scholarly journals Response of Leaf Biomass, Leaf and Soil C:N:P Stoichiometry Characteristics to Different Site Conditions and Forest Age: A Case of Pinus Tabuliformis Plantations in the Temperate Mountainous Area of China

Author(s):  
Ping Liu ◽  
Lijiao Wang ◽  
Xin Jing ◽  
Lei Yu ◽  
Yutao Wang

Abstract Background: Ecological stoichiometry is an important index that reflects the element cycle and ecosystem stability. In this study, two sites (sunny and shady slopes) and five forest ages (young forest, middle-aged forest, near-mature forest, mature forest, and over-mature forest) in a Pinus tabuliformis plantation were chosen to illustrate the effects of forest age and site on the biomass and stoichiometric characteristics of leaves and soils in the temperate mountainous area of China. Results: For all forest ages, the biomass, leaf total carbon, leaf total nitrogen, leaf total phosphorus of the leaves of P. tabuliformis on sunny slopes were all higher than those on shady slopes, while the nitrogen and phosphorus contents of the leaves showed the opposite of this. The biomass of leaves increased on sunny slopes, and increased first and then decreased in shady slopes with increasing forest age. The contents of soil total carbon (STC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) decreased with increasing soil depth, while the soil total phosphorus (STP) and soil available phosphorus (SAP) contents displayed the opposite. In addition to SAP, the average content of STC, STN, and STP in shady slopes was higher than that in sunny slopes, and the ratio was the opposite. Except for STC:STN on shady slopes, the other ratios showed a downward trend with an increase in soil depth. Excluding the topsoil, the change trend of STC:STP and STN:STP in shady slopes and sunny slopes was consistent with forest age. Conclusions: The results showed that forest age and site conditions had significant effects on leaf biomass. The biomass of the leaves is mainly limited by nitrogen. In management, it is recommended to plant on sunny slopes, especially in the young stage of P. tabuliformis plantation. In addition, it is suggested to apply a reasonable amount of nitrogen fertilizer to increase leaf biomass.

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11873
Author(s):  
Lijiao Wang ◽  
Xin Jing ◽  
Jincheng Han ◽  
Lei Yu ◽  
Yutao Wang ◽  
...  

Carbon distribution in plants and ecological stoichiometry in soils are important indicators of element cycling and ecosystem stability. In this study, five forest ages, young forest (YF), middle-aged forest (MAF), near-mature forest (NMF), mature forest (MF), and over-mature forest (OMF) in a Pinus tabuliformis plantation were chosen to illustrate interactions among the C: N: P stoichiometry in soils and carbon distribution in plants, in the mountainous area of eastern Liaoning, China. Carbon content was highest in the leaves of MAF (505.90 g⋅kg−1) and NMF (509.00 g⋅kg−1) and the trunks of YF (503.72 g⋅kg−1), MF (509.73 g⋅kg−1), and OMF (504.90 g⋅kg−1), and was lowest in the branches over the entire life cycle of the aboveground components (335.00 g⋅kg−1). The carbon content of the fine roots decreased with soil layer depth. In YF, MAF, and NMF carbon content of fine roots at 0.5 m was always higher than that of fine roots at 1 m; however, it was the opposite in MF and OMF. The carbon content of the leaves changed with forest age; however, carbon content of branches, trunks and fine roots did not change significantly. Soil total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and available phosphorus (AP) content was highest in the OMF. Soil TC, TN and AP content, and TC: TN, TC: TP and TN: TP ratio decreased with increasing soil depth. Soil TC, TN, and TP content had a significant effect on the carbon content of fine roots (p < 0.05). The leaf carbon content and soil element content changed obviously with forest age, and the soil TN, TP and AP increased, which might reduce the carbon content allocation of fine roots.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaqian Wang ◽  
David Werner ◽  
David Manning

