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Ji W, Li R, Qian X, Albasher G, Li Z. Microbial nitrogen mineralization is slightly affected by conversion from farmland to apple orchards in thick loess deposits. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:168268. [PMID: 37918737 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168268] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Organic nitrogen mineralization, indispensable to soil carbon and nitrogen cycles, is the largest contributor to nitrate reservoirs in deep vadose zones. The microbial nitrogen mineralization (MNM) within deep soils, particularly in regions with intensive agricultural activities and thick soil horizons, has been largely disregarded. As such, this study aims to address this knowledge gap by investigating the chiA-harboring microbial structure and network within nine 10-m profiles beneath cultivated farmland and two apple orchards. The results showed that apple orchards, compared to farmland, had considerable water deficit and nitrogen accumulation within deeper soil layers due to well-developed root systems and the overuse of chemical fertilizers. However, the chiA-harboring microbial diversity, composition, and abundance all exhibited significant variations with soil depths rather than being influenced by different land use types. Moreover, the diversity indices and gene abundances decreased with soil depths, and the related soil microbes included 19 phyla, 29 classes, 72 orders, 114 families, and 197 genera, with Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria being the two major bacterial phyla. The microbial co-occurrence network was simper beneath apple orchards. The chiA-harboring microorganisms within deep unsaturated zones were greatly influenced by the depth-dependent soil nutrients, such as total nitrogen, organic carbon, and available potassium. The limited plant root biomass and the inhibitory effects of dried soil layers both restricted the availability of carbon sources, which further interfered with the MNM processes within deep soils insignificantly. Therefore, despite the considerable plant-induced ecohydrological consequences, the depth-dependent MNM processes were slightly affected after the transformation from farmland to apple orchards within thick loess deposits. This study offers crucial insights into microbial dynamics of the deep biosphere, thereby contributing to our understanding of depth-dependent biogeochemical cycles within global deep unsaturated zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wangjia Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Ruifeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Xun Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Gadah Albasher
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
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2
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Lv P, Sun S, Li Y, Zhao S, Zhang J, Hu Y, Yue P, Zuo X. Plant composition change mediates climate drought, nitrogen addition, and grazing effects on soil net nitrogen mineralization in a semi-arid grassland in North China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:168282. [PMID: 37923269 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168282] [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: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Human activities induce alterations of the nitrogen (N) cycle, climate drought, and disturbance (e.g., livestock grazing) regimes at the global scale. Their individual, interactive, and combined effects on soil N cycling in grasslands are unclear. We investigated the N addition, drought, and grazing effects on the N mineralization, as well as their correlations with N-related variables, including the C4 species, shoot biomass (SB), root biomass (RB), plant total nitrogen (PTN), plant total carbon (PTC), soil total nitrogen (STN), soil total carbon (STC), and soil microbial N and C, during a three-year field experiment conducted in a semi-arid grassland in North China. The results showed that N addition increased the nitrate N (NO3--N) and ammonium N (NH4+-N) concentrations, whereas drought decreased the NO3--N concentration because of strengthened N limitation. Pronounced temporal variation in the N mineralization occurred under seasonal drought (maxima in August and September) and under its combination with N addition and grazing (minima in August). RB and the C4 species were positively correlated, whereas STC and the NO3--N concentration were negatively correlated with the N mineralization under the combined influence of the three factors. The structural equation model showed that at the site affected by all three factors, drought indirectly increased the N mineralization by reducing the NO3--N concentration, whereas N addition and grazing did not alter the N mineralization. N addition directly increased while indirectly reduced N mineralization by increasing the NO3--N concentration. Additionally, N addition and grazing increased the C4 species and decreased the STC, consequently enhanced N mineralization. These results highlight the predominant role of drought, when combined with N addition and grazing, in controlling the N mineralization. The N supply balance in semi-arid grasslands could be stabilized in response to increased N addition, climate drought, and grazing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Lv
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shanshan Sun
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuqiang Li
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shenglong Zhao
- College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui 741000, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Information Center, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ya Hu
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ping Yue
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaoan Zuo
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
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3
