施用铵态氮对森林土壤硝态氮和铵态氮的影响

对取自武夷山的红壤、黄壤、黄壤性草甸土分别在对照(CK,N 0 mg/kg)、低氮(LN,N 50 mg/kg)、高氮(HN,N 100 mg/kg)3种氮(N)水平处理下开展培养实验,研究施加NH4+-N对森林土壤N转化的短期影响.结果表明,添加NH4+-N可显著(p＜0.05)降低土壤NO3--N含量4.5％～25.7％,但LN与HN处理差异不显著,NO3--N降低可能与NO3--N反硝化和异氧还原有关;然而,黄壤性草甸土NO3--N没有降低.与培养前比较,在第56天红壤NO3--N含量显著增加5倍左右;桐木关黄壤增加40％左右,而黄冈山25 km黄壤仅在CK处理下增加16％,但是黄壤性草甸土显著降低;结果显示LN与HN处理土壤NO3--N含量变化幅度小于CK.与CK相比,LN和HN处理红壤NH4+-N分别显著(p＜0.05)升高24.1％ ～ 96.5％和68.7％～114.1％,且随培养进行没有累积,可能与微生物固N有关;桐木关NH4+-N分别升高17.6％ ～ 39.6％和37.6％～95.8％ (p＜0.05),LN处理黄冈山25 km黄壤NH4+-N只有第7天升高17.8％ (p＜0.05),HN处理第7、14、28、42天显著升高17.5％～48.6％(p＜0.05).LN处理黄壤性草甸土的NH4+-N在前3周显著降低11.6％～28.5％ (p＜0.01); HN处理在第7天和14天分别降低10.8％(p＜0.01)和7.5％,但是在第28～56天显著增加17.6％～20.4％(p=0.002).随着培养进行,CK处理红壤NH4+-N逐渐降低,桐木关黄壤、黄冈山25 km黄壤和黄壤性草甸土升高;LN和HN处理黄壤和黄壤性草甸土NH4+-N逐渐升高.可见,不同海拔土壤类型对NH4+-N添加响应存在差异.     

Regulation of urease production in soil by microbial assimilation of nitrogen

Summary Studies of the effects of different forms of N on urease production in soils amended with organic C showed that although microbial activity, as measured by CO₂ production, was stimulated by the addition of NH₄ ⁺ or NO₃ ^- to C-amended soils (200 mol glucose-C g^–1 soil), urease production was repressed by these forms of N. The addition of L-methionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of inorganic N assimilation by microorganisms, relieved the NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^- repression of urease production in C-amended soil. The addition of sodium chlorate, an inhibitor of NO₃ ^- reduction to NH₄ ⁺ by microorganisms, relieved the NO₃ ^- repression of urease production, but did not eliminate the repression associated with NH₄ ⁺. These observations indicate that microbial production of urease in C-amended soils is not directly repressed by NH₄ ⁺ or NO₃ ^-, but by products formed by microbial assimilation of these forms of N. This conclusion is supported by our finding that the biologically active L-isomers of alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartate, and glutamine, repressed urease production in C-amended soil, whereas the D-isomers of these amino acids had little or no influence on urease production. This work suggests that urease synthesis by soil microorganisms is controlled by the global N regulon.     

土壤C/N对苹果植株生长及氮素利用的影响

土壤C/N是土壤氮素循环的重要影响因素。本研究以2年生"富士"/平邑甜茶为试验材料, 应用¹⁵N示踪技术研究了不同土壤C/N[6.21(CK)、10、15、20、25、30、35和40]对苹果植株生长及氮素利用和损失的影响。结果表明: 随着土壤C/N比值的逐渐增大, 苹果新梢长度和植株鲜重均呈先升高后降低的变化趋势, C/N=15、20和25的3个处理苹果新梢长度和植株鲜重最大, 三者间无显著差异, 但均显著高于其他处理。不同C/N处理间植株15N利用率存在差异, 土壤C/N=25时, 植株¹⁵N利用率最大, 为22.87%, 与C/N=20的处理间无显著差异, 但两者均显著高于其他处理; 土壤C/N=40时, 植株¹⁵N利用率最低, 仅为15.43%, 低于CK处理的16.65%。土壤C/N处于15~25时, 植株吸收的氮素来自于肥料氮的比例较高; 而土壤C/N较低(<15)或太高(>25)时, 植株吸收的氮素来自于土壤氮的比例较高。土壤氮素残留量随土壤C/N的增大逐渐增加, C/N=40处理的土壤氮素残留量是CK的1.32倍。随着土壤C/N比值的逐渐增大, 肥料氮损失量呈先减少后增加的变化趋势, 以C/N=25时最少, 仅为施氮量的49.87%, 而对照最大, 为61.54%。因此, 综合土壤C/N对苹果植株生长及氮素平衡状况来看, 土壤C/N为15~25时, 能促进植株的生长发育, 降低氮肥损失, 提高肥料利用率。     

