N fertilization effects on denitrification and N cycling in an aggrading forest.

We investigated N cycling and denitrification rates following five years of N and dolomite amendments to whole-tree harvested forest plots at the long-term soil productivity experiment in the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia, USA. We hypothesized that changes in soil chemistry and nutrient cycling induced by N fertilization would increase denitrification rates and the N2O:N2 ratio. Soils from the fertilized plots had a lower pH (2.96) than control plots (3.22) and plots that received fertilizer and dolomite (3.41). There were no significant differences in soil %C or %N between treatments. Chloroform-labile microbial biomass carbon was lower in fertilized plots compared to control plots, though this trend was not significant. Extractable soil NO3- was elevated in fertilized plots on each sample date. Soil-extractable NH4+, NO3-, pH, microbial biomass carbon, and %C varied significantly by sample date suggesting important seasonal patterns in soil chemistry and N cycling. In particular, the steep decline in extractable NH4+ during the growing season is consistent with the high N demands of a regenerating forest. Net N mineralization and nitrification also varied by date but were not affected by the fertilization and dolomite treatments. In a laboratory experiment, denitrification was stimulated by NO3- additions in soils collected from all field plots, but this effect was stronger in soils from the unfertilized control plots, suggesting that chronic N fertilization has partially alleviated a NO3- limitation on denitrification rates. Dextrose stimulated denitrification only in the whole-tree-harvest soils. Denitrification enzyme activity varied by sample date and was elevated in fertilized plots for soil collected in July 2000 and June 2001. There were no detectable treatment effects on N2O or N2 flux from soils under anaerobic conditions, though there was strong temporal variation. These results suggest that whole-tree harvesting has altered the N status of these soils so they are less prone to N saturation than more mature forests. It is likely that N losses associated with the initial harvest and high N demand by aggrading vegetation is minimizing, at least temporarily, the amount of inorganic N available for nitrification and denitrification, even in the fertilized plots in this experiment.     

亚热带土壤氮素反硝化气态产物研究

亚热带可变电荷土壤化学性质与温带地区恒电荷土壤有诸多不同特点,使得反硝化具有一些与温带土壤不同的特性,进一步深入研究亚热带土壤反硝化气体产物的组成比例、主要影响因素和机理,将有助于加深对亚热带环境条件下土壤N循环的理解和认识,以及为正确评价亚热带土壤反硝化环境效应提高科学依据。因此,就亚热带土壤厌氧培养条件下反硝化的气态产物问题进行了探讨。土样采自江西典型亚热带红壤地区,在加入K15NO3（10 atom%15N,加入N量为200 mg·kg-1）条件下进行了7 d 30℃、密闭、淹水、充N2的严格厌氧培养试验。试验结果表明：随培养时间推移,15N回收率逐渐下降,土壤总残留的15NO3-质量分数和回收率之间存在显著正相关关系（p〈0.001）,表明反硝化作用越弱的土样回收率越高。总气态氮损失率的估计值和实测值都随培养时间延长呈上升趋势,两者之间存在显著正相关性（p〈0.001）。根据稳定性同位素15N示踪试验结果初步估计,厌氧培养7 d内反硝化作用产生的气态产物中N2O占总气态氮损失的17.1%,N2占8.7%,估计NO可能是主要的反硝化产物之一。以未能回收的氮计算,NO约占总气态氮损失的67.5%~78.6%,平均为74.1%。反硝化气态产物中NO和N2O总量占总气态氮损失的91.3%。NO、N2O和N2分别占总施入氮量的18.6%、4.4%、2.0%。因此,亚热带土壤氮素反硝化过程中主要气态产物可能为NO和N2O,而非对环境无害的N2。     

Effect of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide on microbial communities and N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O from an arable soil fertilized with ammonium sulphate

