Interactive effects of soil temperature and moisture on soil N mineralization in a Stipa krylovii grassland in Inner Mongolia, China

Determining soil N mineralization response to soil temperature and moisture changes is challenging in the field due to complicated effects from other factors. In the laboratory, N mineralization is highly dependent on temperature, moisture and sample size. In this study, a laboratory incubation experiment was carefully designed and conducted under controlled conditions to examine the effects of soil temperature and moisture on soil N mineralization using soil samples obtained from the Stipa krylovii grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. Five temperature（i.e. 9℃, 14℃, 22℃, 30℃ and 40℃） and five moisture levels（i.e. 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% WHC, where WHC is the soil water holding capacity） were included in a full-factorial design. During the 71-day incubation period, microbial biomass carbon（MBC）, ammonium nitrogen（NH4 ^＋-N） and nitrate nitrogen（NO3^--N） were measured approximately every 18 days; soil basal respiration for qCO2 index was measured once every 2 days（once a week near the end of the incubation period）. The results showed that the mineral N production and net N mineralization rates were positively correlated with temperature; the strongest correlation was observed for temperatures between 30℃ and 40℃. The relationships between moisture levels and both the mineral N production and net N mineralization rates were quadratic. The interaction between soil temperature and moisture was significant on N mineralization, i.e. increasing temperatures（moisture） enhanced the sensitivity of N mineralization to moisture（temperature）. Our results also showed a positive correlation between the net nitrification rate and temperature, while the correlation between the NH4 ^＋-N content and temperature was insignificant. The net nitrification rate was negatively correlated with high NH4 ^＋-N contents at 80%–100% WHC, suggesting an active denitrification in moist conditions. Moreover, qCO2 index was positively correlated with temperature, especially at 80% WHC. With a low net nitrification rate and high soil basal respiration rate, it was likely that the denitrification concealed the microbial gross mineralization activity; therefore, active soil N mineralization occurred in 60%–80% WHC conditions.

Nitrogen Mineralization from Animal Manures and Its Relation to Organic N Fractions

Laboratory aerobic incubation was conducted for 161 d to study N mineralization and the changes of organic N fractions of nine different manures（3 chicken manures, 3 pig manures and 3 cattle manures） from different farms/locations. Results indicated that significant（P〈0.01 or P〈0.001） difference existed in N mineralization between manures. The rapid N mineralization in manures occurred during 56 to 84 d of incubation. First order exponential model can be used to describe N mineralization from chicken manures and pig manures, while quadratic equation can predict mineralization of organic N from cattle manures. An average of 21, 19 and 13% added organic N from chicken manure, pig manure and cattle manure was mineralized during 161 d of incubation. Amino acid-N was the main source of N mineralization. The changes of amino acid-N together with ammonium N could explain significantly 97 and 96% of the variation in mineralized N from manured soils and manures. Amino acid-N and ammonium N are two main N fractions in determining N mineralization potential from manures. Amino acid-N contributed more to the mineralized N than ammonium N.

Carbon and nitrogen mineralization in soil of leguminous trees in a degraded pasture in northern Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Use of legume trees can improve soil quality in degraded pastures. The aim of this study was to charac- terize C and N mineralization kinetics and estimate the potentially mineralizable C and N in soil under Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth. and Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth. secondary forest and pasture in red-yellow latosols in southeast Brazil. We conducted a laboratory aerobic incubation experiment using a completely ran- domized design of four replicates and four types of plant cover using a modified version of the Stanford and Smith technique （1972） to study C and N mineralization potential. Potentially mineralizable N （No） ranged from 135 to 170 mg kg-1. The predominant form of mineral N for all types of plant cover was N-NO3-. M. caesalpiniifolia was the only species that had a positive influence on N min- eralization. Neither of the legumes influenced C mineral- ization in pasture or secondary forest. The model of N mineralization corresponded to a sigmoidal curve while C mineralization corresponded to an exponential curve, revealing that the N and C mineralization processes were distinct. N mineralized by M. caesalpiniifolia （216 kg ofN ha-1） was adequate to meet the N requirement for a livestock-forest system.