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Ju W, Fang L, Shen G, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Chen J, Zhou G, Ma D, Bing H, Liu L, Liu J, Jin X, Guo L, Tan W, Blagodatskaya E. New perspectives on microbiome and nutrient sequestration in soil aggregates during long-term grazing exclusion. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17027. [PMID: 37946660 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Grazing exclusion alters grassland soil aggregation, microbiome composition, and biogeochemical processes. However, the long-term effects of grazing exclusion on the microbial communities and nutrient dynamics within soil aggregates remain unclear. We conducted a 36-year exclusion experiment to investigate how grazing exclusion affects the soil microbial community and the associated soil functions within soil aggregates in a semiarid grassland. Long-term (36 years) grazing exclusion induced a shift in microbial communities, especially in the <2 mm aggregates, from high to low diversity compared to the grazing control. The reduced microbial diversity was accompanied by instability of fungal communities, extended distribution of fungal pathogens to >2 mm aggregates, and reduced carbon (C) sequestration potential thus revealing a negative impact of long-term GE. In contrast, 11-26 years of grazing exclusion greatly increased C sequestration and promoted nutrient cycling in soil aggregates and associated microbial functional genes. Moreover, the environmental characteristics of microhabitats (e.g., soil pH) altered the soil microbiome and strongly contributed to C sequestration. Our findings reveal new evidence from soil microbiology for optimizing grazing exclusion duration to maintain multiple belowground ecosystem functions, providing promising suggestions for climate-smart and resource-efficient grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenliang Ju
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Linchuan Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Utilization of Critical Non-metallic Mineral Resources, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Guoting Shen
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistemico, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
- Unidad Asociada CSIC-UPO (BioFun), Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Ji Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
| | - Guiyao Zhou
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistemico, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
- Unidad Asociada CSIC-UPO (BioFun), Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Dengke Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
| | - Haijian Bing
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ji Liu
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaolian Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
| | - Liang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
| | - Wenfeng Tan
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Evgenia Blagodatskaya
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany
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4
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Siebert J, Sünnemann M, Hautier Y, Risch AC, Bakker JD, Biederman L, Blumenthal DM, Borer ET, Bugalho MN, Broadbent AAD, Caldeira MC, Cleland E, Davies KF, Eskelinen A, Hagenah N, Knops JMH, MacDougall AS, McCulley RL, Moore JL, Power SA, Price JN, Seabloom EW, Standish R, Stevens CJ, Zimmermann S, Eisenhauer N. Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1220. [PMID: 38040868 PMCID: PMC10692199 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05607-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Covering approximately 40% of land surfaces, grasslands provide critical ecosystem services that rely on soil organisms. However, the global determinants of soil biodiversity and functioning remain underexplored. In this study, we investigate the drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity in grasslands across a wide range of climatic conditions on five continents. We apply standardized treatments of nutrient addition and herbivore reduction, allowing us to disentangle the regional and local drivers of soil organism activity. We use structural equation modeling to assess the direct and indirect effects of local and regional drivers on soil biological activities. Microbial and detritivore activities are positively correlated across global grasslands. These correlations are shaped more by global climatic factors than by local treatments, with annual precipitation and soil water content explaining the majority of the variation. Nutrient addition tends to reduce microbial activity by enhancing plant growth, while herbivore reduction typically increases microbial and detritivore activity through increased soil moisture. Our findings emphasize soil moisture as a key driver of soil biological activity, highlighting the potential impacts of climate change, altered grazing pressure, and eutrophication on nutrient cycling and decomposition within grassland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Siebert
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Marie Sünnemann
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anita C Risch
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Community Ecology, Zuercherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan D Bakker
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Lori Biederman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50010, USA
| | - Dana M Blumenthal
- USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources & Systems Research Unit, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Miguel N Bugalho
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves", School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Arthur A D Broadbent
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Maria C Caldeira
- Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Elsa Cleland
- Ecology, Behavior and Evolution Section, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr. #0116, La Jolla, California, 92093-0116, USA
| | - Kendi F Davies
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Anu Eskelinen
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Ecology and Genetics Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Physiological Diversity, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicole Hagenah
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Johannes M H Knops
- Health & Environmental Sciences Department, Xi'an Jiatong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Andrew S MacDougall
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Rebecca L McCulley
- Department of Plant & Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Joslin L Moore