Gross N mineralization rates after application of composted grape marc to soil

Grape marc is a common waste product of the wine production industry. When partially composted and applied to soil it may contain enough N to affect vine growth and hence wine quality. Yet little is known about the quantity and timing of N release from composted grape marc. A laboratory incubation was conducted where composted grape marc amended and non-amended soils were periodically sampled over 148 days at 15 °C for gross N mineralization rates, C mineralization and microbial biomass-C. Gross N mineralization rates were determined by ¹⁵N pool dilution using both analytical equations and the numerical model FLUAZ (Mary, B., Recous, S., Robin, D., 1998. A model for calculating nitrogen fluxes in soil using 15N tracing. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 30, 1963-1979.). Both analytical and FLUAZ determined gross N mineralization rates were in close agreement in the control soil. However, in composted grape marc amended soils there was a discrepancy between the two solutions. Findings indicate that composted grape marc caused a net immobilization of N for the first 50-days of incubation, after which enough N was released to require consideration in fertilizer-N strategies.     

Determination of gross rates of amino acid production and immobilization in decomposing leaf litter by a novel N isotope pool dilution technique

Although the rates of gross protein depolymerization are central in litter decomposition, they cannot be measured directly by any existing method. Here we report the development of a novel assay to quantify gross protein depolymerization (i.e. gross amino acid production) based on a ¹⁵N isotope pool dilution technique. The assay is based on the concurrent labeling of the pool of 18 proteinogenic amino acids, which are present in a free form in litter, and the measurement of ¹⁵N:¹⁴N ratios in the individual amino acids by GC-MS over time. The method proved to be highly linear, precise and sufficiently sensitive. We tested the applicability of the novel method on a litter decomposition experiment, in which we could demonstrate that gross protein depolymerization exceeded gross N mineralization by >8 fold indicating that only a small fraction of amino acids released by extracellular enzymes was actually mineralized to ammonium. Moreover, the results provide evidence that protein depolymerization was limited by protein availability or accessibility, not by the size of protease pool.     

Temporal variation in pools of amino acids, inorganic and microbial N in a temperate grassland soil

Plants can take up intact amino acids, even in competition with soil microbes, yet we lack detailed information on which amino acids dominate the soil and whether amino acid composition varies seasonally. This study tested the hypotheses that 1) the pool of amino acid N is generally larger than inorganic N; 2) temporal changes in the concentration of amino acid N is related to changes in the size of the microbial N pool; and 3) amino acid N is dominated by simple, neutral amino acids during warm months, whereas during cold months the amino acid N is dominated by more complex aromatic and basic amino acids. Approximately every month for two years we collected soil from a temperate, sub-alpine grassland in the Snowy Mountains of Australia. We quantified exchangeable pools of amino acids, nitrate and ammonium in 1 M KCl extracts. Microbial N was quantified by chloroform fumigation. Averaged across the 21 monthly samples, nitrate was 13% of the quantified pool of soluble non-protein N, ammonium was 34% and amino acid N was 53%. These data are consistent with our hypothesis that the pool of amino acid N is larger than inorganic N. There was substantial variation between months in concentrations of amino acids and inorganic N, but no clear temporal pattern. Microbial N did not vary between months, and thus changes in amino acid N were unrelated to microbial N. Principal components analysis indicated multivariate groupings of the different pools of N that were broadly indicative of function and/or biosynthetic relationships. Thus PCA identified a grouping of aromatic amino acids (Phe and Try) with amino acids derived from oxaloacetate (Asp, Ala, Val, Leu, Ile), and a second group comprising microbial N, nitrate and glycine. The pool of exchangeable amino acid N was dominated by Arg (26% of amino N) Val (20%) Gln (18%), Try (8%) and Asn (8%). Contrary to our hypothesis, the composition of the amino acid pool did not vary in a consistent way between months, and there was no evidence simple amino acids were relatively more abundant in warm months and complex amino acids in cool months.     