&lt;p&gt;Reducing carbon footprint has increasingly become an important topic regarding the management of industries and universities from different fields. Newcastle University promised to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2040, and the first process from this ambitious target is to produce a 43% reduction by July 2020, against a 2005/06 baseline. According to the report from Carbon Management Plan 2019 of Newcastle University, there are still 1,720 tons of carbon that should be reduced or offset during this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two farms were investigated in this project: Nafferton Farm (NF) and Cockle Park Farm (CP) . Soil sampling was conducted within each field at three depth increment (0-30 cm, 30-60 cm and 30-90 cm) separately. Except for soil analysis, this study also chooses some plots in the woodlands around two farms to estimate the carbon storage by various vegetation species, and these two sections will offer comprehensive information about the quality and quantity of carbon in two farms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On average, the percentage of total carbon (TC) from all soil profiles was higher under woodland than crop fields in CP. Because the hectare of crop fields is greater than woodland, the sum of total carbon in individual soil layers from the areas is comparatively larger in crop lands, where C stock is 14,122 tons, 6,017 tons, 5,437 tons for the 0-30 cm layers, 30-60 cm layers and 60-90 cm layers, respectively. Meanwhile, the data is 1, 905 tons, 822 tons, and 648 tons for three soil depth layers in the woodland of CP. In Nafferton Farm, the value of TC from the corresponding soil layers is 17,841 tons, 6,844 tons, 6,177 tons separately.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The results attained so far represent that TC and soil organic carbon (SOC) &amp;#160;in each farm are all statistically significantly different (p&lt; 0.001) with respect to soil depth, but differences were not significant with respect to crop and tree species grown in a single area. Moreover, TC in surface soil of NF is statistically higher (p&lt; 0.01) than that in CP. In Cockle Park Farm, C contents from woodland were considerably higher than those in crop fields (p&lt; 0.001) and the difference of TC and SOC at individual depth layer cannot be ignored. Gross carbon sequestration of plants in woodland is 150.64 tons&amp;#8217; annually, which was calculated by i-Tree Ecosystem Analysis. Simultaneously, the total carbon of trees, including leaf biomass and tree trunks, is in a range of 3,198- 4,096 tons in the woodland of CP. Consequently, the current quality of carbon in topsoil from the whole fields of two farms and the woodland of CP is 35,610 tons which is over four times as high as the estimated carbon emission produced by University in 2019/20 ( 8, 181 tons).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Overall, it is recommended that the management team of university should attach importance to the operation of two farms. The expectation of mitigating 1,720 ton&amp;#8217;s carbon in the short term can be fulfilled if the management department considers converting 58.79 ha crop fields to mixed-species woodland.&lt;/p&gt;


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongwei Xu ◽  
Qing Qu ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
Ziqi Guo ◽  
Entemake Wulan ◽  
...  

The Loess Plateau is an important region for vegetation restoration in China; however, changes in soil organic carbon (SOC), soil nutrients, and stoichiometry after restoration in this vulnerable ecoregion are not well understood. Typical restoration types, including orchardland, grassland, shrubland, and forestland, were chosen to examine changes in the stocks and stoichiometry of SOC, soil total nitrogen (TN), and soil total phosphorus (TP) at different soil depths and recovery times. Results showed that SOC stocks first increased and then stabilized in orchardland, grassland, and shrubland at 0–30 cm depths, while in forestland, SOC stocks gradually increased. Soil TN stocks first increased and then decreased in orchardland, shrubland, and forestland with restoration age at 0–30 cm depths, while soil TP stocks showed little variation between restoration types; at the same time, the overall C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios increased with restoration age. In the later stages of restoration, the stocks of SOC and soil TN at 0–30 cm soil depths were still lower than those in natural grassland and natural forest. Additionally, the SOC, soil TN, and soil TP stocks and the C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios decreased with soil depth. The forestland had the highest rate of change in SOC and soil TN stocks, at 0–10 cm soil depth. These results indicate a complex response of SOC, soil TN, and soil TP stocks and stoichiometry to vegetation restoration, which could have important implications for understanding C, N, and P changes and nutrient limitations after vegetation restoration.


2013 ◽  
Vol 726-731 ◽  
pp. 3828-3831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Ting Yang ◽  
Yong Gao ◽  
Guo Zheng Yao ◽  
Peng Li

Ground surface subsidence will cause enormous impact to ecological environment in Coal Gob. But the study concerning the effect of the surface subsidence on soil nutrients is little. Taking Bulianta (Sandstorm--subsidence Area) and Yujialiang (Loess-subsidence Area) coal mine in Shenfu-Dongsheng coal field as study object, The characteristics of soil nutients in non-collapse area and the effect of collapse on soil nutrients are sdudied systematicly by Field sampling and laboratory analysis.The results showed that: With the increasing of soil depth, total soil nutrient content gradually reduced in both stduy areas, While in Sandstorm-subsidence Area, Total nitrogen and total phosphorus increased with soil depth. The total nitrogen and total phosphorus in Sandstorm-subsidence Area is lower than those in Loess-subsidence Area, but the total K is higher than that in Loess-subsidence Area. In a word, the effect of coal mining subsidence on total soil nutrients in both Areas is on the small side.


Author(s):  
Hongwei Xu ◽  
Qing Qu ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
Ziqi Guo ◽  
Entemake Wulan ◽  
...  