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, VIC, 3084, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 25 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Sally A Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Jodi N Price
- School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, 2640, Australia
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Rachel Standish
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia
- Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Carly J Stevens
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Stephan Zimmermann
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Zuercherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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5
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Eskelinen A, Jessen MT, Bahamonde HA, Bakker JD, Borer ET, Caldeira MC, Harpole WS, Jia M, Lannes LS, Nogueira C, Olde Venterink H, Peri PL, Porath-Krause AJ, Seabloom EW, Schroeder K, Tognetti PM, Yasui SLE, Virtanen R, Sullivan LL. Herbivory and nutrients shape grassland soil seed banks. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3949. [PMID: 37402739 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39677-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment and shifts in herbivory can lead to dramatic changes in the composition and diversity of aboveground plant communities. In turn, this can alter seed banks in the soil, which are cryptic reservoirs of plant diversity. Here, we use data from seven Nutrient Network grassland sites on four continents, encompassing a range of climatic and environmental conditions, to test the joint effects of fertilization and aboveground mammalian herbivory on seed banks and on the similarity between aboveground plant communities and seed banks. We find that fertilization decreases plant species richness and diversity in seed banks, and homogenizes composition between aboveground and seed bank communities. Fertilization increases seed bank abundance especially in the presence of herbivores, while this effect is smaller in the absence of herbivores. Our findings highlight that nutrient enrichment can weaken a diversity maintaining mechanism in grasslands, and that herbivory needs to be considered when assessing nutrient enrichment effects on seed bank abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anu Eskelinen
- Ecology and Genetics Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, Oulu, Finland.
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Maria-Theresa Jessen
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle, Germany
| | - Hector A Bahamonde
- Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, National University of La Plata, Av. 60 y 119, La Plata, 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jonathan D Bakker
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 354115, Seattle, WA, 98195-4115, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- University of Minnesota, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Maria C Caldeira
- Forest Research Centre, Associate Laboratory TERRA, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - W Stanley Harpole
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Meiyu Jia
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 354115, Seattle, WA, 98195-4115, USA
- School of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China
- College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekou Wai Street, Beijing City, 100875, China
| | - Luciola S Lannes
- Department of Biology and Animal Sciences, São Paulo State University-UNESP, Ilha Solteira, 01049-010, Brazil
| | - Carla Nogueira
- Forest Research Centre, Associate Laboratory TERRA, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Harry Olde Venterink
- Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pablo L Peri
- National Institute of Agricultural Research (INTA), Southern Patagonia National University (UNPA), CONICET, Río Gallegos, (CP 9400), Santa Cruz, Argentina
| | - Anita J Porath-Krause
- University of Minnesota, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- University of Minnesota, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Katie Schroeder
- University of Minnesota, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30603, USA
| | - Pedro M Tognetti
- IFEVA, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Av. San Martin, 4453 C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zuercherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Simone-Louise E Yasui
- Queensland University of Technology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Risto Virtanen
- Ecology and Genetics Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, Oulu, Finland
| | - Lauren L Sullivan
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- W. K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, 49060, USA
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
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6
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Gou X, Reich PB, Qiu L, Shao M, Wei G, Wang J, Wei X. Leguminous plants significantly increase soil nitrogen cycling across global climates and ecosystem types. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:4028-4043. [PMID: 37186000 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Leguminous plants are an important component of terrestrial ecosystems and significantly increase soil nitrogen (N) cycling and availability, which affects productivity in most ecosystems. Clarifying whether the effects of legumes on N cycling vary with contrasting ecosystem types and climatic regions is crucial for understanding and predicting ecosystem processes, but these effects are currently unknown. By conducting a global meta-analysis, we revealed that legumes increased the soil net N mineralization rate (Rmin ) by 67%, which was greater than the recently reported increase associated with N deposition (25%). This effect was similar for tropical (53%) and temperate regions (81%) but was significantly greater in grasslands (151%) and forests (74%) than in croplands (-3%) and was greater in in situ incubation (101%) or short-term experiments (112%) than in laboratory incubation (55%) or long-term experiments (37%). Legumes significantly influenced the dependence of Rmin on N fertilization and experimental factors. The Rmin was significantly increased by N fertilization in the nonlegume soils, but not in the legume soils. In addition, the effects of mean annual temperature, soil nutrients and experimental duration on Rmin were smaller in the legume soils than in the nonlegume soils. Collectively, our results highlighted the significant positive effects of legumes on soil N cycling, and indicated that the effects of legumes should be elucidated when addressing the response of soils to plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomei Gou
