scholarly journals Effect of Short-Term Low-Nitrogen Addition on Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus of Vegetation-Soil in Alpine Meadow

Author(s):  
Zhen’an Yang ◽  
Wei Zhan ◽  
Lin Jiang ◽  
Huai Chen

As one of the nitrogen (N) limitation ecosystems, alpine meadows have significant effects on their structure and function. However, research on the response and linkage of vegetation-soil to short-term low-level N deposition with rhizosphere processes is scant. We conducted a four level N addition (0, 20, 40, and 80 kg N ha−1 y−1) field experiment in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) from July 2014 to August 2016. We analyzed the community characteristics, vegetation (shoots and roots), total carbon (TC), nutrients, soil (rhizosphere and bulk) properties, and the linkage between vegetation and soil under different N addition rates. Our results showed that (i) N addition significantly increased and decreased the concentration of soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) and ammonium nitrogen, and the soil pH, respectively; (ii) there were significant correlations between soil (rhizosphere and bulk) NO3−-N and total nitrogen (TN), and root TN, and there was no strong correlation between plant and soil TC, TN and total phosphorus, and their stoichiometry under different N addition rates. The results suggest that short-term low-N addition affected the plant community, vegetation, and soil TC, TN, TP, and their stoichiometry insignificantly, and that the correlation between plant and soil TC, TN, and TP, and their stoichiometry were insignificant.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Quan Li ◽  
Changhui Peng ◽  
Junbo Zhang ◽  
Yongfu Li ◽  
Xinzhang Song

AbstractForest soils play an important role in controlling global warming by reducing atmospheric methane (CH4) concentrations. However, little attention has been paid to how nitrogen (N) deposition may alter microorganism communities that are related to the CH4 cycle or CH4 oxidation in subtropical forest soils. We investigated the effects of N addition (0, 30, 60, or 90 kg N ha−1 yr−1) on soil CH4 flux and methanotroph and methanogen abundance, diversity, and community structure in a Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) forest in subtropical China. N addition significantly increased methanogen abundance but reduced both methanotroph and methanogen diversity. Methanotroph and methanogen community structures under the N deposition treatments were significantly different from those of the control. In N deposition treatments, the relative abundance of Methanoculleus was significantly lower than that in the control. Soil pH was the key factor regulating the changes in methanotroph and methanogen diversity and community structure. The CH4 emission rate increased with N addition and was negatively correlated with both methanotroph and methanogen diversity but positively correlated with methanogen abundance. Overall, our results suggested that N deposition can suppress CH4 uptake by altering methanotroph and methanogen abundance, diversity, and community structure in subtropical Moso bamboo forest soils.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geshere Abdisa Gurmesa ◽  
Xiankai Lu ◽  
Per Gundersen ◽  
Yunting Fang ◽  
Qinggong Mao ◽  
...  

Abstract. Natural abundance of 15N (δ15N) in plants and soils can provide integrated information on ecosystem nitrogen (N) cycling, but it has not been well tested in warm and humid sub-tropical forests. In this study, we examined the measurement of δ15N for its ability to assess changes in N cycling due to increased N deposition in an old-growth broadleaved forest and a secondary pine forest in a high N deposition area in southern China. We measured δ15N of inorganic N in input and output fluxes under ambient N deposition, and N concentration (N %) and δ15N of major ecosystem compartments under ambient and after decadal N addition at 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1. Our results showed that the N deposition was δ15N-depleted (−12 ‰) mainly due to high input of depleted NH4+-N. Plant leafs in both forest were also δ15N-depleted (−4 to −6 ‰). The old-growth forest had higher plant and soil N %, and was more 15N-enriched in most ecosystem compartments relative to the pine forest. Nitrogen addition did not significantly affect N % in both forests, indicating that the ecosystem pools are already N-rich. Soil δ15N was not changed significantly by the N addition in both forests. However, the N addition significantly increased the δ15N of plants toward the 15N signature of the added N (~ 0 ‰), indicating incorporation of added N into plants. Thus, plant δ15N was sensitive to ecosystem N input manipulation although N % was unchanged in these N-rich sub-tropical forests. We interpret the depleted δ15N values of plants as an imprint from the high and δ15N-depleted N deposition. The signal from the input (deposition or N addition) may override the enrichment effects of fractionation during the steps of N cycling that are observed in most warm and humid forests. Thus, interpretation of ecosystem δ15N values from high N deposition regions need to include data on the deposition δ15N signal.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Yu ◽  
Dongliang Cheng ◽  
Baoyin Li ◽  
Chaobin Xu ◽  
Zhongrui Zhang ◽  
...  

