Selection of woody species for wastewater enhancement and restoration of riparian woodlands

Growth and nutrient uptake of seven tree species were evaluated with the goal of selecting the species that can be used for wastewater enhancement by dendro-purification, or green tree filtering, and for restoration of riparian woodlands. Trees were grown in pots with an inert mixture of perlite and vermiculite and irrigated with either nutrient solution or treated wastewater We measured the effects of species and irrigation water on biomass and nutrient content of leaves, stems and roots. For most of the species, treated wastewater had a positive effect on final biomass and above ground: below ground ratio compared to that of nutrient solution. However, growth of Cupressus sempervirens and Populus nigra were inhibited by water sodium concentration. Nerium oleander, Tamarix africana and Vitex agnus-castus were the species with the greatest final biomass. Pistacia terebinthus had the highest nitrogen and phosphorus content in leaves, stems and roots, while N. oleander and V. agnus-castus showed the best potassium accumulation. In general, P. terebinthus, N. oleander, T. africana and V. agnus-castus were the best qualified species for purification of wastewater.     

Reconstruction of Pacific salmon abundance from riparian tree-ring growth.

We use relationships between modern Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) escapement (migrating adults counted at weirs or dams) and riparian tree-ring growth to reconstruct the abundance of stream-spawning salmon over 150-350 years. After examining nine sites, we produced reconstructions for five mid-order rivers and four salmon species over a large geographic range in the Pacific Northwest: chinook (O. tschwatcha) in the Umpqua River, Oregon, USA; sockeye (O. nerka) in Drinkwater Creek, British Columbia, Canada; pink (O. gorbuscha) in Sashin Creek, southeastern Alaska, USA; chum (O. keta) in Disappearance Creek, southeastern Alaska, USA; and pink and chum in the Kadashan River, southeastern Alaska, USA. We first derived stand-level, non-climatic growth chronologies from riparian trees using standard dendroecology methods and differencing. When the chronologies were compared to 18-55 years of adult salmon escapement we detected positive, significant correlations at five of the nine sites. Regression models relating escapement to tree-ring growth at the five sites were applied to the differenced chronologies to reconstruct salmon abundance. Each reconstruction contains unique patterns characteristic of the site and salmon species. Reconstructions were validated by comparison to local histories (e.g., construction of dams and salmon canneries) and regional fisheries data such as salmon landings and aerial surveys and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation climate index. The reconstructions capture lower-frequency cycles better than extremes and are most useful for determination and comparison of relative abundance, cycles, and the effects of interventions. Reconstructions show lower population cycle maxima in both Umpqua River chinook and Sashin Creek pink salmon in recent decades. The Drinkwater Creek reconstruction suggests that sockeye abundance since the mid-1990s has been 15-25% higher than at any time since 1850, while no long-term deviations from natural cycles are detected for salmon in the Kadashan River or in Disappearance Creek. Decadal-scale cycles in salmon abundance with periods of 25-68 years were detected in all of the reconstructions. This novel approach provides river-specific, long-term perspectives on salmon abundance and cycles. Additionally, it provides a new frame of reference for maintaining and rebuilding individual stocks and for striking a balance between societal demands and the limited, always-changing salmon resource.     

Drainage affects tree growth and C and N dynamics in a minerotrophic peatland

The lowering of the water table resulting from peatland drainage may dramatically alter C and N cycling in peatland ecosystems, which contain one-third of the total terrestrial C. In this study, tree annual ring width and C (delta(13)C) and N (delta(15)N) isotope ratios in soil and plant tissues (tree foliage, growth rings, and understory foliage) in a black spruce-tamarack (Picea mariana-Larix laricina) mixed-wood forest were examined to study the effects of drainage on tree growth and C and N dynamics in a minerotrophic peatland in west-central Alberta, Canada. Drainage increased the delta(15)N of soil NH4+ from a range of +0.6% per hundred to +2.9% per hundred to a range of +4.6% per hundred to +7.0% per hundred most likely through increased nitrification following enhanced mineralization. Plant uptake of 15N-enriched NH4+ in the drained treatment resulted in higher plant delta15N (+0.8% per hundred to +1.8% per hundred in the drained plots and -3.9% per hundred to -5.4% per hundred in the undrained plots), and deposition of litterfall N enriched with 15N increased the delta15N of total soil N in the surface layer in the drained (+2.9% per hundred) as compared with that in the undrained plots (+0.6% per hundred). The effect of drainage on foliar delta(13)C was species-specific, i.e., only tamarack showed a considerably less negative foliar delta(13)C in the drained (-28.1% per hundred) than in the undrained plots (-29.1% per hundred), indicating improved water use efficiency (WUE) by drainage. Tree ring area increments were significantly increased following drainage, and delta(13)C and delta(15)N in tree growth rings of both species showed responses to drainage retrospectively. Tree-ring delta(13)C data suggested that drainage improved WUE of both species, with a greater and more prolonged response in tamarack than in black spruce. Our results indicate that drainage caused the studied minerotrophic peatland to become a more open ecosystem in terms of C and N cycling and loss. The effects of forested peatland drainage or drying on C and N balances deserve further research in order to better understand their roles in future global change.     

