Microbial nitrogen limitation increases decomposition

With anthropogenic nutrient inputs to ecosystems increasing globally, there are long-standing, fundamental questions about the role of nutrients in the decomposition of organic matter. We tested the effects of exogenous nitrogen and phosphorus inputs on litter decomposition across a broad suite of litter and soil types. In one experiment, C mineralization was compared across a wide array of plants individually added to a single soil, while in the second, C mineralization from a single substrate was compared across 50 soils. Counter to basic stoichiometric decomposition theory, low N availability can increase litter decomposition as microbes use labile substrates to acquire N from recalcitrant organic matter. This "microbial nitrogen mining" is consistently suppressed by high soil N supply or substrate N concentrations. There is no evidence for phosphorus mining as P fertilization increases short- and long-term mineralization. These results suggest that basic stoichiometric decomposition theory needs to be revised and ecosystem models restructured accordingly in order to predict ecosystem carbon storage responses to anthropogenic changes in nutrient availability.     

生物质炭微生物矿化稳定性机制研究进展

生物质炭在碳封存和土壤改良等方面的应用潜力取决于其在土壤中的微生物矿化稳定性.明确生物质炭在土壤中微生物矿化稳定性是推进生物质炭在土壤固碳、改良等领域应用的关键.基于生物质炭在土壤中的微生物矿化稳定性研究进展,本文系统总结了不同类型生物质炭的微生物矿化速率和在土壤中的平均驻留时间,探讨了不同因素(生物质炭特性、土壤特性和外源不稳定有机质的添加等)对生物质炭微生物矿化稳定性的影响,阐述了生物分解过程中生物质炭的性质变化及其与土壤微生物/有机质/矿物质的交互作用,简述了生物质炭中内源矿物质和外源土壤矿物质对其矿化稳定性的影响机理.最后,总结现有研究的不足,并提出今后的研究重点.     

Nutrient regulation of organic matter decomposition in a tropical rain forest

Terrestrial biosphere-atmosphere CO2 exchange is dominated by tropical forests, so understanding how nutrient availability affects carbon (C) decomposition in these ecosystems is central to predicting the global C cycle's response to environmental change. In tropical rain forests, phosphorus (P) limitation of primary production and decomposition is believed to be widespread, but direct evidence is rare. We assessed the effects of nitrogen (N) and P fertilization on litter-layer organic matter decomposition in two neighboring tropical rain forests in southwest Costa Rica that are similar in most ways, but that differ in soil P availability. The sites contain 100-200 tree species per hectare and between species foliar nutrient content is variable. To control for this heterogeneity, we decomposed leaves collected from a widespread neotropical species, Brosimum utile. Mass loss during decomposition was rapid in both forests, with B. utile leaves losing >80% of their initial mass in <300 days. High organic matter solubility throughout decomposition combined with high rainfall support a model of litter-layer decomposition in these rain forests in which rapid mass loss in the litter layer is dominated by leaching of dissolved organic matter (DOM) rather than direct CO2 mineralization. While P fertilization did not significantly affect mass loss in the litter layer, it did stimulate P immobilization in decomposing material, leading to increased P content and a lower C:P ratio in soluble DOM. In turn, increased P content of leached DOM stimulated significant increases in microbial mineralization of DOM in P-fertilized soil. These results show that, while nutrients may not affect mass loss during decomposition in nutrient-poor, wet ecosystems, they may ultimately regulate CO2 losses (and hence C storage) by limiting microbial mineralization of DOM leached from the litter layer to soil.     

森林土地利用变化及其对碳循环的影响

由于人口剧增，人类活动的影响不断加大，在过去100年全球土地利用／土地覆被发生了巨大的变化。最常见的土地利用变化是由森林转变为农业用地。森林砍伐使森林生态系统地上部生物量大大减少，砍伐后作农业用地，降低了植被生产力，减少了土壤有机质的输入，增强了腐殖质的矿化作用，有机质分解速率增加，有机碳贮量随之降低，从而影响到森林生态系统的碳循环，使大量碳元素释放到大气中，引起温室效应，导致全球变暖。另一个常见的土地利用变化是植树造林和森林恢复，这一过程可以增加森林生态系统的碳储量，从而减缓大气CO2体积分数的上升。     

Litter decomposition and nitrogen mineralization from an annual to a monthly model