Dynamic response of chlorsulfuron herbicide to nitrogen mineralization and the ratio of microbial biomass nitrogen to nitrogen mineralization in the soil

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to elucidate the effect of chlorsulfuron herbicide on nitrogen mineralization and the ratio of microbial biomass nitrogen to nitrogen mineralization (N mic /N min ratio) in loamy sand soil.The herbicide was applied at four levels that were control, field rate 0\^01 (FR), 10 times of field rate 0\^1(10FR),and 100 times of field rate 1\^0 (100FR) μg/g soil. Determinations of N\|mineralization and microbial biomass\|N content were carried out 1,3,5,7,10,15,25 and 45 days after herbicide application. In comparison to untreated soil, the N\|mineralization decreased significantly in soil treated with herbicide at levels 10FR and 100FR within the first 5 days incubation. A more considerable reduction in the N mic /N min ratio was observed in the herbicide treated soil than the non\|treated control.Among the different treatment of chlorsulfuron, 100FR displayed the greatest biocidal effect followed by 10FR and FR,showing their relative toxicity in the order of 100FR>100FR>FR.The results indicated that the side effect of this herbicide on N\|mineralization is probably of little ecological significance.

N-cycle gene abundance determination of N mineralization rate following re-afforestation in the Loess Plateau of China

Afforestation effectively improved soil microbial communities and significantly increased soil nitro-gen mineralization rate(Rm).Soil microorganisms drive Rm by regulating soil N-cycling genes.Soil nitrification genes had a major effect on soil Rm than denitrification genes after afforestation.Assessing the function of forest ecosystems requires an understanding of the mechanism of soil nitrogen mineralization.However,it remains unclear how soil N-cycling genes drive soil nitrogen mineralization during afforestation.In this study,we collected soil samples from a chrono-sequence of 14,20,30,and 45 years of Robinia pseudoacacia L.(RP14,RP20,RP30,and RP45)with a sloped farmland(FL)as a control.Through metagenomic sequencing analysis,we found significant changes in the diversity and composition of soil microbial communities involved in N-cycling along the afforestation time series,with afforestation effectively increasing the diversity(both alpha and beta diversity)of soil microbial communities.We conducted indoor culture experiments and analyzed correlations,which revealed a significant increase in both soil nitrification rate(Rn)and soil nitrogen mineralization rate(Rm)with increasing stand age.Furthermore,we found a strong correlation between soil Rm and soil microbial diversity(both alpha and beta diversity)and with the abundance of soil N-cycling genes.Partial least squares path modeling(PLS-PM)analysis showed that nitrification genes(narH,narY,nxrB,narG,narZ,nxrA,hao,pmoC-amoC)and denitrification genes(norB,nosZ,nirK)had a greater direct effect on soil Rm compared to their effect on soil microbial communities.Our results reveal the relationships between soil nitrogen mineralization rate and soil microbial communities and between the mineralization rate and functional genes involved in N-cycling,in the context of Robinia pseudoacacia L.restoration on the Loess Plateau.This study enriches the understanding of the effects of microorganisms on soil nitrogen mineralization rate during afforestation and provides a new theoretical basis for evaluating soil nitrogen mineralization mechanisms during forest succession.

Combined effects of two sulfonylurea herbicides on soil microbial biomass and N-mineralization

The interaction effect of two sulfonylurea herbicides, bensulfuron methyl (B) and metsulfuron methyl(M), were tested on microbial biomass C, N, N mineralization and C/N ratio in a loamy sand soil. The herbicides were applied at various levels of: control (B0M0), 0.01 and 0.01 (B1M1), 0.01 and 0.1 (B1M2), and 0.01 and 1.0 (B1M3) μg/g soil. Determinations of soil microbial biomass C, N and N mineralization contents were carried out at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 25 and 45 days after herbicides application. The results showed that the soil microbial biomass C (C mic ) and microbial biomass N (N mic ) decreased consistently with the increasing rates of herbicides. The results further indicated that B1M1 and B1M2 caused a significant reduction in C mic and N mic within first 10 and 7 days of incubation, respectively, as compared with the control. These reductions in C mic and N mic were also significant ( P =0.05) with B1M3 application especially within first 15 days of incubation. A significant reduction in N mineralization (N min) was observed with high doses (B1M2, B1M3) of herbicides within first 5 days of incubation, while low rate (B1M1) failed to produce any significant effect. An increase in the soil microbial biomass C:N ratio was also noted.