Salmon, wildlife, and wine: marine-derived nutrients in human-dominated ecosystems of central California.

Pacific salmon transfer large quantities of marine-derived nutrients to adjacent forest ecosystems with profound effects on plant and wildlife production. We investigated this process for two highly modified California wine country rivers, one with consistent salmon runs (Mokelumne River) and one without (Calaveras River). Mokelumne River Chinook salmon transported biomass and N comparable to Pacific Northwest salmon streams. Calaveras River levels were much less. Scavenger numbers correlated with salmon carcass counts over time on the Mokelumne River but not the Calaveras River. Likewise, salmon carcasses were consumed significantly faster on the Mokelumne River. Native riparian vegetation as well as cultivated wine grapes adjacent to Mokelumne River spawning sites received 18-25% of foliar N from marine sources, significantly higher than vegetation along the Calaveras River. These data suggest that robust salmon runs continue to provide important ecological services with high economic value, even in impaired watersheds. Loss of Pacific salmon can not only negatively affect stream and riparian ecosystem function, but can also affect local economies where agriculture and salmon streams coexist.     

Biotic control of stream fluxes: spawning salmon drive nutrient and matter export

Organisms can control movements of nutrients and matter by physically modifying habitat. We examined how an ecosystem engineer, sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), influences seasonal fluxes of sediments, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in streams of southwestern Alaska. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether salmon act as net importers or net exporters of matter and nutrients from streams and how these roles change as a function of salmon population density. We measured discharge and concentrations of suspended sediments and total N and P every 7-14 days for up to four summers in 10 streams spanning a gradient in salmon densities. We statistically allocated whole-season fluxes to salmon activities, such as excretion and bioturbation, and to export by hydrologic discharge. In addition, we used counts of spawning salmon to estimate nutrient and matter imports by salmon to streams. Large seasonal pulses of suspended sediments, P, and N were associated with salmon spawning activities, often increasing export an order of magnitude higher than during pre-salmon levels. Years and streams with more salmon had significantly higher levels of export of sediments and nutrients. In addition, years with higher precipitation had higher background export of P and N. Salmon exported an average of the equivalent of 189%, 60%, and 55% of total matter, P, and N that salmon imported in their bodies. The relative magnitude of export varied; salmon exported more than their bodies imported in 80%, 20%, and 16% across all streams and years for sediments, P, and N, respectively. A bioassay experiment indicated that the P exported by salmon is directly available for use by primary producers in the downstream lake. These results demonstrate that salmon not only move nutrients upstream on large spatial scales via their migration from the ocean and subsequent death, but also redistribute matter and nutrients on finer spatial scales through their spawning activities.     

Postfire response of flood-regenerating riparian vegetation in a semi-arid landscape

Piles of large wood (LW) deposited by major floods in river corridors can interact with naturally occurring wildfires from uplands to impact the regeneration of riparian vegetation. This study examines the spatial and short-term temporal response of riparian vegetation and soil nutrients to fire along the Sabie River, South Africa, with special emphasis on the effects of burned LW piles. At the study site there were 112 species of plants recorded with 28% of species restricted to the burned plots. As expected, vegetation cover was significantly lower in burned plots as compared with the unburned plots 12 months postfire. There was a significant influence of LW on species richness with fewer species recorded in the LW plots. For both fire and LW treatments, plant cover showed a significant change over three years. After an initial increase from 12 to 24 months (postfire) there was a decline in plant cover after 36 months. Species community composition was distinctly different between burned and unburned plots 12 months postfire, and the presence of LW affected species composition for burned plots but not for unburned ones. Time series ordination of LW plots highlighted the changes in species composition over the three years of sampling. Of trees with accumulations of LW within 5 m of their base, 48% had been killed by fire as compared to only 4% with no LW accumulations in close proximity. Soil-available P was significantly higher in the burned plots and even higher with burned LW while there were no effects on soil total N. There was also a significant positive trend between available P in soils and plant vegetation cover. Soil-exchangeable K was also significantly higher and total C significantly lower in the burned and LW plots. Burned plots also had significantly higher soil electrical conductivity (EC) and soil pH. The patchy nature of the studied fire, whose complexity is exacerbated by the distribution of flood deposited LW, acted to create a mosaic of alternate successional states as the riparian community recovers from flooding and the subsequent fire. We suspect that the resultant heterogeneity will increase ecosystem resilience by providing flexibility in the form of more options for a system response to subsequent disturbances.     