The forest litter decomposition model (FLDM) described in this paper provides an important basis for assessing the impacts of forest management on seasonal stream water quality and export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). By definition, models with annual time steps are unable to capture seasonal, within-year variation. In order to simulate seasonal variation in litter decomposition and DOC production and export, we have modified an existing annual FLDM to account for monthly dynamics of decomposition and residual mass in experimental litterbags placed in 21 different forests across Canada.The original annual FLDM was formulated with three main litter pools (fast, slow, and very slow decomposing litter) to address the fact that forest litter is naturally composed of a mixture of organic compounds that decompose at different rates. The annual FLDM was shown to provide better simulations than more complex models like CENTURY and SOMM.The revised monthly model retains the original structure of the annual FLDM, but separates litter decomposition from nitrogen (N) mineralization. In the model, monthly soil temperature, soil moisture, and mean January soil temperature are shown to be the most important controlling variables of within-year variation in decomposition. Use of the three variables in a process-based definition of litter decomposition is a significant departure from the empirical definition in the annual model. The revised model is shown to give similar calculations of residual mass and N concentration as the annual model (r² = 0.91, 0.78), despite producing very different timeseries of decomposition over six years. It is shown from a modelling perspective that (i) forest litter decomposition is independent of N mineralization, whereas N mineralization is dependent on litter decomposition, and (ii) mean January soil temperature defines litter decomposition in the summer because of winter-temperatures’ role in modifying forest-floor microorganism community composition and functioning in the following summer.     

中新生态城土壤质量现状及改良利用途径

对中新生态城区域内土壤的紧实度、有机质、碱解氮、土壤盐分、酸碱度、地表水、地下水进行了调查取样分析,结果表明该区土壤容重在1.3～1.7g/cm3,有机质含量大多为中等或低水平（5.5～19.1g/kg）,速效氮与土壤有机质含量相关性达显著水平（r=0.98）。盐分垂直分布上表现为果园、农田土壤盐分含量小于1.5g/kg,荒地和水库含量在5.0～6.4g/kg之间,垫土区、养殖池和盐场盐池土壤通体盐分含量高（大于10g/kg）,且存在表聚现象,超出了一般植物生长的极限。土壤酸碱度为7.81～9.05,水库、养殖池、盐场、荒地、沟塘水的矿化度均在10g/L以上,蓟运河水和农田沟渠为5000mg/L～8500mg/L,果园灌溉水的矿化度也在2000mg/L以上,地下水矿化度高,埋藏浅。并针对以上特点提出其土壤改良利用途径和绿化建设模式。     

不同耕作方式下土壤氮素矿化和硝化特征研究

为探讨长期定位试验田不同耕作方式下土壤氮素矿化和硝化特征,采用室内恒温通气培养法,保持土壤田间持水量在65％条件下,测定不同耕作方式下表层土壤（0～20cm）在不同温度下的NH4^＋和NO3^-含量,并计算氮素矿化量和硝化率。结果表明,随着温度的升高,土壤氮素矿化和硝化作用均增强,几种耕作方式下土壤氮素矿化和硝化作用均表现为35℃〉30℃〉25℃。保护性耕作与水旱轮作和常规平作之间的矿化量存在显著的差异,垄作免耕〉厢作免耕〉水旱轮作〉常规平作。土壤氮素最终硝化率达到了60％～80％,表现为常规平作最高,水旱轮作次之,厢作免耕最低。矿化率与土壤有机质、碱解氮和速效磷对数均成显著正相关,相关系数分别为r^2=0．99,r^2=0．97,r^2=0．96,pH是影响硝化作用的重要因素,硝化率与土壤pH成显著正相关,r^2=0．991。     

Potential nitrogen constraints on soil carbon sequestration under low and elevated atmospheric CO2