Effect of lignite amendment on carbon and nitrogen mineralization from raw and composted manure during incubation with soil

The application of animal manure as a source of plant nutrients requires the determination of the amount and pattern of nutrient mineralization from manure.A laboratory incubation study was conducted to investigate the influence of lignite amendment and lignite type on carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)mineralization in raw(feedstock)and composted cattle manure following application to soil at 30 and 60 t ha^(-1).The mineralization of C and N was determined by measuring changes in CO_(2) evolution and mineral N(NH_(4)^(+)-N+NO_(3)^(-)-N)over 40 d.The results showed that lignite amendment suppressed the amount of manure C mineralized in both feedstock and compost,with the effect being more pronounced in the compost.Over the 40-d incubation,the percentage of applied C mineralized was 26.4%-27.8%and 16.3%-21.4%in unamended and lignite-amended feedstocks,respectively.The corresponding C mineralized in the composts was 12.4%-14.1%and 3.5%-6.5%.Lignite had no significant effect on the net N mineralized in compost(4.8%-6.7%and2.5%-7.8%in unamended and lignite-amended composts,respectively).Lignite had either no effect or increased the net N mineralized in feedstock(from3.2%-8.7%without lignite to 10.4%-13.5%)depending on the type of lignite used.This study suggests that using lignite-amended manure,especially when composted,has the potential to build up soil organic C without limiting the availability of mineral N.

Impact of land-use management on nitrogen transformation in a mountain forest ecosystem in the north of Iran

Soil inorganic N is one of the most important soil quality indexes, which may be influenced by land-use change. The historical conversion of land-use from native vegetation to agriculture resulted in sharp declines in soil N dynamics. This study was conducted to determine the soil inorganic N concentrations and net N mineralization rate in four common types of land-uses in the mountain forest area in the north of Iran, namely arable land, pine plantation, ash plantation, and beech stand. The soil samples were taken from top mineral soil layer （5 cm） in each site randomly （n=6） during August- September 2010. Beech stand and ash plantation showed significantly higher total nitrogen compared with arable land and pine plantation, while extractable NH4 ＋-N concentration was significantly greater in Beech stand compare to arable soils （p〈0.05）. No significantly difference was found in Net N mineralization, net nitrification and net ammonification rates among different land-uses. Results showed that net N mineralization and ammonification were occurred just in the soil of Ash plantation during the incubation time. Our findings suggested that conversion of Hyrcanian forests areas to pine plantation and agricultural land can disrupt soil natural activities and affect extremely soil quality.

Effects of Soluble Organic N on Evaluating Soil N-Supplying Capacity

It is important to study the soluble organic N （SON） extracted during water-logged incubation for evaluating soil Nsupplying capacity. Soil initial SON and mineral N （Nmin）, cumulative soluble organic N and NH4＋-N in leachates during water-logged incubation, mineralization potentials of both easily decomposable N （ND） and resistant N （NR）, and their relationships with N uptake by crop in pot experiment were investigated by using 10 kinds of farmland soils with widely different physical and chemical properties on the Loess Plateau, China, and the effects of SON on evaluating soil Nsupplying capacity were studied. The results showed that the average content of initial SON （23.9 mg kg^-1） of 10 soils was 28.8% of initial total soluble N and 2.4% of soil total N. The percentage of cumulative SON in leaching total soluble N （118.1 mg kg^-1 was 46.4%, higher than the percentage of initial SON （28.8%）, and almost close to the percentage of cumulative NH4^＋-N in the leachates. ND had close correlation with total N, and the correlation coefficients were 0.92 （P 〈 0.01, excluding SON in estimating ND） and 0.88 （P 〈 0.01, including SON in estimating ND）, respectively. N mineralization potential and mineralization rate constant were different with the soil types. ND of Los-Orthic Entisols and Ust-Sandiic Entisols were lower than that of Eum-Orthrosols. Mineralization rate constant for the fast decomposable N-fraction （kD） decreased and the mineralization rate constant of resistant materials （kR） increased when SON was taken into account. Cumulative NH4^＋-N was a better evaluation index of soil N-supplying capacity, and it is not only suitable for the first season crops but also for two successive season crops. Cumulative SON alone was not a satisfactory index for the potential of mineralizable N. But it would be more accurate for ND in revealing the potential mineralizable N when SON was taken into account. Cumulative TSN, to some extent, could also be taken as an index for the potential mineralizable N. Cumulative NH4＋-N, total soluble N, and ND were good indexes for estimating soil potential mineralizable N, especially for soils of two successive season crops. And cumulative total soluble N and ND in evaluating the permanence of soil N-supply is of greater significance when SON was included.