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) affects climate change as a greenhouse gas and indirectly contributes to stratospheric ozone depletion. The main source of N₂O in soils is denitrification which requires high soil moisture, carbon and nitrate. Nitrification inhibitors can be used to mitigate emissions of N₂O from soils. In Portugal, fertilisers are often applied when soils are still relatively warm and moist conditions conducive to denitrification. A Portuguese arable soil was inhibited with dicyandiamide, a nitrification inhibitor and the effect on soil microbiological activity and composition was determined after 46 days. Soils were then incubated and received carbon and ammonium under high soil water conditions and mineral N and N₂O fluxes were measured during 22 days. We found that dicyandiamide decreased microbial populations and activity, but did not alter composition. Pre-conditioning of the soil with dicyandiamide was 80% more effective in reducing fluxes of N₂O than simultaneous application with fertiliser.     

农田土壤硝化-反硝化作用与N_2O的排放

在北京潮土上研究了冬小麦夏玉米轮作体系下土壤硝化反硝化作用以及N2O排放情况。结果表明,小麦生育期土壤温度及含水量较低,无论是反硝化损失氮量还是土壤的N2O生成排放量均不高。土壤的N2O生成排放量与反硝化氮量相当或低于反硝化氮量。玉米生育期土壤温度升高以及孔隙含水量有较大的改善,反硝化损失氮量、N2O生成排放量有明显上升。通常情况下土壤反硝化损失氮量与N2O排放氮量基本处于同一水平。在玉米十叶期追肥后的较短时间内,N2O总排放量明显高于反硝化损失氮量,说明至少在这一阶段中,硝化作用在北方旱地土壤N2O的排放中发挥了主要作用。在评价北方旱地农田土壤氮素硝化反硝化损失中,硝化作用的氮素损失是不可忽视的重要方面。     

Hagfish in the New Zealand fjords are supported by chemoautotrophy of forest carbon

Forest litter is often considered to be a minor energy source to marine communities due to its refractory nature. Large volumes of forest litter are deposited in the New Zealand fjords, and likely recycled into available energy by microbial activity. In this study we used evidence from stable isotope analyses to test whether recycled carbon from chemoautotrophs was an important contributor to the diet of hagfish (Eptatretus cirrhatus). We then analyzed fatty acid biomarkers from the chemoautotrophic clam Solemya parkinsoni and E. cirrhatus to further discriminate the contribution of marine, terrestrial, and chemoautotrophic sources. Bulk isotopic signatures of E. cirrhatus varied considerably (delta13C, from -29.2 per thousand to -16.7 per thousand; delta15N, from -2.8 per thousand to +15.5 per thousand; delta34S, from -21.7 per thousand to +16.7 per thousand) and indicated that a significant percentage of organic matter (38-51%) originated from chemoautotrophs (delta13C, -31.3 per thousand +/- 0.1 per thousand [mean +/- SE]; delta15N, -5.7 per thousand +/- 0.2 per thousand; delta34S, -32.per thousand +/- 3.8 per thousand). Fatty acid biomarkers were depleted in 13C, particularly cis-vaccenic acid (18:1omega7: delta13C, -39.0 per thousand) indicating specific microbial origins of carbon. A high proportion of forest litter in sediments, coupled with isotopic and fatty acid biomarker results, indicates that terrestrial organic matter is a dominant contributor to this marine benthic system. This study demonstrates a clear linkage between terrestrial and marine ecological processes.     

Denitrification in nitrate-rich streams: application of N2:Ar and 15N-tracer methods in intact cores.

