Early degradation of plant alkanes in soils: A litterbag experiment using C-labelled leaves

We monitored the carbon isotope composition of bulk leaves and specific long-chain alkanes during a four-year litterbag experiment using ¹³C-labelled leaves and unlabelled reference leaves of the European beech tree (Fagus sylvatica L.). Whereas the isotope composition of alkanes from ¹³C-enriched leaves exhibited a marked decrease in ¹³C-content, the isotope composition of unlabelled reference leaves remained nearly constant. We interpreted this difference as evidence for a microbial contribution to the long-chain alkane pool of the decomposing leaves and related it to the progressive invasion of leaves by soil organisms which was revealed upon microscopic examination. These results suggest that long-chain alkanes may not provide an unaltered record of organic carbon isotope composition in soils and sediments.     

Carbon and nitrogen degradation on molecular scale of grass-derived pyrogenic organic material during 28 months of incubation in soil

The present study focuses on the microbial recalcitrance of pyrogenic organic material (PyOM) on a molecular scale. We performed microcosm incubation experiments using ¹³C- and ¹⁵N-enriched grass-derived PyOM mixed with a sub soil material taken from a Haplic Cambisol. Solid-state ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR studies were conducted to elucidate the humification processes at different stages of PyOM degradation. The chemical structure of the remaining PyOM after incubation was clearly different from the initial pyrogenic material. The proportion of O-containing functional groups was increased, whereas that of aryl C and of N-containing heterocyclic structures had decreased, probably due to mineralisation and conversion to other C and N groups. After 20 months of incubation the aryl C loss reached up to 40% of the initial amount and up to 29% of the remaining PyOM C was assigned to carboxyl/carbonyl C and O-aryl C. These reactions alter the chemical and physical properties of the char residue and make it more available for further microbial attack but also for adsorption processes. Our study presents direct evidence for the degradation of N-heterocyclic domains in charred plant remains adding new aspects to the understanding of the N cycling in fire-affected ecosystems.     

稳定同位素指纹分析在蚕茧产地溯源中的应用研究

蚕茧产地溯源是丝绸原产地溯源的基础.本研究为了探究蚕茧产地溯源最适方法,以不同产地的蚕茧为研究对象,利用不同产区蚕茧的13C、15N、18O和2H同位素组成,通过单因素方差分析、多重比较分析、Fisher线性判别分析留一法交叉验证,最后建立蚕茧产地溯源模型.单因素方差分析结果表明,不同产地蚕茧的δ13C、δ15N、δ1...     

小麦新品种长4738的丰产性稳产性及适应性分析

根据2004-2005年国家北部冬麦区水地组小麦区域试验汇总资料,采用方差分析、高稳系数、变异系数、适应度、品种稳定性与适应性（Cosolin）等多种分析方法,对长4738的丰产性、稳产性和适应性进行了分析比较。结果表明：长4738具有丰产性突出、稳产性好和适应性广的特点,在我国北部冬麦区广大水地示范推广具有广阔的应用前景。     

C and N natural abundance of the soil microbial biomass

Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool in the study of soil organic matter formation. It is often observed that more decomposed soil organic matter is ¹³C, and especially ¹⁵N-enriched relative to fresh litter and recent organic matter. We investigated whether this shift in isotope composition relates to the isotope composition of the microbial biomass, an important source for soil organic matter. We developed a new approach to determine the natural abundance C and N isotope composition of the microbial biomass across a broad range of soil types, vegetation, and climates. We found consistently that the soil microbial biomass was ¹⁵N-enriched relative to the total (3.2 ‰) and extractable N pools (3.7 ‰), and ¹³C-enriched relative to the extractable C pool (2.5 ‰). The microbial biomass was also ¹³C-enriched relative to total C for soils that exhibited a C3-plant signature (1.6 ‰), but ¹³C-depleted for soils with a C4 signature (−1.1 ‰). The latter was probably associated with an increase of annual C3 forbs in C4 grasslands after an extreme drought. These findings are in agreement with the proposed contribution of microbial products to the stabilized soil organic matter and may help explain the shift in isotope composition during soil organic matter formation.     

西伯利亚落叶松树轮稳定碳同位素对气候的响应

利用采自阿尔泰山南坡东段正格采点的西伯利亚落叶松树轮样本,建立树轮宽度年表,对比宽度年表,按照树轮稳定碳同位素研究步骤,提取树轮稳定碳同位素序列（δ¹³C）和去趋势序列（DS）。分析表明：阿尔泰山南坡东部近160 a西伯利亚落叶松树轮δ¹³C变化于-22.8‰～-25.4‰,平均值为-24.0‰,变差系数-0.017。相关分析表明：正格采点树轮宽度序列对各气候要素相关不显著;树轮去趋势序列（DS）对前期气候因子的响应也不敏感;在生长季内（5~9月）,树轮去趋势序列（DS）与富蕴气象站平均气温、平均最高气温和平均相对湿度有较好的相关性,树木生长季内的平均气温、平均最高气温与树轮去趋势序列（DS）显著正相关,6~7月平均最高气温与去趋势序列（DS）相关达到0.611（P<0.000 001);与生长季内平均相对湿度呈负相关关系,其中6~7月相对湿度与去趋势序列（DS）相关最高(r=-0.493, P<0.001),与7月降水量呈负相关关系(r=-0.459, P<0.01)。生长季内的平均最高气温和相对湿度对阿尔泰山西伯利亚落叶松树轮δ¹³C的响应最为敏感,阿尔泰山西伯利亚落叶松树木碳同位素分馏的主要控制因子为6~7月的平均最高气温,降水对树轮稳定碳同位素影响不大,相对湿度对树轮稳定碳同位素没有直接影响。     