Linking changes in the soil microbial community to C and N dynamics during crop residue decomposition

Crop residues are among the main inputs that allow the organic carbon(C)and nutrients to be maintained in agricultural soil.It is an important management strategy that can improve soil fertility and enhance agricultural productivity.This work aims to evaluate the extent of the changes that may occur in the soil heterotrophic microbial communities involved in organic matter decomposition and C and nitrogen(N)mineralization after the addition of crop residues.Soil microcosm experiments were performed at 28℃ for 90 days with the addition of three crop residues with contrasting biochemical qualities:pea(Pisum sativum L.),rapeseed(Brassica napus L.),and wheat(Triticum aestivum L.).Enzyme activities,C and N mineralization,and bacterial and fungal biomasses were monitored,along with the bacterial and fungal community composition,by the highthroughput sequencing of 16 S rRNA and ITS genes.The addition of crop residues caused decreases in β-glucosidase and arylamidase activities and simultaneous enhancement of the C mineralization and net N immobilization,which were linked to changes in the soil microbial communities.The addition of crop residues decreased the bacterial and fungal biomasses 90 days after treatment and there were shifts in bacterial and fungal diversity at the phyla,order,and genera levels.Some specific orders and genera were dependent on crop residue type.For example,Chloroflexales,Inquilinus,Rubricoccus,Clitocybe,and Verticillium were identified in soils with pea residues;whereas Thermoanaerobacterales,Thermacetogenum,and Hypoxylon were enriched in soils with rapeseed residues,and Halanaerobiales,Rubrobacter,and Volutella were only present in soils with wheat residues.The findings of this study suggest that soil C and N dynamics in the presence of the crop residues were driven by the selection of specific bacterial and fungal decomposers linked to the biochemical qualities of the crop residues.If crop residue decomposition processes showed specific bacterial and fungal operational taxonomic unit(OTU)signatures,this study also suggests a strong functional redundancy that exists among soil microbial communities.

Nitrous oxide fluxes from upland soils in central Hokkaido,Japan

Nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes from soils were measured using the closed chamber method during the snow-free seasons (middle April to early November),for three years,in a total of 11 upland crop fields in central Hokkaido,Japan.The annual mean N2O fluxes ranged from 2.95 to 164.17 μgN/(m2·h),with the lowest observed in a grassland and the highest in an onion field.The instantaneous N2O fluxes showed a large temporal variation with peak emissions generally occurring following fertilization and heavy rainfall eve...

Soil mineral nitrogen and yield-scaled soil N2O emissions lowered by reducing nitrogen application and intercropping with soybean for sweet maize production in southern China

The increasing demand for fresh sweet maize （Zea mays L. saccharata） in southern China has prioritized the need to find solutions to the environmental pollution caused by its continuous production and high inputs of chemical nitrogen fertilizers. A promising method for improving crop production and environmental conditions is to intercrop sweet maize with legumes. Here, a three-year field experiment was conducted to assess the influence of four different cropping systems （sole sweet maize （SS）, sole soybean （SB）, two rows sweet maize-three rows soybean （S2B3） intercropping, and two rows sweet maize-four rows soybean （S2B4） intercropping）, together with two rates of N fertilizer application （300 and 360 kg N ha-1） on grain yield, residual soil mineral N, and soil N2O emissions in southern China. Results showed that in most case, inter- cropping achieved yield advantages （total land equivalent ratio （TLER=0.87-1.25） was above one）. Moreover, intercropping resulted in 39.8% less soil mineral N than SS at the time of crop harvest, averaged over six seasons （spring and autumn in each of the three years of the field experiment）. Generally, intercropping and reduced-N application （300 kg N ha-1） produced lower cumulative soil N20 and yield-scaled soil N20 emissions than SS and conventionaI-N application （360 kg N ha-l）, respectively. $2B4 intercropping with reduced-N rate （300 kg N ha-~） showed the lowest cumulative soil N20 （mean value=0.61 kg ha-1） and yield-scaled soil N20 （mean value=0.04 kg t-1） emissions. Overall, intercropping with reduced-N rate maintained sweet maize production, while also reducing environmental impacts. The system of S2B4 intercropping with reduced-N rate may be the most sustainable and environmentally friendly cropping system.