Research Highlights: Short-term nitrogen (N) addition did not significantly alter the effects of seasonal drought on the leaf functional traits in Machilus pauhoi Kanehira seedlings in N-rich subtropical China. Background and Objectives: Seasonal drought and N deposition are major drivers of global environmental change that affect plant growth and ecosystem function in subtropical China. However, no consensus has been reached on the interactive effects of these two drivers. Materials and Methods: We conducted a full-factorial experiment to analyze the single and combined effects of seasonal drought and short-term N addition on chemical, morphological and physiological traits of M. pauhoi seedlings. Results: Seasonal drought (40% of soil field capacity) had significant negative effects on the leaf N concentrations (LNC), phosphorus (P) concentrations (LPC), leaf thickness (LT), net photosynthetic rate (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (Gs), and predawn leaf water potential (ψPD), and significant positive effects on the carbon:N (C:N) ratio and specific leaf area (SLA). Short-term N addition (50 kg N·hm−2·year−1 and 100 kg N·hm−2·year−1) tended to decrease the C:N ratio and enhance leaf nutrient, growth, and photosynthetic performance because of increased LNC, LPC, LT, leaf area (LA), SLA, A, E, and ψPD; however, it only had significant effects on LT and Gs. No significant interactive effects on leaf traits were detected. Seasonal drought, short-term N addition, and their interactions had significant effects on soil properties. The soil total C (STC), nitrate N (NO3−-N) and soil total N (STN) concentrations were the main factors that affected the leaf traits. Conclusions: Seasonal drought had a stronger effect on M. pauhoi seedling leaf traits than short-term N deposition, indicating that the interaction between seasonal drought and short-term N deposition may have an additive effecton M. pauhoi seedling growth in N-rich subtropical China.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Ning Zong ◽  
Peili Shi

To investigate how clipping (CL) regulates the effects of nutrient addition, an experiment, including CL and nitrogen (N) addition, was conducted in an alpine meadow. Nitrogen treatment increased community coverage (48–113% higher than the control) and aboveground biomass (29–117% higher than the control), which was mainly attributed to grass growth. Both N and N + CL treatments showed a tendency to reducing species richness, while significant reduction only occurred in 2016 and 2017 in CL treatment. Clipping showed a tendency to decrease community cover (3–37% lower than the control) and aboveground biomass (2–34% lower than the control), while N + CL treatment had no effect, indicating that clipping can eliminate the simulated effects of N addition. Nitrogen addition significantly increased soil inorganic N (SIN, 528–1230% higher than the control), while SIN in N + CL was 25–48% lower than N treatment. The decrease in stimulated effects in N + CL was attributed to SIN decrease, which resulted from the aboveground biomass removal by clipping. Our results show that clipping can take away aboveground biomass and cause soil nutrients to decrease, which slows down the degraded grassland recovery. This suggests that grazing exclusion may eliminate the effect of nitrogen deposition on aboveground production in alpine grasslands.