Role of nitrite and nitric oxide in the processes of nitrification and denitrification in soil: Results from N tracer experiments

Recent research has proven soil nitrite to be a key element in understanding N-gas production (NO, N₂O, N₂) in soils. NO is widely accepted to be an obligatory intermediate of N₂O formation in the denitrification pathway. However, studies with native soils could not confirm NO as a N₂O precursor, and field experiments mainly revealed ammonium nitrification as the source of NO. The hypothesis was constructed, that the limited diffusion of NO in soil is the reason for this contradiction. To test this diffusion limitation hypothesis and to verify nitrite and NO as free intermediates in native soils we conducted through-flow (He/O₂ atmosphere) ¹⁵N tracer experiments using black earth soil in an experimental set up free of diffusion limitation. All of the three relevant inorganic N soil pools (ammonium, nitrite, nitrate) were ¹⁵N labelled in separate incubation experiments lasting 81 h based on the kinetic isotope method. During the experiments the partial pressure of O₂ was decreased in four steps from 20% to about 0%. The net NO emission increased up to 3.7 μg N kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ with decreasing O₂ partial pressure. Due to the special experimental set up with little to no obstructions of gas diffusion, only very low N₂O emission could be observed. As expected the content of the substrates ammonium, nitrate and nitrite remained almost constant over the incubation time. The ¹⁵N abundance of nitrite revealed high turnover rates. The contribution of nitrification of ammonium to the total nitrite production was approx. 88% under strong aerobic soil conditions but quickly decreased to zero with declining O₂ partial pressure. It is remarkable that already under the high partial pressure of 20% O₂ 12 % of nitrite is generated by nitrate denitrification, and under strict anaerobic conditions it increases to 100%. Nitrite is present in two separate endogenous pools at least, each one fed by the nitrification of ammonium or the denitrification of nitrate. The experiments clearly revealed that nitrite is almost 100% the direct precursor of NO formation under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions. Emitted N₂O only originated to about 100% from NO under strict anaerobic conditions (0-0.2% O₂), providing evidence that NO is a free intermediate of N₂O formation by denitrification. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that NO has been detected in a native soil as a free intermediate product of N₂O formation at denitrification. These results clearly verify the “diffusion limitation” hypothesis.     

采用15N同位素稀释法研究不同层次土壤氮素总转化速率

采用15N同位素稀释方法,开展短期(7天)室内培养实验,估算了一水稻土0~20、20~60和60~90 cm土层土壤主要N素转化过程的总转化速率,结果表明,标记N溶液加入后2 h内各土层土壤的总矿化、硝化、固定速率显著高于其他时间段(p<0.01)。2 h后,矿化速率在小范围内起伏。0~20 cm土层土壤N素的硝化速率随培养时间延长而降低,另外两层土壤则基本保持稳定,硝化速率的变化与硝化作用底物NH4+-N浓度的变化呈显著正相关。值得注意的是,外源无机N溶液加入后2 h内,大量NH4+-N和NO3--N被固定,并认为N素的非生物固定起主导作用。2 h后,出现了N素在固定与再矿化间反复转换的现象。实验结果表明,与净转化速率相比总转化速率能更好地描述单个N素转化过程,但由于外源N加入对N素转化的影响、再矿化作用以及忽略了N素转化过程中的气体损失、DNRA(硝态氮异化还原为铵)过程等,本研究结果与真实值间存在一定差异。     

