Changes of Soil Enzyme Activities By Simulated Acid and Nitrogen Deposition

Effects of acid and nitrogen depositions on soil microbial activities were studied in a laboratory-based experiment. Five treatments were added to forest soil for five weeks, and soil enzyme activities were determined along with chemical properties. There was little change in pH and nitrogen availability. Dehydrogenase, phosphatase and arylsulphatase activities were decreased by all the acidic treatments compared to the control, while urease activity was increased by the pH 4 treatment. at the same pH treatment, different nitric acid contents induced different urease activities. the results suggest that acid deposition would inhibit microbial activities and that more study is needed to elucidate the impact on nitrogen cycling in forests.