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Ministry of Education, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Institute for Global Change Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Liping Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Ministry of Education, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling, China
| | - Mingan Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Ministry of Education, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Gehong Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jingjing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaorong Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Ministry of Education, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
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7
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Xu L, Yu Q, Wang M, Yang J, Xu S, Shi X, Xie X, Zhao X, Gao J, Zhang Y. Soil mineral nitrogen regulation by a novel porous material in structurally degraded soils. JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 2022; 102:6285-6292. [PMID: 35514124 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.11977] [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: 12/26/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The availability of soil nitrogen (N) decreases as the structure of agricultural soils degrades. Traditional methods focus on organic amendments that indirectly affect the porosity and N content of soil. Due to the low efficiency of such amendments, new materials, particularly highly porous materials, are needed to improve the quality of soil, which has opened new directions. RESULTS The addition of 2 to 7 mm of porous clay ceramic (PLC) significantly increased the fresh weight of Brassica chinensis. The soil aeration porosity (>50 μm) increased by 0.69% on average in response to 1% PLC application. Soil NO3 - -N, NH4 + -N and mineral N increased by 3.3, 1.3 and 4.6 mg kg-1 on average, respectively, following a 1% PLC application rate. The initial N content of the high PLC treatments was the lowest in the incubation experiment. The parameters of soil N mineralization, i.e. potentially mineralizable N (N0 ), the first-order rate constant (k) and the mineralization composite index (N0 × k), increased obviously as the amount of PLC increased. Porosities larger than 1000 μm were significantly more positively correlated with the parameters of soil N mineralization than those <500 μm. The Pearson correlation coefficients suggested that high porosity, mineral N and N0 values had significant positive relationships with the fresh weights in double seasons. CONCLUSION The application of PLC increased soil aeration and enhanced the availability of soil N, which yielded large vegetable harvests in clayey soils in the short term. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingying Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Quanbo Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Landscapingon Challenging Urban Sites, Shanghai Academy of Landscape Architecture Science and Planning, Shanghai, China, 200232, Shanghai, China
| | - Meiyan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Jizhou Yang
- Hongta Tobacco Group Co., Ltd., Yunnan, China
| | - Shengxiang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Xuezheng Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinqiao Xie
- Hongta Tobacco Group Co., Ltd., Yunnan, China
| | - Xu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Jichao Gao
- National Long-term Location Monitoring Base on Black Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Efficiency, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jilin, China
| | - Yanyu Zhang
- Department of Wine, Food and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand
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Hu S, Wang C, Risch AC, Liu Y, Li Y, Li L, Xu X, He N, Han X, Huang J. Hydrothermal conditions determine soil potential net N mineralization rates in arid and semi‐arid grasslands. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shuya Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Changhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Grassland Science Shanxi Agricultural University Taigu China
| | - Anita C. Risch
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow, and Landscape Research WSL, Community Ecology, Zuercherstrasse 111 Birmensdorf Switzerland
| | - Yuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Yang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Lei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Xiaohui Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Nianpeng He
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Xingguo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Jianhui Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
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9
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Borer ET, Stevens CJ. Nitrogen deposition and climate: an integrated synthesis. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:541-552. [PMID: 35428538 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Human activities have more than doubled reactive nitrogen (N) deposited in ecosystems, perturbing the N cycle and considerably impacting plant, animal, and microbial communities. However, biotic responses to N deposition can vary widely depending on factors including local climate and soils, limiting our ability to predict ecosystem responses. Here, we synthesize reported impacts of elevated N on grasslands and draw upon evidence from the globally distributed Nutrient Network experiment (NutNet) to provide insight into causes of variation and their relative importance across scales. This synthesis highlights that climate and elevated N frequently interact, modifying biotic responses to N. It also demonstrates the importance of edaphic context and widespread interactions with other limiting nutrients in controlling biotic responses to N deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA.