作物地上部氨排放及对大气氮沉降的吸收

为研究作物地上部分氨排放以及对大气氮沉淀的吸收情况,以水稻(Oryza saliva L.)品种武运粳7号和小麦(Triticumaestivum L.)品种扬麦15为例.在盆栽条件下,利用~15N同位素示踪技术,采用探索性的研究方法,初步分析了水稻成熟期植株NH_3排放和小麦植株直接吸收的大气沉降氮.结果表明,土培的水稻品种武运粳7号地上部植株成熟期排放氨氮(NH_3-N)量约占当季总施氮(N)量的(0.50±0.21)%;收获后水稻植株不同部位~(15)N丰度值以根部最高,茎叶次之,籽粒最低,这与植株体内养分的运移顺序变化一致;贫化~(15)N小麦砂培试验测定的包括植株直接吸收在内的大气氮沉降数量为N(14.8±4.3)kg·hm~(-2),低于国外类似方法以其它作物作为研究对象的测定结果.     

Tree species and mycorrhizal associations influence the magnitude of rhizosphere effects

Previous research on the effects of tree species on soil processes has focused primarily on the role of leaf litter inputs. We quantified the extent to which arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) tree species influence soil microbial activity and nutrient availability through rhizosphere effects. Rhizosphere soil, bulk soil, and fine roots were collected from 12 monospecifc plots (six AM and six ECM tree species) planted on a common soil at the Turkey Hill Plantations in Dryden, New York. Rhizosphere effects were estimated by the percentage difference between rhizosphere and bulk soil samples for several assays. Rhizosphere effects on soil microbes and their activities were significant for ECM species but in only a few cases for AM species. In AM tree species, microbial biomass, net N mineralization, and phosphatase enzyme activity in the rhizosphere were 10-12% greater than in bulk soil. In ECM tree species, rhizosphere effects for microbial biomass, C mineralization rates, net N mineralization, and phosphatase activity were 25-30% greater than bulk soil, and significantly greater than AM rhizosphere effects. The magnitude of rhizosphere effects was negatively correlated with the degree of mycorrhizal colonization in AM tree species (r = -0.83) and with fine root biomass (r = -0.88) in ECM tree species, suggesting that different factors influence rhizosphere effects in tree species forming different mycorrhizal associations. Rhizosphere effects on net N mineralization and phosphatase activity were also much greater in soils with pH < 4.3 for both AM and ECM tree species, suggesting that soil pH and its relation to nutrient availability may also influence the magnitude of rhizosphere effects. Our results support the idea that tree roots stimulate nutrient availability in the rhizosphere, and that systematic differences between AM and ECM may result in distinctive rhizosphere effects for C, N, and P cycling between AM and ECM tree species.     

Seedling growth responses to soil resources in the understory of a wet tropical forest