Estimation of the Biological Methods of Assessing Soil N-Supplying Capacity in Calcareous Soil

Although many biological methods are used to determine soil nitrogen supplying capacity, there are certain differences in the results for different types of soils and various ways of measurement due to the complexity of soil N conformation, the high variance of soil and microorganism, and the difference of environment. Therefore, it is not clear about which biologic incubation method is better for calcareous soil. In this study, pot experiments were performed by using 25 different calcareous surface soil samples on the Loess Plateau and taking the N uptake of wheat and corn with leaching soil initial nitrate and without leaching in pot experiments as the control to investigate the difference of eight biological incubation methods for reflecting soil nitrogen supply capacity. The eight biological methods are waterlogged incubation, aerobic incubation for 2 weeks and for 4 weeks, dry-wet alternation aerobic incubation for 2 weeks, long-term alternate leaching aerobic incubation （and N mineralization potential, No）, short-term leaching aerobic incubation, microbial biomass carbon （Bc）, and microbial biomass nitrogen （BN） method, respectively. Among these methods, the dry-wet alternation aerobic incubation and aerobic incubation for 4 weeks were the modification of the method of aerobic incubation for 2 weeks according to the actual farmland moisture. The results showed that the correlation coefficients between these methods and crop uptake N with leaching soil initial nitrate were 0.530, 0.700, 0.777, 0.768, 0.764 （and 0.790, No）, 0.650, 0.555, and 0.465, respectively （r0.05 = 0.369, r0.0l = 0.505）. While without leaching soil initial nitrate, their coefficients were 0.351, 0.963, 0.962, 0.959, 0.825 （and0.812, No）, 0.963, 0.289, and 0.095, respectively （r0.05 = 0.369, r0.01 = 0.505）. In conclusion, excluding the soil initial nitrate, the correlation coefficients between the eight methods and crop uptake N were, from high to low, N0, aerobic incubation for 4 weeks, dry-wet alternation aerobic incubation for 2 weeks, and long-term alternate leaching aerobic incubation, while including the soil initial nitrate the correlation coefficients between them increased significantly and the values were all beyond 0.950 for these four methods, including aerobic incubation for 2 weeks and for 4 weeks, dry-wet alternation aerobic incubation for 2 weeks and short-term leaching aerobic incubation. The waterlogged incubation method, Bc and BN in the calcareous soil, had lower correlation coefficient with crop uptake nitrogen compared with other methods. Thus, dry-wet alternation aerobic incubation for 2 weeks was a better index for evaluating calcareous soil N supply capacity due to some other methods having disadvantages and not suitable for the actual farmland characteristics.

Soil under dead or live organic matter systems:Effect of European shag(Phalacrocorax aristotelis L.)nesting on soil nematodes and nutrient mineralization

Here we studied whether soil systems differ if they are under the influence of live(plants)or dead organic matter systems(nest)in terms of C and N mineralization,microbiological characteristics and nematode trophic group structure.We analyzed physicochemical and microbiological properties of soils inside and outside nests of the European shag(Phalacrocorax aristotelis L.)on the Cies Islands(NW Spain).We sampled fresh soil below dead(nests)and live organic matter(plants)(paired samples,n=7).Soil of nests had lower organic matter and higher electric conductivity and dissolved organic C and extractable N contents than the soil of plants.Microbial biomass and activity were greater in soil of nests than in soil of plants.The abundance of nematode trophic groups(bacterivores,fungivores,omnivores and herbivores)differred between soils of nests and plants,and the soil of plants supported a more abundant and diverse nematode community.The present results points to that source of organic matter promote differences in the decomposer community,being more efficient in soil of nests because C mineralization is greater.Further,this occurred independently of the complexity of the systems,higher in the soil of plants with more groups of nematodes.

Nitrogen fertilization has minimal influence on rhizosphere effects of smooth crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum) and bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)

Aims Plants generally respond to nitrogen(N)fertilization with increased growth,but N addition can also suppress rhizosphere effects,which consequently alters soil processes.We quantified the influence of N addition on rhizosphere effects of two C4 grasses:smooth crabgrass(Digitaria ischaemum)and bermudagrass(Cynodon dactylon).Methods Plants were grown in nutrient-poor soil for 80 days with either 20 or 120μg NH4No3-N g dry soil−1.N mineralization rates,microbial biomass,extracellular enzyme activities and bacterial community structure were measured on both rhizosphere and bulk(unplanted)soils after plant harvest.Important Findings Fertilization showed nominal differences in net N mineralization,extracellular enzyme activity and microbial biomass between the rhizosphere and bulk soils,indicating minimal influence of N on rhizosphere effects.Instead,the presence of plant roots showed the strongest impact(up to 80%)on rates of net N mineralization and activities of three soil enzymes indicative of N release from organic matter.Principal component analysis of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism(t-rFlP)also reflected these trends by highlighting the importance of plant roots in structuring the soil bacterial community,followed by plant species and N fertilization(to a minor extent).overall,the results indicate minor contributions of short-term N fertilization to changes in the magnitude of rhizos-phere effects for both grass species.

