Soil microbial respiration responses of nitrogen addition: Evidence from a long-time semi-arid grassland soil incubation

Author(s):  
Zhaomin Wang ◽  
Zhongmiao Liu ◽  
Binhui Guo ◽  
Zhengchao Qi ◽  
Decao Niu ◽  
...  

<p>Nitrogen is essential for the synthesis of key cellular compounds such as proteins and nucleic acids in all organisms, and it is one of the limiting elements in most terrestrial ecosystems. During past decades, terrestrial ecosystems nutrients availability have altered with nitrogen deposition increases rapidly so that under the soil microbial metabolism activities terrestrial ecosystem biogeochemical cycles are strongly affected. Therefore, maintaining the stability of soil carbon pools, especially microbial carbon pools has great importance for studying global carbon cycle and global climate change processes. Depending on whether soil microbial has already adapted to the environment nitrogen concentration, there exists different results, such as promotion, inhibition, and no impact. To date, how nitrogen will affect soil microbial respiration still has controversy. To determine the effects, we performed a 59 weeks incubation with the soil which has already treated with Urea for 9 years. The soil has been treated with four N addition levels in a semi-arid grassland where located in North-west part of China. We measured CO<sub>2</sub> effluxion under different treatments within the same temperature. Our results showed that during the first 8 weeks, soil microbial had strong responses about N addition and N9.2 showed greatest influence with soil microbial respiration. With the time passing, in the time of 9-59 weeks, N0 had highest soil microbial respiration rate while N2.3 was the lowest, this illustrated N2.3 had highest N use efficient (NUE), in order to meet soil microbial stoichiometry, microbial growth became strong C-limitation under the N2.3 treatment. What’s more, comparing with other studies which we shared same study area, we also found that the time of nitrogen application also had strong effect on soil microbial respiration. These results highlight the importance of microbial respiration and may also help us to have a better understand about how N deposition controls terrestrial C flows.</p>

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.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Song ◽  
Jian Sun ◽  
Qingping Zhou ◽  
Ning Zong ◽  
Shuli Niu

Abstract. The rising nitrogen (N) deposition could increase ecosystem net carbon (C) sequestration by stimulating plant productivity. However, how net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) and its components respond dynamically to rising N deposition is far from clear. Using an N addition gradient experiment (six levels: 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 gN m−2 year−1) in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, we explored the responses of different ecosystem C fluxes to an increasing N loading 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 N addition rate of 8 gN m−2 year−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 decreases in aboveground plant respiration and soil microbial respiration under high N addition, while the N-induced reduction in soil pH caused declines in soil microbial respiration. 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. The results reveal temporal dynamics of N impacts and the rapid shift of ecosystem C cycle from N limitation to N saturation. These findings are helpful for better understanding and model projection of future terrestrial C sequestration under rising N deposition.


2008 ◽  
Vol 311 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 19-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naili Zhang ◽  
Shiqiang Wan ◽  
Linghao Li ◽  
Jie Bi ◽  
Mingming Zhao ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahab IbrahimPour ◽  
Alireza KhavaninZadeh ◽  
Ruhollah Taghizadeh mehrjardi ◽  
Hans De Boeck ◽  
Alvina Gul

Abstract Destructive mining operations are affecting large areas of natural ecosystems, especially in arid lands. The present study aims at investigating the impact of iron mine exploitation on vegetation and soil in Nodoushan (Yazd province, central Iran). Based on the dominant wind, topography, slope, vegetation and soil of the area, soil and vegetation parameters close to ​the mine were recorded and analyzed according to the distance from the mine. In order to obtain the vegetation cover, a transect and plot on the windward and leeward side of the mine, with 100 m intervals and three replicates at each sampling location was used, yielding 96 soil samples. The amount of dust on the vegetation, the seed weight and seed germination rate of Artemisia sp. as the dominant species within the area, and the soil microbial respiration were measured. The relationship between vegetation cover and distance from the mine was not linear, which was due to an interplay between pollution from the mine and local grazing, while other factors did increase or decrease linearly. The results showed that, as the distance from the mine increased, the weight of 1000 seeds of Artemisia sp. was significantly increased from 271 to 494 mg and seed germination rate and soil microbial respiration were significantly increased from 11.7 to 48.4 % and from 4.5 to 5.9 mg CO2 g− 1 soil day− 1 respectively, while the amount of dust significantly decreased from 43.5 to 6 mg (g plant)−1 between the distance of 100 to 600 m from the mine in the leeward direction. A similar trend was observed in the windward side, though negative effects were lower compared to the same distance along the leeward sample locations. The direct and indirect effects on plant growth and health from mining impacts generally decreased linearly with increasing distance from the mine, up to at least 600 m. Our study serves as a showcase for the potential of bio-indicators as a cost-effective method for assessing impacts of mining activities on the surrounding environment.


2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1092-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain P. Hartley ◽  
David W. Hopkins ◽  
Mark H. Garnett ◽  
Martin Sommerkorn ◽  
Philip A. Wookey

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