The Loess Plateau is an important region for vegetation restoration in China, however, changes in soil organic carbon (SOC), soil nutrients, and stoichiometry after restoration in this vulnerable ecoregion are not well understood. Typical restoration types, including orchardland (OL), grassland (GL), shrubland (SL), and forestland (FL) were chosen to examine changes in the stocks and stoichiometry of SOC, soil total nitrogen (TN), and soil total phosphorus (TP) at different soil depths and recovery times. Results showed that SOC stocks first increased and then stabilized in OL, GL, and SL at 0&ndash;30 cm depth, while in FL, stocks gradually increased. Soil TN stocks first increased and then decreased in OL, SL, and FL with vegetation age at 0&ndash;30 cm depth, while soil TP stocks showed little variation between restoration types. In the later stages of restoration, the stocks of SOC and soil TN at 0&ndash;30 cm soil depth were still lower than those in natural grassland (NG) and natural forest (NF). The overall C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios increased with vegetation age. Additionally, the SOC, soil TN and soil TP stocks, and C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios decreased with soil depth. The FL had the highest rate of change in SOC and soil TN stocks, at 0-10 cm soil depth. These results indicate a complex response of SOC, soil TN, and soil TP stocks and stoichiometry to vegetation restoration, which could have important implications for understanding C, N, and P changes and nutrient limitations after vegetation restoration.


1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.-H. Schierup ◽  
H. Brix

Since 1983 approximately 150 full-scale emergent hydrophyte based wastewater treatment plants (reed beds) have been constructed in Denmark to serve small wastewater producers. The development of purification performance for 21 plants representing different soil types, vegetation, and hydraulic loading rates has been recorded. Cleaning efficiencies were typically in the range of 60-80% reduction for BOD, 25-50% reduction for total nitrogen, and 20-40% reduction for total phosphorus. The mean effluent BOD, total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations of the reed beds were 19 ± 10, 22 ± 9 and 6.7 ± 3.2 mg/l (mean ± SD), respectively. Thus, the general Danish effluent standards of 8 mg/l for N and 1.5 mg/l for P for sewage plants greater than 5,000 PE cannot be met by the present realised design of EHTS. The main problem observed in most systems is a poor development of horizontal hydraulic conductivity in the soil which results in surface run-off. Since the political demands for effluent quality will be more strict in the future, it is important to improve the performance of small decentral sewage treatment plants. On the basis of experiences from different types of macrophyte based and conventional low-technology wastewater treatment systems, a multi-stage system is suggested, consisting of sedimentation and sand filtration facilities followed by basins planted with emergent and submergent species of macrophytes and algal ponds.


Our Nature ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-54
Author(s):  
Ram Bhajan Mandal ◽  
Sunila Rai ◽  
Madhav Kumar Shrestha ◽  
Dilip Kumar Jha ◽  
Narayan Prasad Pandit

An experiment was carried to assess the effect of red algal bloom on growth and production of carp, water quality and profit from carp for 120 days at Aquaculture Farm of Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan. The experiment included two treatments: carp polyculture in non-red pond and carp polyculture in red pond with algal bloom each with three replicates. Carp fingerlings were stocked at 1 fish/m2 and fed with pellet containing 24% CP at 3% body weight. Net yield of rohu was found significantly higher (p<0.05) in non-red ponds (0.38±0.01 t ha-1) than red ponds (0.24±0.05 t ha-1). Survival of rohu (84.9±1.4%), bighead (95.2±2.0%) and mrigal (88.1±14.4%) were also significantly higher (p<0.05) in non-red ponds than red ponds. Red algal bloom affected DO, nitrate and chlorophyll-a, nitrite, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total dissolved solids and conductivity. However, overall carp production and profit from carp remained unaffected.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 656-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Hacke Ribeiro ◽  
Nerilde Favaretto ◽  
Jeferson Dieckow ◽  
Luiz Cláudio de Paula Souza ◽  
Jean Paolo Gomes Minella ◽  
...  

Water degradation is strongly related to agricultural activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of land use and some environmental components on surface water quality in the Campestre catchment, located in Colombo, state of Parana, Brazil. Physical and chemical attributes were analyzed (total nitrogen, ammonium, nitrate, total phosphorus, electrical conductivity, pH, temperature, turbidity, total solids, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen). Monthly samples of the river water were taken over one year at eight monitoring sites, distributed over three sub-basins. Overall, water quality was worse in the sub-basin with a higher percentage of agriculture, and was also affected by a lower percentage of native forest and permanent preservation area, and a larger drainage area. Water quality was also negatively affected by the presence of agriculture in the riparian zone. In the summer season, probably due to higher rainfall and intensive soil use, a higher concentration of total nitrogen and particulate nitrogen was observed, as well as higher electrical conductivity, pH and turbidity. All attributes, except for total phosphorus, were in compliance with Brazilian Conama Resolution Nº 357/2005 for freshwater class 1. However, it should be noted that these results referred to the base flow and did not represent a discharge condition since most of the water samples were not collected at or near the rainfall event.


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