Rates of benthic denitrification were measured using two techniques, membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), applied to sediment cores from two NO3(-)-rich streams draining agricultural land in the upper Mississippi River Basin. Denitrification was estimated simultaneously from measurements of N2:Ar (MIMS) and 15N[N2] (IRMS) after the addition of low-level 15NO3- tracer (15N:N = 0.03-0.08) in stream water overlying intact sediment cores. Denitrification rates ranged from about 0 to 4400 micromol N x m(-2) x h(-1) in Sugar Creek and from 0 to 1300 micromol N x m(-2) x h(-1) in Iroquois River, the latter of which possesses greater streamflow discharge and a more homogeneous streambed and water column. Within the uncertainties of the two techniques, there is good agreement between the MIMS and IRMS results, which indicates that the production of N2 by the coupled process of nitrification/denitrification was relatively unimportant and surface-water NO3- was the dominant source of NO3- for benthic denitrification in these streams. Variation in stream NO3- concentration (from about 20 micromol/L during low discharge to 1000 micromol/L during high discharge) was a significant control of benthic denitrification rates, judging from the more abundant MIMS data. The interpretation that NO3- concentration directly affects denitrification rate was corroborated by increased rates of denitrification in cores amended with NO3-. Denitrification in Sugar Creek removed < or = 11% per day of the instream NO3- in late spring and removed roughly 15-20% in late summer. The fraction of NO3- removed in Iroquois River was less than that of Sugar Creek. Although benthic denitrification rates were relatively high during periods of high stream flow, when NO3 concentrations were also high, the increase in benthic denitrification could not compensate for the much larger increase in stream NO3- fluxes during high flow. Consequently, fractional NO3- losses were relatively low during high flow.     

Effects of restoration and reflooding on soil denitrification in a leveed Midwestern floodplain.

River floodplains have the potential to remove nitrate from water through denitrification, the anaerobic microbial conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas. An important factor in this process is the interaction of river water with floodplain soil; however, many rivers have been disconnected from their historic floodplains by levees. To test the effect of reflooding a degraded floodplain on nitrate removal, we studied changes in soil denitrification rates on the Baraboo River floodplain in Wisconsin, USA, as it underwent restoration. Prior to this study, the site had been leveed, drained, and farmed for more than 50 years. In late fall 2002, the field drainage system was removed, and a gate structure was installed to allow controlled flooding of this site with river water. Soil moisture was extremely variable among zones and months and reflected local weather. Soil organic matter was stable over the study period with differences occurring along the elevation gradient. High soil nitrate concentrations occurred in dry, relatively organic-poor soil samples and, conversely, all samples with high moisture soils characterized by low nitrate. We measured denitrification in static cores and potential denitrification in bulk samples amended with carbon and nitrogen, one year before and two years following the manipulation. Denitrification rates showed high temporal and spatial variability. Static core rates of individual sites ranged widely (from 0.00 to 16.7 microg N2O-N x [kg soil](-1) x h(-1), mean +/- SD = 1.10 +/- 3.02), and denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) rates were similar with a slightly higher mean (from 0.00 to 15.0 microg N2O-N x [kg soil](-1) x h(-1), 1.41 +/- 1.98). Denitrification was not well-correlated with soil nitrate, organic matter content, or moisture levels, the three parameters typically thought to control denitrification. Static core denitrification rates were not significantly different across years, and DEA rates decreased slightly the second year after restoration. These results demonstrate that restored agricultural soil has the potential for denitrification, but that floodplain restoration did not immediately improve this potential. Future floodplain restorations should be designed to test alternative methods of increasing denitrification.     