Soil Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongfei Liu ◽  
Sha Xue ◽  
Guoliang Wang ◽  
Guobin Liu

Increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition caused by human activities has potentially important effects on ecosystem carbon (C) dynamics and different effects on C fractions with different stabilities and chemical compositions. A better understanding of the responses of different C fractions to N addition is vital for maintaining soil quality and protecting vegetation. In order to investigate the differential effects of N addition on total soil organic carbon (SOC) and four SOC fractions with increasing degrees of oxidisability in Pinus tabuliformis rhizospheric and bulk soils, a 6-year pot experiment was performed testing the effects of the addition of N at rates of 2.8, 5.6, 11.2, 22.4 and 44.8 g m–2 year–1 compared with a control (CK) group (no N addition). Addition of N addition had significant (P < 0.05) effects on SOC fractions of very labile C (C1) and recalcitrant C (C4), but negligible effects on total SOC (TOC) and SOC fractions of labile C (C2) and less labile C (C3). The C1 content and ratio of C1 to TOC in rhizospheres decreased following the addition of low levels (N2.8–N5.6) of N, but increased after the addition of high levels (N11.2–N44.8) of N, with minimum values obtained after the addition of 11.2 N g m–2 year–1. Low rates (N2.8–N5.6) of N addition considerably increased C4 and the ratio of C4 to TOC in the rhizosphere, whereas addition of high rates (N11.2–N44.8) of N decreased these parameters. The responses of C1 and C4 in the bulk soil to N addition were opposite. The SOC fraction was significantly higher in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil, indicating large rhizospheric effects. However, increased N addition weakened these effects. These findings suggest that low rates (N2.8–N5.6) of N addition stabilise SOC against chemical and biological degradation, whereas increased rates of N addition increase the lability of SOC in the bulk soil. Thus, the rhizosphere plays a vital role in soil carbon stability and sequestration in response to N addition.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiying Cui ◽  
Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo ◽  
Wei Sun ◽  
Jian-Ying Ma ◽  
Wenzheng Song ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;Plant phosphorus (P) resorption, mutualistic symbiosis with mycorrhizas, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and soil organic P mineralization are crucial strategies for acquiring sufficient P to meet plant nutrient demand. Which is the main strategy, however, responding to elevated nitrogen (N) addition to alleviate P deficiency caused by N enrichment remains unclear in terrestrial ecosystems. We explored the responses of foliar P resorption of dominate species (Leymus chinensis), soil microbial properties and organic P mineralization to multi-level N addition in a temperate meadow steppe, Northeast China. We found the enhancements in plant biomass, microbial biomass C and N (MBC, MBN), alkaline phosphatase activities (ALP), and phoD gene abundance (main gene coded soil ALP), while the reductions in soil pH, available P, microbial biomass P, and AMF abundance, and no significant responses of foliar P content under simulative N deposition. When the rates exceeded the threshold 10 g N m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;yr&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;, plants and microbes had little additional responses to N enrichment. Notably, N addition had distinct effects on three plant P acquisition strategies, that no conspicuous increase in P resorption efficiency, reduced dependence on mutualistic with AMF symbiosis and accelerated organic P mineralization. A positive correlation between ALP activity, phoD gene abundance and P mineralization rate suggested increases in phosphatase activities and its functional gene copies play crucial roles in organic P mineralization. Nitrogen addition aggravated P deficiency to the production of plant and microbial biomass, which further accelerated soil organic P mineralization and foliar P resorption. Due to lack of plasticity in P resorption efficiency and reduced dependence on mutualistic with AMF symbiosis, however, the organic P mineralization dominated in P acquisition to meet increased P demand. Furthermore, the increase in ALP activities, activation of phoD genes and decrease in soil pH were the main pathways to accelerate organic P mineralization and consequently alleviated P deficiency caused by anthropogenic N deposition, especially at conditions of N saturation. Our results provide strong evidences that N addition can accelerate the rate of P cycling and mobilize plant P uptake strategies such as soil organic P mineralization and leaf P resorption, which are important to better maintain sustainable ecosystem development in the more fertilized word.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0500602), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570470, 31870456), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2412018ZD010), and the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (B16011). H.C. acknowledges support from Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC).&lt;/p&gt;


2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darian N Smercina ◽  
Sarah E Evans ◽  
Maren L Friesen ◽  
Lisa K Tiemann