The interaction between nitrogen cycling and carbon sequestration is critical in predicting the consequences of anthropogenic increases in atmospheric CO2 (hereafter, Ca). The progressive N limitation (PNL) theory predicts that carbon sequestration in plants and soils with rising Ca may be constrained by the availability of nitrogen in many ecosystems. Here we report on the interaction between C and N dynamics during a four-year field experiment in which an intact C3/C4 grassland was exposed to a gradient in Ca from 200 to 560 micromol/mol. There were strong species effects on decomposition dynamics, with C loss positively correlated and N mineralization negatively correlated with Ca for litter of the C3 forb Solanum dimidiatum, whereas decomposition of litter from the C4 grass Bothriochloa ischaemum was unresponsive to Ca. Both soil microbial biomass and soil respiration rates exhibited a nonlinear response to Ca, reaching a maximum at approximately 440 micromol/mol Ca. We found a general movement of N out of soil organic matter and into aboveground plant biomass with increased Ca. Within soils we found evidence of C loss from recalcitrant soil C fractions with narrow C:N ratios to more labile soil fractions with broader C:N ratios, potentially due to decreases in N availability. The observed reallocation of N from soil to plants over the last three years of the experiment supports the PNL theory that reductions in N availability with rising Ca could initially be overcome by a transfer of N from low C:N ratio fractions to those with higher C:N ratios. Although the transfer of N allowed plant production to increase with increasing Ca, there was no net soil C sequestration at elevated Ca, presumably because relatively stable C is being decomposed to meet microbial and plant N requirements. Ultimately, if the C gained by increased plant production is rapidly lost through decomposition, the shift in N from older soil organic matter to rapidly decomposing plant tissue may limit net C sequestration with increased plant production.     

渝北不同模式水源涵养林植物多样性及其与土壤特征的关系

以重庆缙云山8种不同构建模式的水源涵养林及林地土壤为研究对象,用物种多样性指数(simpson指数、Shannon-Wiener指数)、均匀度指数(Pieiou指数)和物种丰富度指数(Margalef指数)以及用土壤容重、毛管孔隙度、非毛管孔隙度、pH值、有机质、全氮、全磷、全钾、速效氮、有效磷、速效钾和阳离子交换量12个指标表征土壤的物理性状和养分特征,分析了8种群落的植物多样性、土壤特征及二者的相互关系.结果表明:物种多样性以广东山胡椒(Lindera kwangtungensis)×杉木((7unninghamia anceolata)混交林最高.马尾松(Pinus massoniana)×广东山胡椒混交林次之,马尾松×柳杉(Cryptomeria fortunei Hooibrenk)混交林和毛竹(Phyllostachys pubescens)纯林最低.各模式林地土壤特征差异显著,以毛竹纯林土壤质量最差.在该地区针阔混交林对提高物种多样性和改良土壤作用显著,针叶林及纯林则较差.物种多样性指数与土壤特征因子的相关性分析表明,不同模式水源林群落植物多样性与土壤特征因子存在一定相关性,其中与土壤物理性状特征关系不显著,与养分特征关系显著.全N与全K与四个多样性指数呈显著或极显著的正相关,Shannon-Wiener指数、Simpson指数和有机质、阳离子交换量、速效P呈显著的正相关,特别是有机质和全N两因子与物种多样性关系最密切.     

非点源污染物细颗粒泥沙的絮凝-分散研究

细颗粒泥沙的絮凝-分散对土壤结构的稳定性，土壤中农用化合物的迁移以及侵蚀泥沙的输移、沉积有重要作用。文章概述了影响细颗粒泥沙絮凝-分散的几种主要因素——电解质种类及其浓度，矿物组成，有机质含量，pH值以及水流紊动等；指出了当前研究中存在的不足之处。     

Processes Influencing Dissolved Organic Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulphur in Soils

The influence of different plant and soil processes on the concentrations of soluble organic forms of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur in soil and drainage waters is reviewed. Current knowledge about soluble organic matter is restricted mainly to dissolved organic carbon. Comparable information about soluble organic nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur in processes such as eutrophication, plant uptake and decomposition is limited. Data are presented to highlight the potential sources of soluble organic components together with a discussion of their likely fate within the soil profile. the implications of changes in land use and management practices on dissolved organic matter are discussed.     

Substrate concentration and enzyme allocation can affect rates of microbial decomposition

A large proportion of the world's carbon is stored as soil organic matter (SOM). However, the mechanisms regulating the stability of this SOM remain unclear. Recent work suggests that SOM may be stabilized by mechanisms other than chemical recalcitrance. Here, we show that the mineralization rate of starch, a plant polymer commonly found in litter and soil, is concentration dependent, such that its decomposition rate can be reduced by as much as 50% when composing less than approximately 10% of SOM. This pattern is largely driven by low activities of starch-degrading enzymes and low inducibility of enzyme production by microbial decomposers. The same pattern was not observed for cellulose and hemicellulose degradation, possibly because the enzymes targeting these substrates are expressed at constitutively high levels. Nevertheless, given the heterogeneous distribution of SOM constituents, our results suggest a novel low-concentration constraint on SOM decomposition that is independent of chemical recalcitrance. These results may help explain the stability of at least some SOM constituents, especially those that naturally exist in relatively low concentrations in the soil environment.     