| | - Carly J Stevens
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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10
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Seeber J, Tasser E, Rubatscher D, Loacker I, Lavorel S, Robson TM, Balzarolo M, Altimir N, Drösler M, Vescovo L, Gamper S, Barančok P, Staszewski T, Wohlfahrt G, Cernusca A, Sebastia MT, Tappeiner U, Bahn M. Effects of land use and climate on carbon and nitrogen pool partitioning in European mountain grasslands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 822:153380. [PMID: 35077786 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
European mountain grasslands are increasingly affected by land-use changes and climate, which have been suggested to exert important controls on grassland carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools. However, so far there has been no synthetic study on whether and how land-use changes and climate interactively affect the partitioning of these pools amongst the different grassland compartments. We analyzed the partitioning of C and N pools of 36 European mountain grasslands differing in land-use and climate with respect to above- and belowground phytomass, litter and topsoil (top 23 cm). We found that a reduction of management intensity and the abandonment of hay meadows and pastures increased above-ground phytomass, root mass and litter as well as their respective C and N pools, concurrently decreasing the fractional contribution of the topsoil to the total organic carbon pool. These changes were strongly driven by the cessation of cutting and grazing, a shift in plant functional groups and a related reduction in litter quality. Across all grasslands studied, variation in the impact of land management on the topsoil N pool and C/N-ratio were mainly explained by soil clay content combined with pH. Across the grasslands, below-ground phytomass as well as phytomass- and litter C concentrations were inversely related to the mean annual temperature; furthermore, C/N-ratios of phytomass and litter increased with decreasing mean annual precipitation. Within the topsoil compartment, C concentrations decreased from colder to warmer sites, and increased with increasing precipitation. Climate generally influenced effects of land use on C and N pools mainly through mean annual temperature and less through mean annual precipitation. We conclude that site-specific conditions need to be considered for understanding the effects of land use and of current and future climate changes on grassland C and N pools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Seeber
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Drususallee 1, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
| | - Erich Tasser
- Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Drususallee 1, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
| | - Dagmar Rubatscher
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ingrid Loacker
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sandra Lavorel
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie-Mont Blanc, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - T Matthew Robson
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS), University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Manuela Balzarolo
- PLECO (Plants and Ecosystems), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Nuria Altimir
- Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Global Change (ECOFUN), Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), Solsona, Spain; Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthias Drösler
- Institute of Ecology and Landscape University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf Am Hofgarten 1, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Loris Vescovo
- Sustainable ecosystems & bioresources department, Research and Innovation Center, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige 38010, TN, Italy
| | - Sonja Gamper
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Peter Barančok
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Štefánikova 3, P.O.Box 254, 814 99 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomasz Staszewski
- Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas, 6 Kossutha St., 40-844 Katowice, Poland
| | - Georg Wohlfahrt
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Alexander Cernusca
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - M-Teresa Sebastia
- Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Global Change (ECOFUN), Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), Solsona, Spain; Group GAMES, Department of Horticulture, Botany and Landscaping, School of Agrifood and Forestry Science and Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Ulrike Tappeiner
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Drususallee 1, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
| | - Michael Bahn
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
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11
