Persistence of fertilization effects on soil organic carbon in degraded alpine wetlands in the Yellow River source region

In the restoration of degraded wetlands,fertilization can improve the vegetation-soil-microorganisms complex,thereby affecting the organic carbon content.However,it is currently unclear whether these effects are sustainable.This study employed Biolog-Eco surveys to investigate the changes in vegetation characteristics,soil physicochemical properties,and soil microbial functional diversity in degraded alpine wetlands of the source region of the Yellow River at 3 and 15 months after the application of nitrogen,phosphorus,and organic mixed fertilizer.The following results were obtained:The addition of nitrogen fertilizer and organic compost significantly affects the soil organic carbon content in degraded wetlands.Three months after fertilization,nitrogen addition increases soil organic carbon in both lightly and severely degraded wetlands,whereas after 15 months,organic compost enhanced the soil organic carbon level in severely degraded wetlands.Structural equation modeling indicates that fertilization decreases the soil pH and directly or indirectly influences the soil organic carbon levels through variations in the soil water content and the aboveground biomass of vegetation.Three months after fertilization,nitrogen fertilizer showed a direct positive effect on soil organic carbon.However,organic mixed fertilizer indirectly reduced soil organic carbon by increasing biomass and decreasing soil moisture.After 15 months,none of the fertilizers significantly affected the soil organic carbon level.In summary,it can be inferred that the addition of nitrogen fertilizer lacks sustainability in positively influencing the organic carbon content.

The Characteristics and Controlling Factors of Water and Heat Exchanges over the Alpine Wetland in the East of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Alpine wetland is one of the typical underlying surfaces on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.It plays a crucial role in runoff regulation.Investigations on the mechanisms of water and heat exchanges are necessary to understand the land surface processes over the alpine wetland.This study explores the characteristics of hydro-meteorological factors with in situ observations and uses the Community Land Model 5 to identify the main factors controlling water and heat exchanges.Latent heat flux and thermal roughness length were found to be greater in the warm season(June–August)than in the cold season(December–February),with a frozen depth of 20–40 cm over the alpine wetland.The transfers of heat fluxes were mainly controlled by longwave radiation and air temperature and affected by root distribution.Air pressure and stomatal conductance were also important to latent heat flux,and soil solid water content was important to sensible heat flux.Soil temperature was dominated by longwave radiation and air temperature,with crucial surface parameters of initial soil liquid water content and total water content.The atmospheric control factors transitioned to precipitation and air temperature for soil moisture,especially at the shallow layer(5 cm).Meanwhile,the more influential surface parameters were root distribution and stomatal conductance in the warm season and initial soil liquid water content and total water content in the cold season.This work contributes to the research on the land surface processes over the alpine wetland and is helpful to wetland protection.

Alpine wetlands in the Lhasa River Basin, China

The Lhasa River Basin is one of the typical distribution regions of alpine wetlands on the Tibetan Plateau. It is very important to get a better understanding of the background and characteristics of alpine wetland for monitoring, protection and utilization. Wetland construction and distribution in the basin were analyzed based on multi-source data including field investigation data, CBERS remote sensing data and other thematic data provided by 3S technology. The results are （1） the total area of wetlands is 209,322.26 hm^2, accounting for 6.37% of the total land area of the basin. The wetlands are mainly dominated by natural wetland, with artificial wetland occupying only 1.09% of the wetland area; marsh wetland is the principal part of natural wetland, dominated by Kobresia littledalei swampy meadow which is distributed in the river source area and upstream of Chali, Damshung and Medro Gongkar counties. The ratio and type of wetlands in different counties differ significantly, which are widely distributed in Chali and Damshung counties （accounting for 62% of the total wetland area）. （2） The concentrated vertical distribution of wetlands is at an elevation of 3600-5100 m The wetlands are widely distributed throughout the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley from river source to river mouth into the Yarlung Zangbo River. Marsh wetland is dominant in the source area and upstream of the river, with the mosaic distribution of lakes, Kobresia litUedalei and Carex moorcroftii swampy meadow, shrubby swamp and river; as for the middle-down streams, the primary types are river wetland and flooded wetland. The distribution is in a mosaic pattern of river, Kobresia humilis and Carex moorcroftii swampy meadow, Phragmites australis and subordinate grass marsh, flooded wetland and artificial wetland.