Raising groundwater differentially affects mineralization and plant species abundance in dune slacks.

The experience with restoring high water levels (i.e., rewetting) within restoration ecology is limited, and information on changes in soil nutrient supply is scarce. A reduction in nutrient supply is needed to restore the desired oligotrophic vegetation. We determined the effects of restoration of high water levels on decomposition and net carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) mineralization rates in wet dune slacks and its consequences for the relative abundance of eutrophic vs. oligotrophic species in the vegetation. This was done by analyzing these variables for valleys that experienced a large groundwater rise vs. valleys that had a small groundwater rise but the same current water level. In addition, the influences of underlying factors (waterlogging, vegetation dieback, and soil dynamics prior to groundwater rise) were separated in a transplantation experiment. Short-term effects of large groundwater rise were a massive dieback of vegetation, increased thickness of the fermentation layer, increased microbial decomposition activity, increased C mineralization, and decreased net N mineralization. Net P mineralization was not affected. The relative abundance of oligotrophic vs. eutrophic species was greater at large groundwater rise. Changes in decomposition and mineralization by large groundwater rise were, however, not caused by the vegetation dieback, but due to previous soil conditions. Soils experiencing waterlogged conditions for 3-4 years or more prior to large groundwater rise had lower C and higher net N mineralization rates at waterlogged conditions than soils that had experienced aerobic conditions, presumably due to differences in labile soil C contents. Contrary to expectations induced by previously determined nutrient pulses and measured vegetation dieback, large groundwater rise resulted in lower soil nutrient supply rates and more oligotrophic vegetation. If these trends continue on the longer term, restoration of high water levels may be effective in restoration ecology to establish oligotrophic, wet vegetation in dune slacks.     

土壤溶解性有机质的生态环境效应

土壤生态环境是一个复杂的多介质多界面体系。现有的研究表明，DOM作为环境中重要的天然配位体和吸着载体，是一种非常活跃的化学物质，它将土壤中的矿物质、有机质与生物成分联系在一起，通过物理或化学作用改变金属与外源性化合物的环境行为，促进温室气体的排放，调节土壤养分流失，指示土壤质量，并对成土过程、微生物的生长代谢过程、土壤有机质分解和转化过程有着重要作用，已经成为土壤科学、生态科学和环境科学交叉领域的研究热点。文章系统地评述了DOM的组成特点及其环境效应，同时介绍了未来的研究方向及一些有待于进一步研究的问题。     

气候变化与土壤有机质的关系(英文)

在最近的地质历史中,气候变化的速率是史无前例的,它对地球生物圈产生了巨大的影响。土壤有机质中的碳是地球碳库的重要组成部分,它参与全球碳循环。土壤有机质分解而产生的CO2和CH4是重要的温室气体。土壤有机质对气候模型的反应较敏感;其总量取决于生物量生产与分解的平衡状态,以及土壤储存有机质的能力。就全球规模来说,土壤有机质沿着降水增加和温度下降的梯度而增加。温度是支配凋落物分解速率的重要环境因素,它甚至能改变凋落物分解的动力学。     

不同有机物料在潮棕壤中有机碳分解进程

用尼龙网袋法研究了特定年度中，不同月份间有机物料在潮棕壤旱田、水田中有机碳分解速率及C／N变化。结果表明，4种物料(玉米秸和玉米根，水稻秸和水稻根)在潮棕壤地区温度、湿度适宜的前3个月(1999年7—月)迅速分解，之后进入缓慢分解阶段，其中根的分解残留率始终高于秸秆。经计算约有2／3的玉米根和稻根腐解产物残留在土壤里；分解至试验结束。所有物料的C/N比都趋于一致，约在10—13之间，与土壤腐殖质的洲比非常相近，说明这些物料已基本完成其腐殖化过程，而成为较稳定的有机组分、这对增加土壤有机质、培肥土壤非常重要。     

Gas and Organic Matter in Last Glacial and Holocenic Sediments of Venice Lagoon

Two drills (MBM1* and MBM2) provided at “Bocca di Malamocco” gave environmental and palaeo-environmental information on sedimentation for the last 50,000 years. the MBM2 supplies textural, gas and organic matter studies of sediment and principal ion content of pore water. Two main palaeo-environments, divided in six cycles, are recognized. Marine environment characterizes the sediment above 12.80 metres below sea level (mbsl) and continental environment dominates the sediments below.

