In situ mineral 15N dynamics and fate of added 15NH4+ in hoop pine plantation and adjacent native forest in subtropical Australia

Background, aim, and scope  Hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) is a nitrogen (N) demanding indigenous Australia softwood species with plantations in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Soil fertility has declined with increasing rotations and comparison study of N cycling between hoop pine plantations, and adjacent native forest (NF) is required to develop effective forest management for enhancing sustainable forest production and promoting environmental benefits. Field in situ mineral ¹⁵N transformations in these two forest ecosystems have not been studied. Hence, the present study was to compare the differences in soil nutrients, N transformations, ¹⁵N fluxes, and fate between the hoop pine plantation and the adjacent native forest. Materials and methods  The study sites were in Yarraman State Forest (26°52′ S, 151°51′ E), Southeastern Queensland, Australia. The in situ core incubation method was used in the field experiments. Mineral N was determined using a LACHAT Quickchem Automated Ion Analyzer. ¹⁵N were performed using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer with a Eurovector elemental analyzer. All statistical tests were carried out by the SPSS 11.0 for Windows statistical software package. Results  Soil total C and N were significantly higher in the NF than in the 53-year-old hoop pine plantation. Concentrations of NO₃ ^– were significantly higher in the NF soil than in the plantation soil. The plantation soil had significantly higher ¹⁵N and ¹³C natural abundances than the NF soil. The NF soil had significantly lower C/N ratios than the plantation soil. NO₃ ^––N was dominated in mineral N pools in both NF and plantation soils, accounting for 91.6% and 70.3% of the total mineral N pools, respectively. Rates of net nitrification and net N mineralization were, respectively, four and three times higher in the NF soil than in the plantation soil. The ¹⁵NO₃ ^––N and mineral ¹⁵N were significantly higher in the NF soil than in the plantation soil. Significant difference in ¹⁵NH₄ ⁺–N was found in the NF soil before and after the incubation. Discussion  The NF soil had significantly higher NO₃ ^––N, mineral N, total N and C but lower δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C, and C/N ratios than the plantation soil. Moreover, the rates of soil net N mineralization and nitrification were significantly higher, but ammonification rate was lower in the NF than in the plantation. The NF soil had many more dynamic N transformations than the plantation soil due to the combination of multiple species and layers and, thus, stimulation of microbial activity and alteration of C and N pool sizes in favor of the N transformations by soil microbes. The net rate of N and ¹⁵N transformation demonstrated differences in N dynamic related to the variation in tree species between the two ecosystems. Conclusions  The change of land use and trees species had significant impacts on soil nutrients and N cycling processes. The plantation had larger losses of N than the NF. The NO₃ ^––N and ¹⁵NO₃ ^––N dominated in the mineral N and ¹⁵N pools in both forest ecosystems. Recommendations and perspectives  Native forest soil had strong N dynamic compared with the plantation soil. Composition of multiple tree species with different ecological niches in the plantation could promote the soil ecosystem sustainability. The ¹⁵N isotope dilution technique in the field can be quite useful for studying in situ mineral ¹⁵N transformations and fate to further understand actual N dynamics in natural forest soils.