稳定同位素技术鉴别库尔勒香梨产地可行性研究

为开展碳、氮、氢、氧(C、H、O、N)稳定同位素鉴别库尔勒香梨产地的可行性研究,明确新疆库尔勒香梨δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N、δ²H、δ¹⁸O值,本研究以甘肃香梨和陕西红香酥梨作为对照,采用稳定同位素比值质谱仪(IRMS)分析新疆库尔勒香梨与对照样品的δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N、δ²H、δ¹⁸O值,并采用正交校正的偏最小二乘判别分析(OPLS-DA) 鉴别新疆库尔勒香梨产地真实性。结果表明,新疆、甘肃两个产区香梨与陕西产区红香酥梨的δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N、δ²H、δ¹⁸O值存在显著差异(P<0.05)。新疆产区的66份库尔勒香梨判别准确率为95.45%;甘肃产区的20份香梨样品判别准确率为60%;陕西产区的23份红香酥梨样品判别准确率为95.65%。C、N、H、O 4种稳定同位素可有效鉴别新疆库尔勒香梨和陕西红香酥梨,但在新疆库尔勒香梨与甘肃香梨鉴别方面,误判率较高,如果能结合其他鉴别技术,则有可能出现较好的鉴别效果。本研究为库尔勒香梨产地真实性鉴别提供了科学依据。     

中国西北中小型盆地天然地下水水化学特征——以公婆泉盆地为例

研究分析干旱气候条件下甘肃北山公婆泉盆地天然地下水水化学成分特征,结合水文地质条件与水化学特征Piper三线图表明:研究区存在4种类型地下水,白垩系深层水中钙镁离子含量相对高于其他类型水.地下水氚同位素结合水化学特征较好地区分了水源点的水文地质属性.氢氧同位素表明,该区地下水来源于大气降水,第四系浅层水受到强烈的蒸发作用,发生了一定程度的氧漂移,并影响"混合水"的同位素组成.最后分析了地下水主要离子的来源,以及地下水形成过程中所受到的溶滤、沉积和蒸发等水文地球化学作用.     

Effects of past, present and future atmospheric CO2 concentrations on soil organic matter dynamics in a chaparral ecosystem

Owing to the continuously increasing concentration of atmospheric CO₂, it has become a priority to understand if soil organic matter (SOM) will behave as a sink or a source of CO₂ under future environmental changes. Although many studies have addressed this question, a clear understanding is still missing, particularly with respect to long-term responses. In this study, we quantified soil C stores and dynamics in relationship to soil aggregation and pool composition in a Californian chaparral ecosystem exposed for 6 years to a gradient of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, ranging from pre-industrial levels 250 to 750 μl l⁻¹ CO₂. Fossil fuel-derived CO₂ depleted in ¹³C was used for the fumigation, thus providing a tracer of C input from the vegetation to the soil.Long-term CO₂ exposure invariably affected soil aggregation, with a significant decrease in the macroaggregate fraction at highest CO₂ levels relative to the other two size fractions (i.e. microaggregates and silt and clay). This soil structural change most likely reduced the stability and protection of SOM, and C content generally decreased in most fractions over the CO₂ treatments, and induced faster turnover of recently fixed C at high CO₂ levels. The strongest response was found in the C content of the microaggregates, which decreased significantly (P<0.05) with rising levels of CO₂. We conclude that increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations will decrease soil C in chaparral ecosystems, and that the microaggregate fraction is the most responsive to increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO₂.     

Potential use of rare earth oxides as tracers of organic matter in grassland

Tracing organic matter (OM) in soil is challenging, because runoff and leaching processes are interrelated and have multiple sources. Therefore, multiple tracers with low background concentrations such as rare earth element oxides (REOs) are necessary to delineate the origin of sources of the organic materials in groundwater, rivers or in catchments. The main objective of this study was to examine the potential use of REOs as a tracer in various forms of OM (1) whole slurry, (2) solid, and (3) liquid phase of cattle slurry after mechanical separation. A laboratory experiment was carried out using five REOs (La, Gd, Sm, Pr, and Nd oxides) mixed directly into soil or mixed with various fractions of cattle slurry and then applied to the soil surface. In the additional grassland experiment, Gd oxide was spiked with soil and cattle slurry and then applied to the soil surface. The mineral N in the liquid phase (urine) of the slurry in the grassland experiment was labelled with ¹⁵N urea (16 atom%). In the laboratory experiment, results showed that the five REOs concentration of soil in 0–1 cm soil section after the rainfall simulation was still up to 20 times more than the background values. In 1–2 cm soil section, the concentration of only Gd (two fold higher) and La oxides (50% higher) were significantly higher than the soil background values. Therefore, we hypothesized that Gd and La oxides were associated also with relatively finer organic particles in slurry, thus 1–2 cm soil section were enriched with these oxides. The five REOs concentration below 2 cm soil depth were similar to the background values in all treatments. In line with the laboratory experiment, Gd concentrations in the deeper soil layers (2–4 and 4–8 cm) in the grassland experiment were not significantly affected by any treatment. Both in grassland and laboratory experiment, solid phase of the slurry (dung) was collected from the soil surface after rainfall simulation. Here, about 56% of REOs were measured on the solid phase of the slurry which indicates the strong binding potential of REOs on slurry OM. The present novel study, where REO tagged slurry was uniquely tested to study geochemical cycle of organic fertilizers, clearly highlighted the potential for their use as multiple‐tracers of (animal derived‐) OM in agricultural soils.