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Wang Z, Li T, Lu C, Wang C, Wu H, Li X, Cai J, Feng X, Liu H, Zhang Y, Han X, Li H, Jiang Y. Mowing aggravates the adverse effects of nitrogen addition on soil acid neutralizing capacity in a meadow steppe. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 362:121293. [PMID: 38833923 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Soil acidification induced by reactive nitrogen (N) inputs is a major environmental issue in grasslands, as it lowers the acid neutralizing capacity (ANC). The specific impacts of different N compound forms on ANC remain unclear. Grassland management practices like mowing and grazing can remove a considerable amount of soil N and other nutrients, potentially mitigating soil acidification by removing N from the ecosystem or aggravating it by removing base cations. However, empirical evidence regarding the joint effects of adding different forms of N compounds and mowing on ANC changes in different-sized soil aggregates is still lacking. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by examining the effects of three N compounds (urea, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate) combined with mowing (mown vs. unmown) on soil ANC in different soil aggregate sizes (>2000 μm, 250-2000 μm, and <250 μm) through a 6-year field experiment in Inner Mongolia grasslands. We found that the average decline in soil ANC caused by ammonium sulfate (AS) addition (-78.9%) was much greater than that by urea (-25.0%) and ammonium nitrate (AN) (-52.1%) as compared to control. This decline was attributed to increased proton (H+) release from nitrification and the leaching of exchangeable Ca2+ and Mg2+. Mowing aggravated the adverse effects of urea and AN on ANC, primarily due to the reduction in soil organic matter (SOM) contents and the removal of exchangeable Ca2+, K+, and Na + via plant biomass harvest. This pattern was consistent across all aggregate fractions. The lack of variation in soil ANC among different soil aggregate fractions is likely due to the contrasting trend in the distribution of exchangeable Ca2+ and Mg2+. Specifically, the concentration of exchangeable Ca2+ increased with increasing aggregate size, while the opposite was true for that of exchangeable Mg2+. These findings underscore the importance of considering the forms of N compounds when assessing the declines of ANC induced by N inputs, which also calls for an urgent need to reduce N emissions to ensure the sustainable development of the meadow ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhirui Wang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
| | - Tianpeng Li
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, PR China.
| | - Changming Lu
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China.
| | - Cong Wang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China.
| | - Hui Wu
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China.
| | - Xinyue Li
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China; College of Environment, Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110044, PR China.
| | - Jiangping Cai
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
| | - Xue Feng
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
| | - Heyong Liu
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China; College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, PR China.
| | - Yuge Zhang
- College of Environment, Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110044, PR China.
| | - Xingguo Han
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, PR China.
| | - Hui Li
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
| | - Yong Jiang
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, PR China.
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Hassani A, Smith P, Shokri N. Negative correlation between soil salinity and soil organic carbon variability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317332121. [PMID: 38669180 PMCID: PMC11067061 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317332121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is vital for terrestrial ecosystems, affecting biogeochemical processes, and soil health. It is known that soil salinity impacts SOC content, yet the specific direction and magnitude of SOC variability in relation to soil salinity remain poorly understood. Analyzing 43,459 mineral soil samples (SOC < 150 g kg-1) collected across different land covers since 1992, we approximate a soil salinity increase from 1 to 5 dS m-1 in croplands would be associated with a decline in mineral soils SOC from 0.14 g kg-1 above the mean predicted SOC ([Formula: see text] = 18.47 g kg-1) to 0.46 g kg-1 below [Formula: see text] (~-430%), while for noncroplands, such decline is sharper, from 0.96 above [Formula: see text] = 35.96 g kg-1 to 4.99 below [Formula: see text] (~-620%). Although salinity's significance in explaining SOC variability is minor (<6%), we estimate a one SD increase in salinity of topsoil samples (0 to 7 cm) correlates with respective [Formula: see text] declines of ~4.4% and ~9.26%, relative to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The [Formula: see text] decline in croplands is greatest in vegetation/cropland mosaics while lands covered with evergreen needle-leaved trees are estimated with the highest [Formula: see text] decline in noncroplands. We identify soil nitrogen, land cover, and precipitation Seasonality Index as the most significant parameters in explaining the SOC's variability. The findings provide insights into SOC dynamics under increased soil salinity, improving understanding of SOC stock responses to land degradation and climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pete Smith