Methane oxidation in a temperate coniferous forest soil: effects of inorganic N

Methane oxidation rates were measured in soils obtained from a coniferous forest in northern England. The effects of depth and added K⁺ (K₂SO₄), NH₄⁺ ((NH₄)₂SO₄) and NO₃⁻ (KNO₃) on potential CH₄ oxidation were investigated in a series of laboratory incubations. The humus (H) layer soil showed much greater CH₄ oxidation rates than the other soil layers, with maximal rates of 53 and 226 ng CH₄ gdw⁻¹ h⁻¹ when incubated with initial 10 and 1000 μl CH₄ l⁻¹, respectively. Additions of the solutes K⁺, NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ showed differing degrees of inhibition on CH₄ oxidation, which varied with the initial CH₄ concentration, the ion added, and the ion concentration. In general, inhibition by the ions was slightly greater for incubations with an initial concentration of 1000 μl CH₄ l⁻¹ than for 10 μl CH₄ l⁻¹ under otherwise identical conditions. For K⁺ and NH₄⁺ treatments, inhibitory rates were usually less than 15%, but at high K⁺ and NH₄⁺ concentrations inhibition could reach 50%, the inhibitory effects of NH₄⁺ were consistently slightly greater than those of K⁺ at the same concentration. In marked contrast to NH₄⁺, NO₃⁻ showed a very strong inhibitory effect. Added NO₃⁻ and NO₂⁻ produced via added NO₃⁻ reduction in anaerobic ‘microsites’ are probably toxic to CH₄-oxidizing bacteria. These results, together with those from other reports, suggest that NO₃⁻ may have a greater importance in the inhibition of CH₄ oxidation in forest soils than that attributed to NH₄⁺ and needs to be investigated in a wide range of soil types from various forests.     

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。     

Availability of CO2 as a factor affecting the rate of nitrification in soil

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to demonstrate that reduced availability of CO₂ in soil may be an important factor limiting nitrification. Soil samples were incubated at 30±2 °C for 20 days using vessels with or without the arrangement for trapping CO₂ in sodium hydroxide. This arrangement led to a decrease of ca. 96% in the CO₂ concentration of the headspace, with a range of 95.7-97.5 at different sampling intervals. In the absence of trapping arrangement, CO₂ concentration of the headspace varied from 580 to 859 ppm, i.e. 62-140% higher than that of the outside atmosphere (358 ppm). The nitrification process was significantly retarded under conditions of reduced CO₂ concentration; reduction varied from 8 to 62% at different incubation intervals. The results of the study led to the inference that decreased availability of CO₂ in closed vessels (with arrangement for trapping CO₂) will have a significant bearing on the process of nitrification and hence on the overall dynamics of N transformations.     

Dynamics of soil microbial biomass and nitrogen availability in a flooded rice soil amended with different C and N sources

 A greenhouse experiment was conducted to compare effects of different C and N sources applied to a flooded soil on soil microbial biomass (SMB) C and N, extractable soil organic N (N_ORG), and NH₄ ⁺-N in relation to plant N accumulation of rice (Oryza sativa L.). In addition to a control without inputs (CON), four treatments were imposed receiving: prilled urea (PU), rice straw (RS), RS and PU (RS+PU), or Sesbania rostrata as green manure (SES). Treatments were arranged according to a completely randomized design with four replicates and further consisted of pots with and without transplanted rice. While plant effects on the SMB were relatively small, the application of organic N sources resulted in a rapid increase in SMB until 10 days after transplanting (DAT) followed by a gradual decline until 73 DAT. Plant N accumulation data in these treatments clearly indicated that the SMB underwent a transition from a sink to a source of plant-available soil N during the period of crop growth. Seasonal variation of the SMB was small in treatments without amendment of organic material (CON, PU) presumably due to a lack of available C as energy source. Extractable N_ORG was significantly affected by soil planting status and organic N source amendment, but represented only a small N pool with little temporal variation despite an assumed rapid turnover. Among the three treatments receiving the same amount of N from different sources, the recovery efficiency of applied N was 58% for PU and 28% for both RS+PU and SES treatments at 73 DAT. The N uptake of rice, however, was not driven by N availability alone, as most evident in the RS+PU treatment. We assume that root physiological functions were impeded after application of organic N sources. Received: 1 June 1999     

Gross nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates and their relationships to enzyme activities and the soil microbial biomass in soils treated with dairy shed effluent and ammonium fertilizer at different water potentials