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Mazzorato ACM, Esch EH, MacDougall AS. Prospects for soil carbon storage on recently retired marginal farmland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150738. [PMID: 34606864 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150738] [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: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is strongly affected by farm cropping, which covers >10% of the earth's surface. Land retirement of marginal fields, now a global initiative, can increase SOC storage but reported accumulation rates are variable. Here, we quantify SOC in crop fields and retired marginal land in an intensely farmed 10,000 km 2 region of central North America, testing nutrients, soil texture and management as drivers of SOC storage. Overwhelmingly, SOC was associated with farm management with among-farm differences varying >fourfold (17.4-81 t ha -1) in the top 15 cm. Total farm SOC averaged 502.2 t farm -1 but again ranged widely (216-1611 t farm -1). Farm-specific SOC was often, but not always, higher on farms with N-rich silt-clay soils, and lower on sandy soils with higher P relating to former tobacco production. In contrast, within-farm SOC between crop fields and retired land did not significantly differ with time. Low SOC on retired lands was associated with persistently high soil N and P and elevated microbial respiration. Retired soils did possess substantially larger pools of lignin-rich root biomass to depths of 60 cm, which may signify eventual SOC accumulation possibly as nutrient legacies diminish. Our work shows that management legacy, interacting with soil texture and nutrients, predicts SOC more than short-term retirement. Indeed, crop fields averaged 67% of farm SOC because they represented up to 94% of total farm area - SOC retention on cropland remains a management priority, above and beyond gains with retirement. Interestingly, the largest per-volume SOC levels were in remnant forest that contained 25% of farm SOC despite only averaging 11% of farm area. Maintaining SOC stocks in farm landscapes may be more quickly attained by protecting remnant forest, with retired lands needing time to re-build SOC stocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa C M Mazzorato
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph N1G2W1, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ellen H Esch
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph N1G2W1, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew S MacDougall
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph N1G2W1, Ontario, Canada.
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12
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Li L, Konkel J, Jin VL, Schaeffer SM. Conservation management improves agroecosystem function and resilience of soil nitrogen cycling in response to seasonal changes in climate. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 779:146457. [PMID: 34030284 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how conservation agricultural management improves soil nitrogen (N) stability in the face of climate change can help increase agroecosystem productivity and mitigate runoff, leaching and downstream water quality issues. We conducted a 2-year field study in a 36-year-old rain-fed cotton production system to evaluate the impacts of changing climatic factors (temperature and precipitation) on soil N under conservation management, including moderate inorganic N fertilizer application (0 and 67 kg N ha-1), winter cover crops (fallow; winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L.; hairy vetch, Vicia villosa Roth), and reduced tillage (no-till; disk tillage). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to quantify and compare the effects of conservation management and climatic factors on soil N concentrations. Fertilizer and vetch cover crops increased soil total N concentration by 16% and 18%, respectively, and also increased microbial N transformation rate by 41% and 168%. In addition, vetch cover crops also increased soil labile N concentrations by 57%, 21%, and 79%, i.e., extractable organic N, ammonium, and nitrate, respectively. The highest soil δ15N value (6.4 ± 0.3‰) was observed under the 67 kg N ha-1 fertilizer-wheat-disk tillage treatment, and the lowest value (4.8 ± 0.3‰) under the zero-fertilizer-wheat-no-till treatment, indicating fertilizer and tillage might accelerate microbial N transformation. The SEM showed positive effects of temperature and precipitation on labile N concentrations, suggesting destabilization of soil N and the potential for soil N loss under increased temperature and intensified precipitation. Fertilizer and vetch use might mitigate some of the effects of temperature by accelerating microbial N transformations, with vetch having a larger effect than fertilizer (0.35 vs. 0.15, Table 1). No-till can reduce some of the effects of precipitation on soil labile N by maintaining soil structure. Our study suggests that fertilizer, vetch cover crop, and no-till might help improve function and resilience of agroecosystems in relation to soil N cycling. Soil N stabilization in cropping systems can be enhanced by adjusting agricultural management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidong Li
- University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, 2506 E. J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; USDA-ARS, Agroecosystem Management Research Unit, 251 Filley Hall, UNL-East Campus, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
| | - Julie Konkel
- University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, 2506 E. J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; Blount County Soil Conservation District, 1217 McArthur Rd, Maryville, TN 37804, USA
| | - Virginia L Jin
- USDA-ARS, Agroecosystem Management Research Unit, 251 Filley Hall, UNL-East Campus, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Sean M Schaeffer
- University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, 2506 E. J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
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