Plant growth responses to resources may be an important mechanism that influences species' distributions, coexistence, and community structure. Irradiance is considered the most important resource for seedling growth in the understory of wet tropical forests, but multiple soil nutrients and species have yet to be examined simultaneously with irradiance under field conditions. To identify potentially limiting resources, we modeled tree seedling growth as a function of irradiance and soil nutrients across five sites, spanning a soil fertility gradient in old-growth, wet tropical forests at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. We measured an array of soil nutrients including total nitrogen (total N), inorganic N (nitrate [NO3-] and ammonium [NH4+]), phosphate (PO4-), and sum of base cations (SBC; potassium, magnesium, and calcium). Shade in the forest understory did not preclude seedling growth correlations with soil nutrients. Irradiance was a significant predictor of growth in 52% of the species, inorganic N in 54% (NO3- in 32%; NH4+ in 34%), total N in 47%, SBC in 39%, and PO4- in 29%. Overall, growth was correlated with both irradiance and soil nutrients in 45% of species and with soil nutrients only in an additional 48%; rarely was irradiance alone correlated with growth. Contrary to expectations, the magnitudes of growth effects, assessed as the maximum growth response to significant resources for each species, were similar for irradiance and most soil nutrients. Among species whose growth correlated with soil nutrients, the rank importance of nutrient effects was SBC, followed by N (total N, NO3-, and/or NH4+) and PO4-. Species' growth responsiveness (i.e., magnitudes of effect) to irradiance and soil nutrients was negatively correlated with species' shade tolerance (survival under 1% full sun). In this broad survey of species and resources, the nearly ubiquitous effects of soil nutrients on seedling growth challenge the idea that soil nutrients are less important than irradiance in the light-limited understory of wet tropical forests.     

Marine-derived nutrients, bioturbation, and ecosystem metabolism: reconsidering the role of salmon in streams

In coastal areas of the North Pacific Ocean, annual returns of spawning salmon provide a substantial influx of nutrients and organic matter to streams and are generally believed to enhance the productivity of recipient ecosystems. Loss of this subsidy from areas with diminished salmon runs has been hypothesized to limit ecosystem productivity in juvenile salmon rearing habitats (lakes and streams), thereby reinforcing population declines. Using five to seven years of data from an Alaskan stream supporting moderate salmon densities, we show that salmon predictably increased stream water nutrient concentrations, which were on average 190% (nitrogen) and 390% (phosphorus) pre-salmon values, and that primary producers incorporated some of these nutrients into tissues. However, benthic algal biomass declined by an order of magnitude despite increased nutrients. We also measured changes in stream ecosystem metabolic properties, including gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER), from three salmon streams by analyzing diel measurements of oxygen concentrations and stable isotopic ratios (delta O-O2) within a Bayesian statistical model of oxygen dynamics. Our results do not support a shift toward higher primary productivity with the return of salmon, as is expected from a nutrient fertilization mechanism. Rather, net ecosystem metabolism switched from approximately net autotrophic (GPP > or = ER) to a strongly net heterotrophic state (GPP < ER) in response to bioturbation of benthic habitats by salmon. Following the seasonal arrival of salmon, GPP declined to <12% of pre-salmon rates, while ER increased by over threefold. Metabolism by live salmon could not account for the observed increase in ER early in the salmon run, suggesting salmon nutrients and disturbance enhanced in situ heterotrophic respiration. Salmon also changed the physical properties of the stream, increasing air-water gas exchange by nearly 10-fold during peak spawning. We suggest that management efforts to restore salmon ecosystems should consider effects on ecosystem metabolic properties and how salmon disturbance affects the incorporation of marine-derived nutrients into food webs.     

CO2-enrichment and nutrient availability alter ectomycorrhizal fungal communities

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF), a phylogenetically and physiologically diverse guild, form symbiotic associations with many trees and greatly enhance their uptake of nutrients and water. Elevated CO2, which increases plant carbon supply and demand for mineral nutrients, may change the composition of the EMF community, possibly altering nutrient uptake and ultimately forest productivity. To assess CO2 effects on EMF communities, we sampled mycorrhizae from the FACTS-I (Forest-Atmosphere Carbon Transfer and Storage) research site in Duke Forest, Orange County, North Carolina, USA, where Pinus taeda forest plots are maintained at either ambient or elevated CO2 (200 ppm above ambient) concentrations. Mycorrhizae were identified by DNA sequence similarity of the internal transcribed spacer ribosomal RNA gene region. EMF richness was very high; 72 distinct phylotypes were detected from 411 mycorrhizal samples. Overall EMF richness and diversity were not affected by elevated CO2, but increased CO2 concentrations altered the relative abundances of particular EMF taxa colonizing fine roots, increased prevalence of unique EMF species, and led to greater EMF community dissimilarity among individual study plots. Natural variation among plots in mean potential net nitrogen (N) mineralization rates was a key determinant of EMF community structure; increasing net N mineralization rate was negatively correlated with EMF richness and had differential effects on the abundance of particular EMF taxa. Our results predict that, at CO2 concentrations comparable to that predicted for the year 2050, EMF community composition and structure will change, but diversity will be maintained. In contrast, high soil N concentrations can negatively affect EMF diversity; this underscores the importance of considering CO2 effects on forest ecosystems in the context of background soil chemical parameters and other environmental perturbations such as acid deposition or fertilizer runoff.     