 Gross N mineralization and nitrification rates and their relationships to microbial biomass C and N and enzyme (protease, deaminase and urease) activities were determined in soils treated with dairy shed effluent (DSE) or NH₄ ⁺ fertilizer (NH₄Cl) at a rate equivalent to 200 kg N ha^–1 at three water potentials (0, –10 and –80 kPa) at 20  °C using a closed incubation technique. After 8, 16, 30, 45, 60 and 90 days of incubation, sub-samples of soil were removed to determine gross N mineralization and nitrification rates, enzyme activities, microbial biomass C and N, and NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^– concentrations. The addition of DSE to the soil resulted in significantly higher gross N mineralization rates (7.0–1.7 μg N g^–1 soil day^–1) than in the control (3.8–1.2 μg N g^–1 soil day^–1), particularly during the first 16 days of incubation. This increase in gross mineralization rate occurred because of the presence of readily mineralizable organic substrates with low C : N ratios, and stimulated soil microbial and enzymatic activities by the organic C and nutrients in the DSE. The addition of NH₄Cl did not increase the gross N mineralization rate, probably because of the lack of readily available organic C and/or a possible adverse effect of the high NH₄ ⁺ concentration on microbial activity. However, nitrification rates were highest in the NH₄Cl-treated soil, followed by DSE-treated soil and then the control. Soil microbial biomass, protease, deaminase and urease activities were significantly increased immediately after the addition of DSE and then declined gradually with time. The increased soil microbial biomass was probably due to the increased available C substrate and nutrients stimulating soil microbial growth, and this in turn resulted in higher enzyme activities. NH₄Cl had a minimal impact on the soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities, possibly because of the lack of readily available C substrates. The optimum soil water potential for gross N mineralization and nitrification rates, microbial and enzyme activities was –10 kPa compared with –80 kPa and 0 kPa. Gross N mineralization rates were positively correlated with soil microbial biomass N and protease and urease activities in the DSE-treated soil, but no such correlations were found in the NH₄Cl-treated soil. The enzyme activities were also positively correlated with each other and with soil microbial biomass C and N. The forms of N and the different water potentials had a significant effect on the correlation coefficients. Stepwise regression analysis showed that protease was the variable that most frequently accounted for the variations of gross N mineralization rate when included in the equation, and has the potential to be used as one of the predictors for N mineralization. Received: 10 March 1998     

Effects of decreasing water potential on gross ammonification and nitrification in an acid coniferous forest soil

Changes in the soil water regime, predicted as a consequence of global climate change, might influence the N cycle in temperate forest soils. We investigated the effect of decreasing soil water potentials on gross ammonification and nitrification in different soil horizons of a Norway spruce forest and tested the hypotheses that i) gross rates are more sensitive to desiccation in the Oa and EA horizon as compared to the uppermost Oi/Oe horizon and ii) that gross nitrification is more sensitive than gross ammonification. Soil samples were adjusted by air drying to water potentials from about field capacity to around −1.0 MPa, a range that is often observed under field conditions at our site. Gross rates were measured using the ¹⁵N pool dilution technique. To ensure that the addition of solute label to dry soils and the local rewetting does not affect the results by re-mineralization or preferential consumption of ¹⁵N, we compared different extraction and incubation times.T₀ times ranging from 10 to 300 min and incubation times of 48 h and 72 h did not influence the rates of gross ammonification and nitrification. Even small changes of water potential decreased gross ammonification and nitrification in the O horizon. In the EA horizon, gross nitrification was below detection limit and the response of the generally low rates of gross ammonification to decreasing water potentials was minor. In the Oi/Oe horizon gross ammonification and nitrification decreased from 37.5 to 18.3 mg N kg⁻¹ soil d⁻¹ and from 15.4 to 5.6 mg N kg⁻¹ soil d⁻¹ when the water potential decreased from field capacity to −0.8 MPa. In the Oa horizon gross ammonification decreased from 7.4 to 4.0 mg N kg⁻¹ soil d⁻¹ when the water potential reached −0.6 MPa. At such water potential nitrification almost ceased, while in the Oi/Oe horizon nitrification continued at a rather high level. Hence, only in the Oa horizon nitrification was more sensitive to desiccation than ammonification. Extended drought periods that might result from climate change will cause a reduction in gross N turnover rates in forest soils even at moderate levels of soil desiccation.     