The concentration/depth profiles of dissolved ammonia, phosphates and gases are related to the occurrence of a relatively high organic content in the sediment core. Carbon dioxide to methane ratio shows a constant value below 20 mbsl, while above that level only carbon dioxide was detected. A sulphate gradient in the transition zone between the marine to fresh water interval suggests a methane oxidation. These findings indicate that diffusive transport of methane from marine sediments to the atmosphere may be considered minimal. the sedimentary cycles are related to the oxygen isotopic stages. They suggest a variable hydraulic regime occurred during the last Glacial time in the palaeo-plain corresponding to the present Venice lagoon.     

Probabilistic modeling of nitrogen and carbon dynamics in water-limited ecosystems

The nitrogen and carbon dynamics of water-limited ecosystems are significantly controlled by the soil water content, which in turn depends on soil properties, climate, and vegetation characteristics. Because of its impact on soil aeration, microorganism environmental stress, and ion transport within the pore spaces, the soil water content controls the activity of microbial biomass with important effects on the rates of decomposition, mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification. Mineral nitrogen is mainly lost in the leaching and plant uptake processes, which are both controlled by the soil water content. To assess both the long-term and the short-term impact of soil moisture dynamics on the soil nitrogen and carbon budgets, models of the N and C cycles need to operate at daily resolutions (or higher). On the other hand, long-term projections require a stochastic modeling of the climate forcing to generate long replicates of the climate signal as well as to assess the system response to climate change. This paper reviews a modeling framework developed by the authors [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 455 (1999a) 3789; Adv. Water. Res. 26 (2003) 45; Adv. Water Resour. 26 (2003) 59; Sci. J. 5 (2003) 781] for the process-based analysis of soil moisture, nitrogen, and carbon dynamics, presenting a synthesis of the main results of those investigations.     

岩溶山区不同土地利用方式下土壤质量指标响应

探讨了岩溶山区不同土地利用方式与土壤质量指标之间的响应关系.对重庆市北碚岩溶山区土壤肥力指标进行主因子分析的结果表明,原有22个土壤质量指标可归为4 类,分别以有机质,有效含水量,通气孔隙度,细菌、真菌数量百分比为代表,这4类因子基本反映了土壤质量随土地利用变化的综合变化状况.通径分析表明,不同土地利用方式下土壤持水性能主要与有机质、＞0.25 mm水稳性团聚体有关,二者的效应均大于黏粒.在土地利用方式变化过程中,土壤质量变化体现在有机质含量、土壤供持水能力、土壤结构状况和土壤微生物特性的变化上.     

秸秆还田条件下农田系统碳循环研究进展

秸秆还田是农田生态系统的固碳减排的一种措施,现已成为国内外学者研究的热点。本文在分析农田系统碳循环流通的基础上,将系统划分为土壤、植物和大气3个子系统,对秸秆还田条件下各个子系统中碳的流动变化情况进行讨论。在土壤子系统中,秸秆还田对土壤有机碳（SOC）、土壤矿化碳、土壤微生物碳（MBC）的变化都有作用。秸秆还田的初期可能会降低微生物利用碳源的能力,影响群落物种分布的均匀度,致使作物对碳、氮利用率下降;然而,长期的效应仍会增加土壤微生物的多样性和活性。研究亦认为秸秆还田特别是与有机肥配合使用,能够提高土壤有机碳的含量;对土壤有机碳矿化具有明显促进作用,但是对土壤原有的有机碳矿化影响尚不清楚。秸秆还田在植物子系统中的影响主要集中在植物光合碳变化。已有的研究表明秸秆还田对作物光合作用的影响表现为正效应;然而根际碳流通的变化尚不清楚。在大气子系统中,秸秆还田能够增强旱地耕作土壤的呼吸作用,促进CO2的排放;而淹水条件下,秸秆还田使土壤有机碳矿化受到了明显抑制,对CO2没有明显影响。与此类似,淹水条件促进CH4排放,排水良好可以减少CH4的释放。事实上对CH4的排放而言,水份的影响可能比秸秆还田所产生的影响更大。笔者认为秸秆还田后土壤有机碳流通变化机理,及根际碳的流通变化影响仍有待进一步解析。其次,农业机械使用所产生的 CO2气体在研究秸秆还田模式时也应被考虑在内。除此之外,秸秆还田这种减排措施（CO2）的减排潜力、适宜应用的区域、可能的协同作用和一些限制及不利因素还没有得到确切的评估,实施过程中应考虑社会和经济层面上的因素。