Long-term aboveground and belowground consequences of red wood ant exclusion in boreal forest

Despite their ubiquity, the role of ants in driving ecosystem processes both aboveground and belowground has been seldom explored, except within the nest. During 1995 we established 16 ant exclusion plots of approximately 1.1 x 1.1 m, together with paired control plots, in the understory layer of a boreal forest ecosystem in northern Sweden that supports high densities of the mound-forming ant Formica aquilonia, a red wood ant species of the Formica rufa group. Aboveground and belowground measurements were then made on destructively sampled subplots in 2001 and 2008, i.e., 6 and 13 years after set-up. While ant exclusion had no effect on total understory plant biomass, it did greatly increase the relative contribution of herbaceous species, most likely through preventing ants from removing their seeds. This in turn led to higher quality resources entering the belowground subsystem, which in turn stimulated soil microbial biomass and activity and the rates of loss of mass and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) from litter in litterbags placed in the plots. This was accompanied by losses of approximately 15% of N and C stored in the humus on a per area basis. Ant exclusion also had some effects on foliar stable isotope ratios for both C and N, most probably as a consequence of greater soil fertility. Further, exclusion of ants had multitrophic effects on a microbe-nematode soil food web with three consumer trophic levels and after six years promoted the bacterial-based relative to the fungal-based energy channel in this food web. Our results point to a major role of red wood ants in determining forest floor vegetation and thereby exerting wide-ranging effects on belowground properties and processes. Given that the boreal forest occupies 11% of the Earth's terrestrial surface and stores more C than any other forest biome, our results suggest that this role of ants could potentially be of widespread significance for biogeochemical nutrient cycling, soil nutrient capital, and sequestration of belowground carbon.     

Sinks for nitrogen inputs in terrestrial ecosystems: a meta-analysis of 15N tracer field studies

Effects of anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition and the ability of terrestrial ecosystems to store carbon (C) depend in part on the amount of N retained in the system and its partitioning among plant and soil pools. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies at 48 sites across four continents that used enriched 15N isotope tracers in order to synthesize information about total ecosystem N retention (i.e., total ecosystem 15N recovery in plant and soil pools) across natural systems and N partitioning among ecosystem pools. The greatest recoveries of ecosystem 15N tracer occurred in shrublands (mean, 89.5%) and wetlands (84.8%) followed by forests (74.9%) and grasslands (51.8%). In the short term (< 1 week after 15N tracer application), total ecosystem 15N recovery was negatively correlated with fine-root and soil 15N natural abundance, and organic soil C and N concentration but was positively correlated with mean annual temperature and mineral soil C:N. In the longer term (3-18 months after 15N tracer application), total ecosystem 15N retention was negatively correlated with foliar natural-abundance 15N but was positively correlated with mineral soil C and N concentration and C:N, showing that plant and soil natural-abundance 15N and soil C:N are good indicators of total ecosystem N retention. Foliar N concentration was not significantly related to ecosystem 15N tracer recovery, suggesting that plant N status is not a good predictor of total ecosystem N retention. Because the largest ecosystem sinks for 15N tracer were below ground in forests, shrublands, and grasslands, we conclude that growth enhancement and potential for increased C storage in aboveground biomass from atmospheric N deposition is likely to be modest in these ecosystems. Total ecosystem 15N recovery decreased with N fertilization, with an apparent threshold fertilization rate of 46 kg N x ha(-1) x yr(-1) above which most ecosystems showed net losses of applied 15N tracer in response to N fertilizer addition.     

中亚热带杉木人工林冰雪灾害引发的林木损害及林地养分分布

对中亚热带被冰雪灾害破坏的杉木林地的杉木损害程度及其林地养分分布变化进行了调查,冻雨在杉木枝叶上形成冰柱,造成大量的林木折冠,林木折断的树干部位随胸径的增加而显著升高。树木残体的干质量达25987.6kg·hm-2,树干、枝、叶和皮分别占44%、27%、22%和7%。树木残体中叶、干、枝和皮的N、P和K储量分别占其N、P和K总储量的62%、18%、13%和7%。杉木林地的N、P、K3种养分的积累量为63294.5kg·hm-2,杉木残体的养分仅占杉木林地的0.23%,凋落物层的养分占0.09%,而土壤养分所占比例高达99.68%。3种养分数量在各组分中均为N〉K〉P。雨雪冰冻灾害造成的杉木折干增加了土壤肥力。林冠残体分解引起的养分含量下降,林冠破坏后几乎没有凋落物归还土壤,华南地区频降大雨造成的速效养分流失将使土壤变得贫瘠。     