近地层臭氧浓度升高对稻田土壤氨氧化与反硝化细菌活性的影响

利用中国唯一的稻麦轮作臭氧FACE（free-air O3 concentration enrichment,开放式空气臭氧浓度增高）试验平台,研究近地层臭氧浓度升高对稻田不同生育时期植株氮吸收量、土壤氮含量与脲酶活性、土壤氨氧化细菌与反硝化细菌数量以及成熟期土壤硝化与反硝化作用强度的影响。结果发现,臭氧浓度升高条件下,单株水稻（Oryza sativaL.）的氮吸收量趋于升高,土壤全氮含量趋于下降、脲酶活性趋于增强,在成熟期土壤全氮与对照相比平均下降9%,土壤脲酶活性与对照相比平均升高13%。在水稻整个生长季节,土壤氨氧化细菌和反硝化细菌的数量均呈现出先增多后减少的趋势,且均在开花期达到峰值,但臭氧熏蒸土壤与对照相比趋于升高;在水稻成熟期,土壤中单个氨氧化细菌和反硝化细菌的活性均趋于下降,土壤硝化强度和反硝化强度与对照相比也平均下降17%和24%。结果表明,近地层臭氧浓度升高条件下,稻田土壤氮素转化因为水稻氮素吸收增强而加快,土壤氨氧化细菌和反硝化细菌的数量均趋于增多,但它们的生理代谢活性均趋于下降。     

土壤氨氧化细菌对大气CO2浓度增高的响应

利用FACE(free-air carbon dioxide enrichment,开放式空气CO2浓度增高)试验平台,研究大气CO2浓度增高对土壤氨氧化细菌的数量、优势菌群及其硝化活性的影响.结果表明,大气CO2浓度增高时,土壤氨氧化细菌的数量在常氮水平上趋于减少,而在高氮水平上与对照没有差异.大气CO2浓度增高对土壤氨氧化细菌的优势菌群也产生明显影响.CO2浓度增高条件下,亚硝化球菌(Nitrosococcus sp.)和亚硝化弧菌(Nitrosovibrio sp.)是优势菌属;而在对照条件下,亚硝化单胞菌(Nitrosomonas sp.)和亚硝化球菌(Nitrosococcus sp.)是优势菌属.另外,CO2浓度增高条件下优势菌株的硝化活性也有不同程度的减弱.     

Nitrate production and availability in residential soils

The rapid increase in residential land area in the United States has raised concern about water pollution associated with nitrogen fertilizers. Nitrate (NO3-) is the form of reactive N that is most susceptible to leaching and runoff; thus, a more thorough understanding of nitrification and NO3(-) availability is needed if we are to accurately predict the consequences of residential expansion for water quality. In particular, there have been few assessments of how the land use history, housing density, and age of residential soils influence NO3(-) pools and fluxes, especially at depth. In this study, we used 1 m deep soil cores to evaluate potential net nitrification and mineralization, microbial respiration and biomass, and soil NO3(-) and NH4+ pools in 32 residential home lawns that differed by previous land use and age, but had similar soil types. These were compared to eight forested reference sites with similar soils. Our results suggest that a change to residential land use has increased pools and production of reactive N, which has clear implications for water quality in the region. However, the results contradict the common assumption that NO3(-) production and availability is dramatically higher in residential soils than in forests in general. While net nitrification (128.6 +/- 15.5 mg m(-2) d(-1) vs. 4.7 +/- 2.3 mg m(-2) d(-1); mean +/- SE) and exchangeable NO3(-) (3.8 +/- 0.5 g/m2 vs. 0.7 +/- 0.3 g/m2) were significantly higher in residential soils than in forest soils in this study, these measures of NO3(-) production and availability were still notably low, comparable to deciduous forest stands in other studies. A second unexpected result was that current homeowner management practices were not predictive of NO3(-) availability or production. This may reflect the transient availability of inorganic N after fertilizer application. Higher housing density and a history of agricultural land use were predictors of greater NO3(-) availability in residential soils. If these factors are good predictors across a wider range of sites, they may be useful indicators of NO3(-) availability and leaching and runoff potential at the landscape scale.     