Gross N transformation rates and net N mineralisation rates related to the C and N contents of soil organic matter fractions in grassland soils of different age

We investigated the relationship between soil organic matter (SOM) content and N dynamics in three grassland soils (0-10 and 10-20 cm depth) of different age (6, 14 and 50 y-old) with sandy loam textures. To study the distribution of the total C and N content the SOM was fractionated into light, intermediate and heavy density fractions of particulate macro-organic matter (150-2000 μm) and the 50-150 μm and <50 μm size fractions. The potential gross N transformation rates (mineralisation, nitrification, NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ immobilization) were determined by means of short-term, fully mirrored ¹⁵N isotope dilution experiments (7-d incubations). The long-term potential net N mineralisation and gross N immobilization rates were measured in 70-d incubations. The total C and N contents mainly tended to increase in the 0-10 cm layer with increasing age of the grassland soils. Significant differences in total SOM storage were detected for the long-term (50 y-old) conversion from arable land to permanent grassland. The largest relative increase in C and N contents had occurred in the heavy density fraction of the macro-organic matter, followed by the 50-150 and <50 μm fractions. Our results suggest that the heavy density fraction of the macro-organic matter could serve as a good indicator of early SOM accumulation, induced by converting arable land to permanent grassland. Gross N mineralisation, nitrification, and (long-term) gross N immobilization rates tended to increase with increasing age of the grasslands, and showed strong, positive correlations with the total C and N contents. The calculated gross N mineralisation rates (7-d incubations) and net N mineralisation rates (70-d incubations) corresponded with a gross N mineralisation of 643, 982 and 1876 kg N ha⁻¹ y⁻¹, and a net N mineralisation of 195, 208 and 274 kg N ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ in the upper 20 cm of the 6, 14 and 50 y-old grassland soils, respectively. Linear regression analysis showed that 93% of the variability of the gross N mineralisation rates could be explained by variation in the total N contents, whereas total N contents together with the C-to-N ratios of the <50 μm fraction explained 84% of the variability of the net N mineralisation rates. The relationship between long-term net N mineralisation rates and gross N mineralisation rates could be fitted by means of a logarithmic equation (net m=0.24Ln(gross m)+0.23, R²=0.69, P<0.05), which reflects that the ratio of gross N immobilization-to-gross N mineralisation tended to increase with increasing SOM contents. Microbial demand for N tended to increase with increasing SOM content in the grassland soils, indicating that potential N retention in soils through microbial N immobilization tends to be limited by C availability.     

Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is a poor predictor of low molecular weight organic nitrogen mineralization in soil

Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C:N) has frequently been shown to be a good predictor of the speed of organic residue decomposition and N mineralization in soil. While this relationship appears to work well for complex organic materials (e.g. plant litter), its applicability to smaller organic substrates containing N remains unknown. Here we evaluated whether the intrinsic properties of amino acids and peptides could be used to predict their rate of microbial uptake and subsequent N mineralization. In an agricultural grassland soil we found that C:N, molecular weight, aromaticity and sulphur content provided poor indicators of amino acid bioavailabilityand subsequent NH₄⁺ release into soil. We therefore hypothesize that the position of amino acids along microbial biosynthetic pathways together with internal demand for individual amino acids rather than their C or N content is the primary determinant of N mineralization.     

Spring dynamics of soil carbon, nitrogen, and microbial activity in earthworm middens in a no-till cornfield

Earthworm activity may be an important cause of spatial and temporal heterogeneity of soil properties in agroecosystems. Structures known as “earthworm middens,” formed at the soil surface by the feeding and casting activities of some earthworms, may contribute significantly to this heterogeneity. We compared the temporal dynamics of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and microbial acitivity in Lumbricus terrestris middens and in surrounding non-midden (bulk) soil during the spring, when seasonal earthworm activity was high. We sampled soil from middens and bulk soil in a no-till cornfield on four dates during May and June 1995. Soil water content and the weight of coarse organic litter (>2mm) were consistently higher in middens than in bulk soil. Total C and N concentrations, C:N ratios, and microbial activity also were greatest in midden soil. Concentrations of ammonium-nitrogen and dissolved organic N were greater in middens than in bulk soil on most dates, suggesting accelerated decomposition and mineralization in middens. However, concentrations of nitrate were usually lower in middens, indicating reduced nitrification or increased leaching and denitrification losses from middens, relative to bulk soil. Fungal activity, as well as total microbial activity, was consistently greater in middens. The contribution of fungae to overall microbial activity differed significantly between middens and bulk soil only on one date when both soils were very dry; the contribution of fungae to microbial activity was lower in the middens on this date. We conclude that the midden-forming activity of L. terrestris can be a major determinant of spatial heterogeneity in some agricultural soils, and that this can potentially affect overall rates of soil processes such as organic matter decomposition, N mineralization, denitrification, and leaching. Received: 4 April 1997     