上海市沿海防护林下土壤养分、微生物及酶的典型相关关系

以上海市沿海防护林为研究对象,选择6种不同树种的防护林带,采集0～10、10～20、20～40、40～60cm四层土样为研究材料,运用典型相关分析法,对防护林地土壤养分因子、微生物因子和酶活性因子中每两组变量间的相关性进行了分析。结果表明：三组变量土壤养分、微生物、酶活性中,每两者之间均有显著的典型相关变量存在,而且基本能够代表变量总体相关信息;土壤养分和土壤微生物间的相关主要由全氮、速效磷含量与微生物生物量氮、微生物生物量碳和微生物生物量磷引起;土壤养分与土壤酶活性间的相关性主要由全氮、有效磷、水解氮含量与脲酶、蛋白酶活性的相关性引起;土壤微生物与土壤酶活性间的相关性主要是由微生物生物量氮、微生物生物量磷与脲酶、蛋白酶、碱性磷酸酶活性的相关性引起;不同林地不同土壤层次的养分、微生物及酶活性在各对典型变量上的聚集趋势可为防护林建设过程中的树种选择与土壤健康诊提供一定的依据。     

Monitoring of soil biochemical quality parameters under greenhouse spinach cultivation through animal waste recycling

Under the intensive agricultural system, direct application of animal slurries to soils can provide a sustainable disposal of these wastes by inducing positive changes in soil quality and fertility. However, how animal wastes quantitatively affect the key nutrients (C, N, P and S) transforming soil enzymes is not clearly known. A greenhouse spinach cultivation study demonstrated that pig slurry, either in raw (RS) or processed (aerobically aged) (PS) form, significantly (p?β-glucosidase (23–39%), urease (59–103%), nitrate reductase (73–103%) and dehydrogenase (27–72%)) and microbial growth in soil as compared to the unamended control. However, it did not significantly (p?>?.05) alter the aryl sulphatase enzyme activity. Slurry applications also significantly improved the macro (N, P and K) and micronutrients (Cu, Mn, Zn and Fe) uptake by spinach plant and hence the yield (2.9–3.38 times higher than control). Similarly, compared to chemical fertilisers the application of pig slurries improved soil biological and biochemical parameters as well as plant nutrients uptake. This study demonstrated the closing of global energy and nutrient cycles through land application of animal wastes without compromising the crop yield.     

桉树人工林生态系统养分循环与平衡研究Ⅰ. 桉树人工林生态系统的养分贮存

采用田间试验和定位方法，在标准样地中研究养分的输入、输出和贮存。桉树人工林生态系统的养分贮存，包括土壤、桉树林分和凋落物三者贮存的养分。在田间试验的基础上，获得了大量的分析数据。论述了刚果W5桉树人工林生态系统土壤养分的贮存量、林分的养分贮存量和凋落物层的养分贮存量以及上述分系统内大、中量元素的含量比例。土壤养分的贮存量，全量养分以K最多，其次为N、P；有效养分贮存量大小的顺序为N，K，Ca，P，Mg，Mn，Zn，Cu，B。桉树林分的总养分贮存量，是逐年增加的，但以第2年的增量最大；各元素贮量大小，则每年不同。凋落物层的养分贮存量，总体上逐年增长，但以第4年最多；各元素贮存量大小的顺序为N，Ca，Mg，K，P。这些结果，对于指导桉树施肥，有重要的参考价值。     

Cicada emergence in Southwestern riparian forest: influences of wildfire and vegetation composition.