氧化亚氮形成的微生物学分子机制研究进展

1　氧化亚氮 (Ｎ2 Ｏ)的形成Ｎ2 Ｏ是继ＣＯ2 、ＣＨ4之后的第三大温室气体 ,它能破坏大气中的臭氧层 .在过去的 2 0～ 30年间 ,Ｎ2 Ｏ以每年 0 .2 %～ 0 .3%的速率增长 ,并且有进一步增长的趋势[1 ] .地球上人类和其他生物的活动是Ｎ2 Ｏ产生的主要来源 ,而微生物是其中最重要的生物源 .微生物产生Ｎ2 Ｏ的机理主要是通过硝化作用和反硝化作用过程进行的 ,如图 1所示 .反硝化过程中Ｎ2 Ｏ的形成 :硝化过程中Ｎ2 Ｏ的形成 :图 1　Ｎ2 Ｏ的形成Ｆｉｇ.1　ＦｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎｏｆＮ2 Ｏ　　催化反硝化过程的酶有 4种 :硝酸还原酶 (Ｎａｒ)、亚…     

Atmospheric CO2 and O3 alter the flow of 15N in developing forest ecosystems

Anthropogenic O3 and CO2-induced declines in soil N availability could counteract greater plant growth in a CO2-enriched atmosphere, thereby reducing net primary productivity (NPP) and the potential of terrestrial ecosystems to sequester anthropogenic CO2. Presently, it is uncertain how increasing atmospheric CO2 and O3 will alter plant N demand and the acquisition of soil N by plants as well as the microbial supply of N from soil organic matter. To address this uncertainty, we initiated an ecosystem-level 15N tracer experiment at the Rhinelander (Wisconsin, USA) free air CO2-O3 enrichment (FACE) facility to understand how projected increases in atmospheric CO2 and 03 alter the distribution and flow of N in developing northern temperate forests. Tracer amounts of 15NH4+ were applied to the forest floor of developing Populus tremuloides and P. tremuloides-Betula papyrifera communities that have been exposed to factorial CO2 and O3 treatments for seven years. One year after isotope addition, both forest communities exposed to elevated CO2 obtained greater amounts of 15N (29%) and N (40%) from soil, despite no change in soil N availability or plant N-use efficiency. As such, elevated CO2 increased the ability of plants to exploit soil for N, through the development of a larger root system. Conversely, elevated O3 decreased the amount of 15N (-15%) and N (-29%) in both communities, a response resulting from lower rates of photosynthesis, decreases in growth, and smaller root systems that acquired less soil N. Neither CO2 nor 03 altered the amount of N or 15N recovery in the forest floor, microbial biomass, or soil organic matter. Moreover, we observed no interaction between CO2 and 03 on the amount of N or 15N in any ecosystem pool, suggesting that 03 could exert a negative effect regardless of CO2 concentration. In a CO2-enriched atmosphere, greater belowground growth and a more thorough exploitation of soil for growth-limiting N is an important mechanism sustaining the enhancement of NPP in developing forests (0-8 years following establishment). However, as CO2 accumulates in the Earth's atmosphere, future O3 concentrations threaten to diminish the enhancement of plant growth, decrease plant N acquisition, and lessen the storage of anthropogenic C in temperate forests.     

基于变化阶段特点的亚热带红壤硝化模式及其影响因素分析

在土壤最大持水量60%和温度30℃的实验室培养条件下,对采自江西的15个第三纪红砂岩母质发育的自然土壤（灌丛和林地）和农业利用土壤（茶园、旱地和水稻）进行了56 d实验室培养,研究了土壤NO3--N含量随时间的变化过程及阶段特点。结果显示,发生净硝化作用的14个土样NO3--N质量分数随时间的变化表现＂J＂型增长和＂S＂型增长2种模式。＂J＂型增长模式的6个土样,67%为自然土壤,其NO3--N质量分数增长具有15~35 d的延滞期,符合指数方程N=N0e kt（P〈0.001）,N0值与有效磷质量分数呈显著的指数关系（P〈0.05）。＂S＂型增长模式的8个土样,88%为农业利用土壤,NO3--N累积无明显延滞期,符合Logistic修正模型N=Np/（1＋e2.e-rt）（延滞期td=0,P〈0.001）,由模型获得的土样最大硝化速率vm与土壤全氮质量分数和全碳质量分数具有极显著的正相关关系（P〈0.001）,达到最大硝化速率所需的时间tm与风干土的NO3--N质量分数呈显著正相关（P〈0.05）。上述结果表明,农业利用措施,特别旱作种植可消除亚热带土壤硝化作用的延滞期,从而使铵态氮肥施入土壤后快速转化成为硝态氮,增大硝态氮淋失的风险。     

Denitrification across landscapes and waterscapes: a synthesis.