Fluxes of methane,carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide in an alpine wetland and an alpine grassland of the Tianshan Mountains,China

Methane （OH4）, carbon dioxide （CO2） and nitrous oxide （N2O） are known to be major greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. To identify the flux dynamics of these greenhouse gases is, therefore, of great significance. In this paper, we conducted a comparative study on an alpine grassland and alpine wetland at the Bayinbuluk Grassland Eco-system Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences. By using opaque, static, manual stainless steel chambers and gas chromatography, we measured the fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2 from the grassland and wetland through an in situ monitoring study from May 2010 to October 2012. The mean flux rates of CH4, N2O and CO2 for the experimental alpine wetland in the growing season （from May to October） were estimated at 322.4 μg/（m2.h）, 16.7 μg/（m2.h） and 76.7 mg/（m2.h）, respectively; and the values for the alpine grassland were -88.2 μg/（m2.h）, 12.7 μg/（m2.h）, 57.3 mg/（m2.h）, respectively. The gas fluxes showed large seasonal and annual variations, suggesting weak fluxes in the non-growing season. The relationships between these gas fluxes and environmental factors were analyzed for the two alpine ecosystems. The results showed that air temperature, precipitation, soil temperature and soil moisture can greatly influence the fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2, but the alpine grassland and alpine wetland showed different feedback mechanisms under the same climate and environmental conditions.

Iron-mediated soil carbon response to water-table decline in an alpine wetland

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China,a collaborative study by the research groups led by Prof.Feng Xiaojuan(冯晓娟)from the Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof.He Jinsheng(贺金生)from Peking University demonstrates the under-investigated role of iron(Fe)in mediating soil enzyme activity

Non-climate environmental factors matter to Holocene dynamics of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in an alpine permafrost wetland,Qinghai‒Tibet Plateau

Studies on the responses of soil organic carbon(SOC)and nitrogen dynamics to Holocene climate and environment in permafrost peatlands and/or wetlands might serve as analogues for future scenarios,and they can help predict the fate of the frozen SOC and nitrogen under a warming climate.To date,little is known about these issues on the Qinghai‒Tibet Plateau(QTP).Here,we investigated the accumulations of SOC and nitrogen in a permafrost wetland on the northeastern QTP,and analyzed their links with Holocene climatic and environmental changes.In order to do so,we studied grain size,soil organic matter,SOC,and nitrogen contents,bulk density,geochemical parameters,and the accelerator mass spectrometry(AMS)^(14)C dating of the 216-cm-deep wetland profile.SOC and nitrogen contents revealed a general uptrend over last 7300 years.SOC stocks for depths of 0-100 and 0-200 cm were 50.1 and 79.0 kgC m^(-2),respectively,and nitrogen stocks for the same depths were 4.3 and 6.6 kgN m^(-2),respectively.Overall,a cooling and drying trend for regional climate over last 7300 years was inferred from the declining chemical weathering and humidity index.Meanwhile,SOC and nitrogen accumulated rapidly in 1110e720 BP,while apparent accumulation rates of SOC and nitrogen were much lower during the other periods of the last 7300 years.Consequently,we proposed a probable conceptual framework for the concordant development of syngenetic permafrost and SOC and nitrogen accumulations in alpine permafrost wetlands.This indicates that,apart from controls of climate,non-climate environmental factors,such as dust deposition and site hydrology,matter to SOC and nitrogen accumulations in permafrost wetlands.We emphasized that environmental changes driven by climate change have important impacts on SOC and nitrogen accumulations in alpine permafrost wetlands.This study could provide data support for regional and global estimates of SOC and nitrogen pools and for global models on carbon‒climate interactions that take into account of alpine permafrost wetlands on the northeastern QTP at mid-latitudes.

Influence of proximity to the Qinghai-Tibet highway and railway on variations of soil heavy metal concentrations and bacterial community diversity on the Tibetan Plateau

An understanding of soil microbial communities is crucial in roadside soil environmental assessments.The 16S rRNA se quencing of a stressed microbial community in soil adjacent to the Qinghai-Tibet Highway(QTH)revealed that the accu mulation of heavy metals(over about 10 years)has affected the diversity of bacterial abundance and microbial community structure.The proximity of a sampling site to the QTH/Qinghai-Tibet Railway(QTR),which is effectively a measure of the density of human engineering,was the dominant factor influencing bacterial community diversity.The diversity of bacterial communities shows that 16S rRNA gene abundance decreased in relation to proximity to the QTH and QTR in both alpine wetland and meadow areas.The dominant phyla across all samples were Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria.The concentration of Cr and Cd in the soil were positively correlated with proximity to the QTH and QTR(MC/WC sam pling sites),and Ni,Co,and V were positively correlated with proximity to the QTH and QTR(MA/WA sampling sites).The results presented in this study provide an insight into the relationships among heavy metals and soil microbial commu nities,and have important implications for assessing and predicting the impacts of human-induced activities from the QTH and QTR in such an extreme and fragile environment.