ABSTRACT Cellulosic bioenergy crops, like switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), have potential for growth on lands unsuitable for food production coupled with potential for climate mitigation. Sustainability of these systems lies in identifying conditions that promote high biomass yields on marginal lands under low-input agricultural practices. Associative nitrogen fixation (ANF) is a potentially important nitrogen (N) source for these crops, yet ANF contributions to plant N, especially under fertilizer N addition are unclear. In this study, we assess structure (nifH) and function (ANF) of switchgrass root-associated diazotrophic communities to long-term and short-term N additions using soil from three marginal land sites. ANF rates were variable and often unexpectedly high, sometimes 10× greater than reported in the literature, and did not respond in repeatable ways to long-term or short-term N. We found few impacts of N addition on root-associated diazotrophic community structure or membership. Instead, we found a very consistent root-associated diazotrophic community even though switchgrass seeds were germinated in soil from field sites with distinct diazotrophic communities. Ultimately, this work demonstrates that root-associated diazotrophic communities have the potential to contribute to switchgrass N demands, independent of N addition, and this may be driven by selection of the diazotrophic community by switchgrass roots.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. eaaw5790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinzhang Song ◽  
Changhui Peng ◽  
Philippe Ciais ◽  
Quan Li ◽  
Wenhua Xiang ◽  
...  

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition affects the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of ecosystems through the net atmospheric CO2 exchange and the emission of non-CO2 GHGs (CH4 and N2O). We quantified the effects of N deposition on biomass increment, soil organic carbon (SOC), and N2O and CH4 fluxes and, ultimately, the net GHG budget at ecosystem level of a Moso bamboo forest in China. Nitrogen addition significantly increased woody biomass increment and SOC decomposition, increased N2O emission, and reduced soil CH4 uptake. Despite higher N2O and CH4 fluxes, the ecosystem remained a net GHG sink of 26.8 to 29.4 megagrams of CO2 equivalent hectare−1 year−1 after 4 years of N addition against 22.7 hectare−1 year−1 without N addition. The total net carbon benefits induced by atmospheric N deposition at current rates of 30 kilograms of N hectare−1 year−1 over Moso bamboo forests across China were estimated to be of 23.8 teragrams of CO2 equivalent year−1.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (17) ◽  
pp. 3947-3956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Song ◽  
Jian Sun ◽  
Qingping Zhou ◽  
Ning Zong ◽  
Linghao Li ◽  
...  

Abstract. Increases in nitrogen (N) deposition can greatly stimulate ecosystem net carbon (C) sequestration through positive N-induced effects on plant productivity. However, how net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) and its components respond to different N addition rates remains unclear. Using an N addition gradient experiment (six levels: 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 gN m−2 yr−1) in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, we explored the responses of different ecosystem C fluxes to an N addition gradient and revealed mechanisms underlying the dynamic responses. Results showed that NEE, ecosystem respiration (ER), and gross ecosystem production (GEP) all increased linearly with N addition rates in the first year of treatment but shifted to N saturation responses in the second year with the highest NEE (−7.77 ± 0.48 µmol m−2 s−1) occurring under an N addition rate of 8 gN m−2 yr−1. The saturation responses of NEE and GEP were caused by N-induced accumulation of standing litter, which limited light availability for plant growth under high N addition. The saturation response of ER was mainly due to an N-induced saturation response of aboveground plant respiration and decreasing soil microbial respiration along the N addition gradient, while decreases in soil microbial respiration under high N addition were caused by N-induced reductions in soil pH. We also found that various components of ER, including aboveground plant respiration, soil respiration, root respiration, and microbial respiration, responded differentially to the N addition gradient. These results reveal temporal dynamics of N impacts and the rapid shift in ecosystem C fluxes from N limitation to N saturation. Our findings bring evidence of short-term initial shifts in responses of ecosystem C fluxes to increases in N deposition, which should be considered when predicting long-term changes in ecosystem net C sequestration.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document