Denitrification is a critical process regulating the removal of bioavailable nitrogen (N) from natural and human-altered systems. While it has been extensively studied in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems, there has been limited communication among denitrification scientists working in these individual systems. Here, we compare rates of denitrification and controlling factors across a range of ecosystem types. We suggest that terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems in which denitrification occurs can be organized along a continuum ranging from (1) those in which nitrification and denitrification are tightly coupled in space and time to (2) those in which nitrate production and denitrification are relatively decoupled. In aquatic ecosystems, N inputs influence denitrification rates whereas hydrology and geomorphology influence the proportion of N inputs that are denitrified. Relationships between denitrification and water residence time and N load are remarkably similar across lakes, river reaches, estuaries, and continental shelves. Spatially distributed global models of denitrification suggest that continental shelf sediments account for the largest portion (44%) of total global denitrification, followed by terrestrial soils (22%) and oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs; 14%). Freshwater systems (groundwater, lakes, rivers) account for about 20% and estuaries 1% of total global denitrification. Denitrification of land-based N sources is distributed somewhat differently. Within watersheds, the amount of land-based N denitrified is generally highest in terrestrial soils, with progressively smaller amounts denitrified in groundwater, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and estuaries. A number of regional exceptions to this general trend of decreasing denitrification in a downstream direction exist, including significant denitrification in continental shelves of N from terrestrial sources. Though terrestrial soils and groundwater are responsible for much denitrification at the watershed scale, per-area denitrification rates in soils and groundwater (kg N x km(-2) x yr(-1)) are, on average, approximately one-tenth the per-area rates of denitrification in lakes, rivers, estuaries, continental shelves, or OMZs. A number of potential approaches to increase denitrification on the landscape, and thus decrease N export to sensitive coastal systems exist. However, these have not generally been widely tested for their effectiveness at scales required to significantly reduce N export at the whole watershed scale.     

土壤中氧化亚氮的产生及减少排放量的措施

氧化亚氮（N2O）是大气中的一种痕量气体,也是一种重要的温室效应气体,还可使臭氧层遭到破坏。大气中N2O浓度呈不断上升趋势,其上升与人类活动关系极大,对环境的潜在破坏性也愈加严重。土壤是N2O的重要产生源,土壤中的硝化作用和反硝化作用是N2O的主要生成过程。过量施用氮肥、含氮有机物燃烧、毁林开荒等人类活动对N2O释放增加的影响不容忽视。人类应采取各项可行的措施来减少N2O的释放量如提高氮肥利用效率,减少生物体燃烧,退耕还林和保护森林资源等。     

双氰胺在四川3种主要土壤上的硝化抑制作用

采用室内培养试验方法,在不同浓度双氰胺(DCD)处理条件下,对四川3种主要土壤(紫色土、黄壤、灰潮土)的N2O释放量,NH4+-N及NO3--N含量动态变化进行了研究.结果表明,DCD对3种土壤N2O释放及土壤NO3--N含量有明显抑制作用,随DCD浓度增加,其抑制效果越显著.DCD同时能推迟NO3--N含量达到高峰,使土壤NH4+-N含量在较长时间保持相对较高水平,提高氮肥利用率,减少氮素流失.DCD在3种土壤上硝化抑制效果存在差异,表现为紫色土＞灰潮土＞黄壤.同时提出DCD在3种土壤上的适宜添加量,紫色土上为普通碳铵施入量的0.5%,黄壤和灰潮土上为0.3%.     