Plant carbon substrate supply regulated soil nitrogen dynamics in a tallgrass prairie in the Great Plains, USA: results of a clipping and shading experiment

Land use management affects plant carbon(C)supply and soil environments and hence alters soil nitrogen(N)dynamics,with consequent feedbacks to terrestrial ecosystem productivity.The objective of this study was to better identify mechanisms by which land-use management(clipping and shading)regulates soil N in a tallgrass prairie,OK,USA.Methods We conducted 1-year clipping and shading experiment to investigate the effects of changes in land-use management(soil microclimates,plant C substrate supply and microbial activity)on soil inorganic N(NH_(4)^(+)-N and NO_(3)^(-)-N),net N mineralization and nitrification in a tallgrass prairie.Important Findings Land-use management through clipping and/or shading significantly increased annual mean inorganic N,possibly due to lowered plant N uptake and decreased microbial N immobilization into biomass growth.Shading significantly increased annual mean mineralization rates(P<0.05).Clipping slightly decreased annual mean N nitrification rates whereas shading significantly increased annual mean N nitrification rates.Soil microclimate significantly explained 36%of the variation in NO_(3)^(-)-N concentrations(P=0.004).However,soil respiration,a predictor of plant C substrate supply and microbial activity,was negatively correlated with NH_(4)^(+)-N concentrations(P=0.0009),net N mineralization(P=0.0037)and nitrification rates(P=0.0028)across treatments.Our results suggest that change in C substrate supply andmicrobial activity under clipping and/or shading is a critical control on NH_(4)^(+)-N,net N mineralization and nitrification rates,whereas clipping and shading-induced soil microclimate change can be important for NO_(3)^(-)-N variation in the tallgrass prairie.

Effects of snow absence on available N pools and enzyme activities within soil aggregates in a spruce forest on the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Winter climate change has great potential to affect the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.In particular,increased soil frost associated with reduced insulating snow cover may impact the soil nitrogen(N)dynamics in cold ecosystems,but little is known about the variability of these effects among the soil aggregates.A snow manipulation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of snow absence on N cycling within soil aggregates in a spruce forest on the eastern Tibetan Plateau of China.The extractable soil available N(ammonium and nitrate),net N mineralization rate,and N cycling-related enzyme activities(urease,nitrate reductase,and nitrite reductase)were measured in large macroaggregate(>2 mm),small macroaggregate(0.25–2 mm),and microaggregate(<0.25 mm)during the early thawing period in the years of 2016 and 2017.Snow absence increased soil N availabilities and nitrite reductase activity in microaggregate,but did not affect net N mineralization rate,urease or nitrate reductase activities in any of the aggregate fractions.Regardless of snow manipulations,both soil inorganic N and nitrate reductase were higher in small macroaggregate than in the other two fractions.The effect of aggregate size and sampling year was significant on soil mineral N,net N mineralization rate,and nitrite reductase activity.Our results indicated that snow cover change exerts the largest impact on soil N cycling within microaggregate,and its effect is dependent on winter conditions(e.g.,snow cover and temperature).Such findings have important implications for soil N cycling in snow-covered subalpine forests experiencing pronounced winter climate change.

A field experimental study on the impact of Acer platanoides,an urban tree invader,on forest ecosystem processes in North America