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, AberdeenAB24 3UU, United Kingdom
| | - Nima Shokri
- Institute of Geo-Hydroinformatics, Hamburg University of Technology, 21073Hamburg, Germany
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Liu C, Liu J, Wang J, Ding X. Effects of Short-Term Nitrogen Additions on Biomass and Soil Phytochemical Cycling in Alpine Grasslands of Tianshan, China. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1103. [PMID: 38674511 PMCID: PMC11054463 DOI: 10.3390/plants13081103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The nitrogen deposition process, as an important phenomenon of global climate change and an important link in the nitrogen cycle, has had serious and far-reaching impacts on grassland ecosystems. This study aimed to investigate the survival adaptation strategies of plants of different functional groups under nitrogen deposition, and the study identified the following outcomes of differences in biomass changes by conducting in situ simulated nitrogen deposition experiments while integrating plant nutrient contents and soil physicochemical properties: (1) nitrogen addition enhanced the aboveground biomass of grassland communities, in which Poaceae were significantly affected by nitrogen addition. Additionally, nitrogen addition significantly influenced plant total nitrogen and total phosphorus; (2) nitrogen addition improved the plant growth environment, alleviated plant nitrogen limitation, and promoted plant phosphorus uptake; and (3) there was variability in the biomass responses of different functional groups to nitrogen addition. The level of nitrogen addition was the primary factor affecting differences in biomass changes, while nitrogen addition frequency was an important factor affecting changes in plant community structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Liu
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China; (C.L.); (J.W.); (X.D.)
- Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring and Restoration of Desert-Oasis, Ministry of Natural Resources Desert, Urumqi 830002, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Ministry of Education (Xinjiang University), Urumqi 830017, China
| | - Junjie Liu
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China; (C.L.); (J.W.); (X.D.)
- Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring and Restoration of Desert-Oasis, Ministry of Natural Resources Desert, Urumqi 830002, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Ministry of Education (Xinjiang University), Urumqi 830017, China
| | - Juan Wang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China; (C.L.); (J.W.); (X.D.)
- Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring and Restoration of Desert-Oasis, Ministry of Natural Resources Desert, Urumqi 830002, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Ministry of Education (Xinjiang University), Urumqi 830017, China
| | - Xiaoyu Ding
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China; (C.L.); (J.W.); (X.D.)
- Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring and Restoration of Desert-Oasis, Ministry of Natural Resources Desert, Urumqi 830002, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Ministry of Education (Xinjiang University), Urumqi 830017, China
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Wang Z, Tao T, Wang H, Chen J, Small GE, Johnson D, Chen J, Zhang Y, Zhu Q, Zhang S, Song Y, Kattge J, Guo P, Sun X. Forms of nitrogen inputs regulate the intensity of soil acidification. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:4044-4055. [PMID: 37186143 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Soil acidification induced by reactive nitrogen (N) inputs can alter the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. Because different N-transformation processes contribute to the production and consumption of H+ , the magnitude of acidification likely depends on the relative amounts of organic N (ON) and inorganic N (IN) inputs. However, few studies have explicitly measured the effects of N composition on soil acidification. In this study, we first conducted a meta-analysis to test the effects of ON or IN inputs on soil acidification across 53 studies in grasslands. We then compared soil acidification across five different ON:IN ratios and two input rates based on long-term field N addition experiments. The meta-analysis showed that ON had weaker effects on soil acidification than IN when the N addition rate was above 20 g N m-2 year-1 . The field experiment confirmed the findings from meta-analysis: N addition with proportions of ON ≥ 20% caused less soil acidification, especially at a high input rate (30 g N m-2 year-1 ). Structural equation model analysis showed that this result was largely due to a relatively low rate of H+ production from ON as NH3 volatilization and uptake of ON and NH4 + by the dominant grass species Leymus chinensis (which are both lower net contributors to H+ production) result in less NH4 + available for nitrification (which is a higher net contributor to H+ production). These results indicate that the evaluation of soil acidification induced by N inputs should consider N forms and manipulations of relative composition of N inputs may provide an effective approach to alleviate the N-induced soil acidification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Wang
