Review of study on mineralization, saturation and cycle of Nitrogen in forest ecosystems

Nitrogen is one of the most important elements that can limit plant growth in forest ecosystems. Studies of nitrogen mineralization, nitrogen saturation and nitrogen cycle in forest ecosystems is very necessary for understanding the productivity of stand, nutrient cycle and turnover of nitrogen of forest ecosystems. Based on comparison and analysis of domestic and in-ternational academic references related to studies on nitrogen mineralization, nitrogen saturation and nitrogen cycle in recent 10 years, the current situation and development of the study on these aspects, and the problems existed in current researches were reviewed. At last, some advices were given for future researches.

Soil nitrogen transformations varied with plant community under Nanchang urban forests in mid-subtropical zone of China

Soil N transformations using the polyvinyl chloride （PVC） closed-top tube in situ incubation method were studied in Nanchang urban forests of the mid-subtropical region of China in different months of 2007. Four plots of 20 m × 20 m were established in four different plant communities that represented typical successional stages of forest development including shrubs, coniferous forest, mixed forest and broad- leaved forest. Average concentrations of soil NH4^＋-N from January to December were not different among the four plant communities. The concentrations of soil NO3^--N and mineral N, and the annual rotes of ammonification, nitrification and net N-mineralization under the early successional shrub community and coniferous forest were generally lower than that of the late successional mixed and broad-leaved forests （p〈0.05）. Similar differences among the plant communities were also shown in the relative nitrification index （NH4^＋-N/NO3^--N） and relative nitrification intensity （nitrification rate/net N-mineralization rate）. The annual net N-mineralization rate was increased from younger to older plant communities, from 15.1 and 41.4 kg.ha^-1.a^-1 under the shrubs and coniferous forest communities to 98.0 and 112.9 kg.ha^-1.a^-1 under the mixed and broad-leaved forests, respectively. Moreover, the high annual nitrification rates （50-70 kg.ha^-1.a^-1） and its end product, NO3-N （2.4-3.8 mg·kg^-1）, under older plant communities could increase the potential risk of N loss. Additionally, the temporal patterns of the different soil N variables mentioned above varied with different plant community due to the combined affects of natural biological processes associated with forest maturation and urbanization. Our results indicated that urban forests are moving towards a state of＂N saturation＂ （extremely niUification rate and NO3^--N content） as they mature.

Effect of forest thinning on hydrologic nitrate exports from a Nsaturated plantation

Although several studies have assessed the effects of thinning on water quality,including nitrogen(N)exports,few have examined N-saturated plantations.This study assessed the short-term effect of thinning on N exports from a N-saturated plantation forest in northern Kyushu,western Japan,that was thinned(43%of basal area)during January-March 2012.Water levels at the gauging station were continually measured,and streamwater baseflow and stormflow samples were collected before(2011)and after(2013)forest thinning.Annual precipitation before(2469 mm)and after(2418 mm)forest thinning differed little,and annual water discharge after thinning(1641 mm)was similar to that before thinning(1609 mm).However,direct flow during stormflow periods was higher after thinning(260 mm)than before(153 mm).The concentrations of major ions in stream water did not differ before and after thinning.As a result,the high annual dissolved inorganic N(DIN)exports differed little before(35.8 kg N ha^-1 a^-1)and after(36.5 kg N ha^-1 a^-1)forest thinning.DIN exports during stormflow periods were slightly higher after(12.2 kg N ha^-1 a^-1)than before thinning(10.5 kg N ha^-1 a^-1)and were proportional to the increased direct flow after thinning(561 mm after vs.470 mm before thinning).We concluded that thinning does not affect annual N exports from the N-saturated plantation forest,but it can increase the proportion of N exported during stormflow periods in proportion to increased water volume of direct flow after thinning.