Annually emerging cicadas are a numerically and ecologically dominant species in Southwestern riparian forests. Humans have altered disturbance regimes that structure these forests such that floods are less common and wildfires occur more frequently than was historically the case. Impacts of these changes on primary consumers such as riparian cicadas are unknown. Because cicadas are consumed by a variety of animal species, disturbances that alter timing of their emergence or abundance could have consequences for species at higher trophic levels. We trapped emerging cicadas (Tibicen dealbatus) in burned and unburned riparian forest plots along the Middle Rio Grande in central New Mexico (USA) to determine effects of wildfire and vegetation structure on their density and phenology. We measured vegetation variables and soil temperature at cicada traps and related these variables to variation in emergence density and phenology. We also experimentally heated soil under emergence traps to examine the relationship between soil temperature and emergence phenology. Emergence density was similar in wildfire and unburned plots, though emergence date averaged earlier in wildfire plots and experimentally heated traps. We identified models containing cottonwood proximity (distance from the nearest cottonwood tree) and cottonwood canopy coverage as the most parsimonious explanations of emergence density at each trap. Model selection results were consistent with the literature and field observations that showed that cottonwood trees are an essential resource for T. dealbatus. Cottonwood canopy was also correlated with low soil temperatures, which are associated with later emergence dates. Failure of cottonwoods to reestablish following wildfire could result in cicadas emerging at lower densities and at earlier dates. For cicadas to emerge at densities and times that provide the greatest benefits to birds and other riparian-obligate secondary consumers, riparian forests should be protected from fire, and native vegetation in wildfire sites should be restored.     

Influence of lead on growth and nutrient accumulation in canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars

Canola (Brassica napus L.) is commonly used as a hyper-accumulator for phytoextraction of heavy metals from soil and water. Like many other heavy metals, lead (Pb) contaminates soil, water and air and thus it is a great problem. This study was conducted to investigate toxic effects of Pb on growth and nutrient uptake in four canola cultivars. Each of four cultivars of canola (Con-II, Con-III, Legend and Shiralee) was subjected to four levels of Pb (0, 30, 60 and 90 mg Pb kg(-1) of soil) from lead chloride [PbCl2]. Due to Pb toxicity, plant growth was adversely affected and relatively a severe reduction in root biomass (45.7%) was recorded. The Pb accumulation increased both in shoot and root, the highest being in root. The uptake of different nutrients, i.e., N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu and Mn was reduced (38.4, 32.8, 33.1, 49.6, 7.78, 52.0, 42.6 and 45.9%, respectively) in the shoots and that of N, Fe, Zn, and Cu in the roots (48.5, 33.2, 24.3 and 44.8%, respectively) of all canola cultivars. The root K, P, Zn and Mn and shoot P, Mg and Fe contents were less affected, the concentration of Pb, Ca and Mg in roots of all cultivars. Among canola cultivars Con-II and Con-III performed better than Legend and Shiralee in terms of growth (26.03%) and nutrient accumulation. Overall, plant growth and nutrient accumulation in the canola cultivars was hampered due to the presence of Pb.     

Plants control the seasonal dynamics of microbial N cycling in a beech forest soil by belowground C allocation

Soil microbes in temperate forest ecosystems are able to cycle several hundreds of kilograms of N per hectare per year and are therefore of paramount importance for N retention. Belowground C allocation by trees is an important driver of seasonal microbial dynamics and may thus directly affect N transformation processes over the course of the year. Our study aimed at unraveling plant controls on soil N cycling in a temperate beech forest at a high temporal resolution over a time period of two years, by investigating the effects of tree girdling on microbial N turnover. In both years of the experiment, we discovered (1) a summer N mineralization phase (between July and August) and (2) a winter N immobilization phase (November-February). The summer mineralization phase was characterized by a high N mineralization activity, low microbial N uptake, and a subsequent high N availability in the soil. During the autumn/winter N immobilization phase, gross N mineralization rates were low, and microbial N uptake exceeded microbial N mineralization, which led to high levels of N in the microbial biomass and low N availability in the soil. The observed immobilization phase during the winter may play a crucial role for ecosystem functioning, since it could protect dissolved N that is produced by autumn litter degradation from being lost from the ecosystem during the phase when plants are mostly inactive. The difference between microbial biomass N levels in winter and spring equals 38 kg N/ha and may thus account for almost one-third of the annual plant N demand. Tree girdling strongly affected annual N cycling: the winter N immobilization phase disappeared in girdled plots (microbial N uptake and microbial biomass N were significantly reduced, while the amount of available N in the soil solution was enhanced). This was correlated to a reduced fungal abundance in autumn in girdled plots. By releasing recently fixed photosynthates to the soil, plants may thus actively control the annual microbial N cycle. Tree belowground C allocation increases N accumulation in microorganisms during the winter which may ultimately feed back on plant N availability in the following growing season.