- College of Agro-grassland Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tingting Tao
- College of Agro-grassland Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hu Wang
- College of Agro-grassland Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ji Chen
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- iCLIMATE Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Gaston E Small
- Department of Biology, University of St Thomas, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - David Johnson
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jihui Chen
- College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yingjun Zhang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Qichao Zhu
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Key Lab of Plant-Soil Interactions, MOE, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shengmin Zhang
- College of Resources and Environment, Jilin Agricultural University, Jilin, China
| | - Yantao Song
- College of Environment and Resources, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, China
| | - Jens Kattge
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Peng Guo
- School of Biological Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xiao Sun
- College of Agro-grassland Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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Zhou Z, Tian F, Zhao X, Zhang K, Han S. Short-term but not long-term perennial mugwort cropping increases soil organic carbon in Northern China Plain. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:975169. [PMID: 36299779 PMCID: PMC9589220 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.975169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Perennial cropping has been an alternative land use type due to its widely accepted role in increasing soil carbon sequestration. However, how soil organic carbon (SOC) changes and its underlying mechanisms under different cropping years are still elusive. A chronosequence (0-, 3-, 6-, 20-year) of perennial mugwort cropping was chosen to explore the SOC dynamics and the underlying mechanisms in agricultural soils of Northern China Plain. The results revealed that SOC first increased and then decreased along the 20-year chronosequence. The similar patterns were also found in soil properties (including soil ammonium nitrogen, total nitrogen and phosphorus) and two C-degrading hydrolytic enzyme activities (i.e., α-glucosidase and β-glucosidase). The path analysis demonstrated that soil ammonium nitrogen, total nitrogen, and plant biomass affected SOC primarily through the indirect impacts on soil pH, total phosphorus availability, and C-degrading hydrolytic enzyme activities. In addition, the contributions of soil properties are greater than those of biotic factors (plant biomass) to changes in SOC across the four mugwort cropping years. Nevertheless, the biotic factors may play more important roles in regulating SOC than abiotic factors in the long run. Moreover, SOC reached its maximum and was equaled to that under the conventional rotation when cropping mugwort for 7.44 and 14.88 years, respectively, which has critical implications for sustainable C sequestration of agricultural soils in Northern China Plain. Our observations suggest that short-term but not long-term perennial mugwort cropping is an alternative practice benefiting soil C sequestration and achieving the Carbon Neutrality goal in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenxing Zhou
- School of Biological and Food Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, China
- Taihang Mountain Forest Pests Observation and Research Station of Henan Province, Linzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Furong Tian
- School of Biological and Food Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, China
| | - Xiang Zhao
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Kunpeng Zhang
- School of Biological and Food Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, China
- Taihang Mountain Forest Pests Observation and Research Station of Henan Province, Linzhou, China
| | - Shijie Han
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
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6
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Lu X, Gilliam FS, Guo J, Hou E, Kuang Y. Decrease in soil pH has greater effects than increase in above‐ground carbon inputs on soil organic carbon in terrestrial ecosystems of China under nitrogen enrichment. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Lu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou China
- Department of Ecology School of Life Sciences Nanjing University Nanjing China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) Guangzhou China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany Guangzhou China
| | - Frank S. Gilliam
- Department of Biology University of West Florida Pensacola FL USA
| | - Jieyun Guo
- Department of Ecology School of Life Sciences Nanjing University Nanjing China
| | - Enqing Hou
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) Guangzhou China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany Guangzhou China
| | - Yuanwen Kuang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) Guangzhou China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany Guangzhou China
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