Frequent fire alters nitrogen transformations in ponderosa pine stands of the inland northwest

Recurrent, low-severity fire in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)/interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) forests is thought to have directly influenced nitrogen (N) cycling and availability. However, no studies to date have investigated the influence of natural fire intervals on soil processes in undisturbed forests, thereby limiting our ability to understand ecological processes and successional dynamics in this important ecosystem of the Rocky Mountain West. Here, we tested the standing hypothesis that recurrent fire in ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir forests of the Inland Northwest decreases total soil N, but increases N turnover and nutrient availability. We compared soils in stands unburned over the past 69-130 years vs. stands exposed to two or more fires over the last 130 years at seven distinct locations in two wilderness areas. Mineral soil samples were collected from each of the seven sites in June and July of 2003 and analyzed for pH, total C and N, potentially mineralizable N (PMN), and extractable NH4+, NO3-, PO4(-3), Ca+2, Mg+2, and K+. Nitrogen transformations were assessed at five sites by installing ionic resin capsules in the mineral soil in August of 2003 and by conducting laboratory assays of nitrification potential and net nitrification in aerobic incubations. Total N and PMN decreased in stands subjected to multiple fires. This loss of total N and labile N was not reflected in concentrations of extractable NH4+ and NO3-. Rather, multiple fires caused an increase in NO3 sorbed on ionic resins, nitrification potential, and net nitrification in spite of the burned stands not having been exposed to fire for at least 12-17 years. Charcoal collected from a recent fire site and added to unburned soils increased nitrification potential, suggesting that the decrease of charcoal in the absence of fire may play an important role in N transformations in fire-dependent ecosystems in the long term. Interestingly, we found no consistent effect of fire frequency on extractable P or alkaline metal concentrations. Our results corroborate the largely untested hypothesis that frequent fire in ponderosa pine forests increases inorganic N availability in the long term and emphasize the need to study natural, unmanaged sites in far greater detail.     

Climatic/edaphic controls on soil carbon/nitrogen response to shrub encroachment in desert grassland.

The proliferation of woody plants in grasslands over the past 100+ years can alter carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles and influence land surface-atmosphere interactions. Although the majority of organic carbon in these ecosystems resides belowground, there is no consensus on how this change in land cover has affected soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) pools. The degree to which duration of woody plant occupation, climate, and edaphic conditions have mediated SOC and TN responses to changes in life-form composition are poorly understood. We addressed these issues at a desert grassland site in Arizona, USA, where the leguminous shrub velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) has proliferated along an elevation/precipitation/temperature gradient and on contrasting soil morphologic surfaces. On sandy loam complexes of mid-Holocene origin, mean SOC and TN of soils in the grassland matrix increased approximately 68% and approximately 45%, respectively, with increasing elevation. Soil organic carbon pools were comparable and TN pools were approximately 23% higher in Pleistocene-aged clay loam complexes co-occurring with Holocene-aged soils at the upper elevation/climatic zone. Across the site, belowground resources associated with large Prosopis plants were 21-154% (SOC) and 18-127% (TN) higher than those in the grassy matrix. The variance in SOC and TN pools accounted for by Prosopis stem size (a rough surrogate for time of site occupation) was highest at the low- and mid-elevation sites (69-74%) and lowest at the upper elevation site (32-38%). Soil delta15N values ranged from 5.5 per thousand to 6.7 per thousand across the soil/elevation zones but were comparable in herbaceous and shrub-impacted soils and exhibited a weak relationship with Prosopis basal stem diameter (r2 < 0.1) and TN (r2 < 0.08). The SOC delta13C values decreased linearly with increasing Prosopis basal diameter, suggesting that size and isotopic composition of the SOC pool is a function of time of Prosopis site occupation. Isotopic mixture models indicate that encroachment of C3 woody plants has also promoted SOC additions from C4 plant sources, indicative of long-term herbaceous facilitation. Grassy sites in contrasting soil/elevation combinations, initially highly distinctive in their SOC pool size and delta13C, appear to be converging on similar values following approximately 100 years of woody plant proliferation.     

