几乎不产生N2O,表明酸性土壤的化学反硝化对NO的贡献要大于N2O.