黄土丘陵区人工刺槐林恢复过程中土壤氮素与微生物活性的变化

为了探讨不同生长年限的人工刺槐(Robinnia pseudoacacia)林对土壤中氮素组成与微生物活性的影响及机理,本文采用"时空互代"法进行野外选点调查和采样,对典型黄土丘陵区陕西省安塞纸坊沟小流域不同林龄(10 a、15 a、30 a、38 a)人工刺槐林和撂荒地3个土层(0~10 cm、10~30 cm和30~60 cm)中的全氮、铵态氮、硝态氮、有机氮、微生物生物量碳和磷、基础呼吸及基本理化性质进行了研究。结果表明:人工刺槐林地土壤微生物生物量碳、磷含量和微生物熵都显著高于撂荒地(P<0.05)。随着人工刺槐林生长年限的增加,各层土壤铵态氮、硝态氮和有机氮含量均逐渐增加,其中有机氮的增加最显著;土壤微生物生物量碳、磷含量显著增加;微生物熵显著增大而呼吸熵显著减小;土壤有机碳、速效磷含量总体上显著增加(P<0.05);容重和碳氮比则呈下降趋势。随着土层深度的增加,氮素、有机碳、速效磷和微生物生物量碳、磷含量显著减小(P<0.05);容重和pH显著增加。土壤微生物生物量碳、磷和呼吸熵均与有机氮、全氮、硝态氮显著正相关(P<0.05)。分析发现,刺槐的生长促使土壤中微生物可利用碳增加,提高了碳的利用率,使土壤微生物量碳、磷含量增加;微生物活性的提高反过来促进了土壤氮素含量的提高,土壤中有机氮含量显著增加。与10 a生刺槐林相比,30 a生林地土壤表层的全氮含量明显增加,氮素肥力由7级(0.40 g.kg 1)上升为5级(0.87 g.kg 1)水平。     

Gross nitrogen mineralization rates still high 14 years after suspension of N input to a N-saturated forest

Significant areas of temperate forests in Central Europe, NE America and E Asia receive high amounts of N deposition. According to the few studies available, suspension of the N load leads to reductions in both inorganic soil N and leaching of N within a few years. We report that, surprisingly, N is still mineralized at high rates 14 yr after suspension of a previous N-load of >100 kg N/ha yr for 20 yr. In this treatment, gross N mineralization rates exceeded those in control plots by a factor 3, but equaled those in still on-going (34 yr of) treatments with 30 and 60 kg N/ha yr, in which levels of extractable NH₄⁺ were up to 10 times higher.     

Relationships between C and N availability, substrate age, and natural abundance C and N signatures of soil microbial biomass in a semiarid climate

Soil microbial organisms are central to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) transformations in soils, yet not much is known about the stable isotope composition of these essential regulators of element cycles. We investigated the relationship between C and N availability and stable C and N isotope composition of soil microbial biomass across a three million year old semiarid substrate age gradient in northern Arizona. The δ¹⁵N of soil microbial biomass was on average 7.2‰ higher than that of soil total N for all substrate ages and 1.6‰ higher than that of extractable N, but not significantly different for the youngest and oldest sites. Microbial ¹⁵N enrichment relative to soil extractable and total N was low at the youngest site, increased to a maximum after 55,000 years, and then decreased slightly with age. The degree of ¹⁵N enrichment of microbial biomass correlated negatively with the C:N mass ratio of the soil extractable pool. The δ¹³C signature of soil microbial biomass was 1.4‰ and 4.6‰ enriched relative to that of soil total and extractable pools respectively and showed significant differences between sites. However, microbial ¹³C enrichment was unrelated to measures of C and N availability. Our results confirm that ¹⁵N, but not ¹³C enrichment of soil microbial biomass reflects changes in C and N availability and N processing during long-term ecosystem development.