Arthropod food web restoration following removal of an invasive wetland plant.

Restoration of habitats impacted by invasive plants is becoming an increasingly important tool in the management of native biodiversity, though most studies do not go beyond monitoring the abundance of particular taxonomic groups, such as the return of native vegetation. Yet, the reestablishment of trophic interactions among organisms in restored habitats is equally important if we are to monitor and understand how ecosystems recover. This study examined whether food web interactions among arthropods (as inferred by abundance of naturally occurring stable isotopes of C [delta13C] and N [delta15N]) were reestablished in the restoration of a coastal Spartina alterniflora salt marsh that had been invaded by Phragmites australis. From patterns of C and N stable isotopes we infer that trophic interactions among arthropods in the native salt marsh habitats are characterized by reliance on the dominant marsh plant Spartina as a basal resource. Herbivores such as delphacid planthoppers and mirid bugs have isotope signatures characteristic of Spartina, and predatory arthropods such as dolicopodid flies and spiders likewise have delta13C and delta15N signatures typical of Spartina-derived resources (approximately -13 per thousand and 10 per thousand, respectively). Stable isotope patterns also suggest that the invasion of Phragmites into salt marshes and displacement of Spartina significantly alter arthropod food web interactions. Arthropods in Phragmites-dominated sites have delta13C isotope values between -18 per thousand and -20 per thousand, suggesting reliance on detritus and/or benthic microalgae as basal resources and not on Phragmites, which has a delta13C approximately -26 per thousand. Since most Phragmites herbivores are either feeding internally or are rare transients from nearby Spartina, these resources do not provide significant prey resources for other arthropod consumers. Rather, predator isotope signatures in the invaded habitats indicate dependence on detritus/algae as basal resources instead of the dominant vegetation. The reestablishment of Spartina after removal of Phragmites, however, not only returned species assemblages typical of reference (uninvaded) Spartina, but stable isotope signatures suggest that the trophic interactions among the arthropods were also similar in reestablished habitats. Specifically, both herbivores and predators showed characteristic Spartina signatures, suggesting the return of the original grazer-based food web structure in the restored habitats.     

Impact of nitrogen fertilizer source on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from three different agricultural soils during freezing conditions

ABSTRACT

Nitrogen (N) application is the main agricultural management that increases nitrous oxide (N₂O) concentration in the atmosphere. Freezing conditions are common phenomenon in the northern China that significantly affect soil N₂O emissions through alterations in nutrients availability and microbial population. To develop a comprehensive understanding of how N fertilizer managements affect soil N₂O emissions during the freezing process, a lab incubation was conducted in three typical cultivated soils (black soil, fluvo-aquic soil, or loess soil) by adding different N fertilizer sources, including ammonium chloride, sodium nitrate, or urea at different N levels (0, 80, 200, or 500 mg N/kg) at the start of freezing. The N₂O emissions in the fluvo-aquic soil were significantly higher than in other soils. The application of nitrate in the fluvo-aquic soil promoted N₂O emissions by five- and seven-fold higher compared to ammonium chloride and urea, whereas N₂O emissions in black soil were enhanced by application of ammonium chloride. Data indicate that denitrification is the major pathway for N₂O production in the fluvo-aquic soil during the freezing process, while ammonia oxidation responses accounts for elevated N₂O production in black soil. No significant influence of N fertilizer levels on N₂O emissions were found during soil freezing. These results suggest that agricultural practices that focus on mitigation of N₂O emissions need to avoid selection of nitrate as N fertilizer source in fluvo-aquic soil prior to the freezing season. Future studies need to focus on how the expression of enzymes and/or shifts in microbial communities respond to different N fertilizers during freezing conditions.