Background:Invasive species affect community dynamics and ecosystem functions,but the mechanisms of their impacts are poorly understood.Hypotheses on invasion impact range from Superior Competitor to Novel Function,from Enemy Escape to Microbial Mediation.In this study,we examined the effects of an urban tree invader,Acer platanoides(Norway maple,NM),on a mesic deciduous forest in contrast to its native congener Acer rubrum(red maple,RM)with a split-plot design experiment.A total of 720 maple seedlings were transplanted to 72 plots under 24 trees of three canopy types.The three experimental treatments were removal of resource competition at above-and belowground and removal of leaf-litter effect.Soil moisture and nitrogen-related microbial activities were followed for each plot.Results:We found that partial canopy removal increased canopy openness and light transmission to the forest floor,but to a greater extent under NM than under RM trees.NM seedlings were more shade tolerant than RM seedlings in height growth.During the reciprocal transplantation in the mixed forest,biomass accumulation of NM seedlings under RM trees were twice as much as under NM,while that of RM seedlings under NM trees was 23.5%less than under RM.Soil net nitrification and relative nitrification were significantly higher,but mineralization rate was much lower under NM than under RM trees,which would lead to faster N leaching and lower N availability in the soil.Plots with litter removal had significantly higher seedling mortality due to herbivory by the end of 2 years,especially for NM seedlings under NM trees.Trenching enhanced soil water availability but there was no difference among canopy types.Conclusions:Our results demonstrated that invasion of NM not only altered forest canopy structure but also changed herbivory rate for seedlings and N dynamics in the soils.NM seedlings were more shade tolerant under NM canopies than RM seedlings and were more protected by NM litter under NM canopies than under RM canopies.These altered biotic and abiotic environments will likely facilitate further invasion of NM in the forests,hence positive feedbacks,and make it an increasingly serious tree invader in North America.

Nitrapyrin effectiveness in reducing nitrous oxide emissions decreases at low doses of urea in an Andosol

In the tropics,frequent nitrogen(N)fertilization of grazing areas can potentially increase nitrous oxide(N_(2)O)emissions.The application of nitrification inhibitors has been reported as an effective management practice for potentially reducing N loss from the soil-plant system and improving N use efficiency(NUE).The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the co-application of nitrapyrin(a nitrification inhibitor,NI)and urea in a tropical Andosol on the behavior of N and the emissions of N_(2)O from autotrophic and heterotrophic nitrification.A greenhouse experiment was performed using a soil(pH 5.9,organic matter content 78 g kg^(-1),and N 5.6 g kg^(-1))sown with Cynodon nlemfuensis at 60%water-filled pore space to quantify total N_(2)O emissions,N_(2)O derived from fertilizer,soil ammonium(NH_(4)^(+))and nitrate(NO_(3)^(-)),and NUE.The study included treatments that received deionized water only(control,NI).No significant differences were observed in soil NH_(4)^(+)content between the UR and UR+NI treatments,probably because of soil mineralization and NO_(3)^(-)produced by heterotrophic nitrification,which is not effectively inhibited by nitrapyrin.After 56 d,N_(2)O emissions in UR(0.51±0.12 mg N_(2)O-N concluded that the soil organic N mineralization and heterotrophic nitrification are the main processes of NH_(4)^(+)and NO_(3)^(-)production.Additionally,it was found that N_(2)O emissions were partially a consequence of the direct oxidation of the soil's organic N via heterotrophic nitrification coupled to denitrification.Finally,the results suggest that nitrapyrin would likely exert significant mitigation on N_(2)O emissions only if a substantial N surplus exists in soils with high organic matter content.

Source of inorganic N affects the cost of growth in a legume tree species(Virgilia divaricata)from the Mediterrean-type Fynbos ecosystem

Aims In Mediterranean-type ecosystem,the Cape Fynbos,legumes may be able to switch between soil N and atmospheric N_(2) sources during growth to adjust the carbon costs of N acquisition.This study investigated the utilization of different inorganic N sources by Virgilia divaricata,a native legume from the Mediterranean-type ecosystem of the Cape Floristic Region.Methods Plants were cultivated in sterile quartz sand,supplied with 25%strength Long Ashton nutrient solution,modified to contain 500μM Phosphate.At the phosphate level(500μM),plants were treated with 500μM NH_(4)NO_(3)(treatment named N),or grown in N-free nutrient solution and inoculated with effective Burkholderia sp.(Bact.)or treated with combined N sources(500μM NH_(4)NO_(3))and inoculated with effective Burkholderia sp.(N+Bact.).Important Findings The application of NH_(4)NO_(3) to the legumes resulted in a greater increase in plant dry matter.Carbon construction costs were higher in plants that were supplied with mineral and symbiotic N sources.Maximum photosynthetic rates per leaf area was maintained,irrespective of the N sources.Although the plant roots were nodulated,the plant dependence on N_(2) fixation decreased with addition of N.Roots and nodules of the plants solely reliant on N_(2) fixation showed an increase in glutamine content.These results show that V.divaricata is highly adapted for growth at the forest margin.Fynbos and possibly anthropic soils by utilizing both atmospheric and soil N sources.