Endogenous versus exogenous nutrient control over decomposition and mineralization in North Carolina peatlands

We examined the relative importance of exogenous (pH, water table, soil nutrient and cation availability) and endogenous (carbon quality, nutrient and cation concentrations of litter) controls on litter decay over both the short term (1 yr) and intermediate term (3 yr) in four freshwater peatland communities that occur along a P and N availability gradient in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Four litter types were reciprocally transplanted into each community. Additionally, the effects of exogenous nutrient availability and low pH on decomposition dynamics were examined by fertilizing and liming plots in the most nutrient-deficient community, the short pocosin. Both exogenous and endogenous factors were important in controlling decay rates and nutrient mineralization-immobilization dynamics. The most important site factor controlling decay rates was water table, with greater rates of decomposition in drained sites. High initial soluble phenolic concentrations and a low holocellulose quotient (% holocellulose / % lignocellulose) in litter inhibited decay rates. Despite the extremely low nutrient availability in the pocosins and low soil pH in all three communities, both the cross-community comparison and the amendment experiment in the short pocosin demonstrated that exogenous nutrient availability, endogenous nutrient concentrations in litter, and low soil pH do not inhibit decomposition in these sites. In contrast, immobilization-mineralization dynamics of N and P were largely driven by a source-sink relationship, with greatest immobilization found with high exogenous nutrient availability and low initial endogenous nutrient concentrations. We suggest a conceptual model of nutrient control over decomposition as a function of carbon quality of litter.     

Nitrogen supply differentially affects litter decomposition rates and nitrogen dynamics of sub-arctic bog species

High-latitude peatlands are important soil carbon sinks. In these ecosystems, the mineralization of carbon and nitrogen are constrained by low temperatures and low nutrient concentrations in plant litter and soil organic matter. Global warming is predicted to increase soil N availability for plants at high-latitude sites. We applied N fertilizer as an experimental analogue for this increase. In a three-year field experiment we studied N fertilization effects on leaf litter decomposition and N dynamics of the four dominant plant species (comprising >75% of total aboveground biomass) in a sub-arctic bog in northern Sweden. The species were Empetrum nigrum (evergreen shrub), Eriophorum vaginatum (graminoid), Betula nana (deciduous shrub) and Rubus chamaemorus (perennial forb). In the controls, litter mass loss rates increased in the order: Empetrum < Eriophorum < Betula < Rubus. Increased N availability had variable, species-specific effects: litter mass loss rates (expressed per unit litter mass) increased in Empetrum, did not change in Eriophorum and Betula and decreased in Rubus. In the leaf litter from the controls, we measured no or only slight net N mineralization even after three years. In the N-fertilized treatments we found strong net N immobilization, especially in Eriophorum and Betula. This suggests that, probably owing to substantial chemical and/or microbial immobilization, additional N supply does not increase the rate of N cycling for at least the first three years.     

Carbon and nitrogen stoichiometry and nitrogen cycling rates in streams

Stoichiometric analyses can be used to investigate the linkages between N and C cycles and how these linkages influence biogeochemistry at many scales, from components of individual ecosystems up to the biosphere. N-specific NH₄⁺ uptake rates were measured in eight streams using short-term ¹⁵N tracer additions, and C to N ratios (C:N) were determined from living and non-living organic matter collected from ten streams. These data were also compared to previously published data compiled from studies of lakes, ponds, wetlands, forests, and tundra. There was a significant negative relationship between C:N and N-specific uptake rate; C:N could account for 41% of the variance in N-specific uptake rate across all streams, and the relationship held in five of eight streams. Most of the variation in N-specific uptake rate was contributed by detrital and primary producer compartments with large values of C:N and small values for N-specific uptake rate. In streams, particulate materials are not as likely to move downstream as dissolved N, so if N is cycling in a particulate compartment, N retention is likely to be greater. Together, these data suggest that N retention may depend in part on C:N of living and non-living organic matter in streams. Factors that alter C:N of stream ecosystem compartments, such as removal of riparian vegetation or N fertilization, may influence the amount of retention attributed to these ecosystem compartments by causing shifts in stoichiometry. Our analysis suggests that C:N of ecosystem compartments can be used to link N-cycling models across streams.     

Litter quality and decomposition in Danthonia richardsonii swards in response to CO2 and nitrogen supply over four years of growth

Litter quality parameters of Danthonia richardsonii grown under CO₂ concentrations of ≈ 359 & ≈ 719 μL L^{? 1} at three mineral N supply rates (2.2, 6.7 & 19.8 g m^{? 2} y^{? 1}) were determined. C:N ratio was increased in senesced leaf (enhancement ratios, R_e/c, of 1.25–1.67), surface litter (1.34–1.64) and root (1.13–1.30) by CO₂ enrichment. After 3 years of growth, nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations were reduced in senesced leaf lamina (avg. R_e/c= 0.84) but not in root in response to CO₂ enrichment. Cellulose concentrations increased slightly in senesced leaf (avg. R_e/c= 1.07) but not in root in response to CO₂ enrichment. Lignin and polyphenolic concentrations in senesced leaf and root were not changed by CO₂ enrichment. Decomposition, measured as cumulative respiration in standard conditions in vitro, was reduced in leaf litter grown under CO₂ enrichment. Root decomposition in vitro was lower in the material produced under CO₂ enrichment at the two higher rates of mineral N supply. Significant correlations between decomposition of leaf litter and initial %N, C:N ratio and lignin:N ratio were found. Decomposition in vivo, measured as carbon disappearance from the surface litter was not affected by CO₂ concentration. Arbuscular mycorrhizal infection was not changed by CO₂ enrichment. Microbial carbon was higher under CO₂ enrichment at the two higher rates of mineral N supply. Possible reasons for the lack of effect of changes in litter quality on in‐sward decomposition rates are discussed.     

Aboveground decomposition dynamics in riparian depression and slope wetlands of central Pennsylvania

We examined two types of groundwater-fed wetlands (riparian depressions and slopes) classified using the hydrogeomorphic (HGM) system. These wetland types had previously been shown to differ hydrologically. Our first objective was to determine if HGM was a useful structuring variable when examining aboveground decomposition dynamics (rate of mass loss and rate of nitrogen loss). Our second objective was to determine what soil variables were related to any differences in aboveground decomposition dynamics we might find regardless of HGM subclass. We used the litterbag field bioassay technique, and employed a standard litter type (Phalaris arundinacea) across all wetlands. Our results indicated that HGM would not readily serve as an adequate structuring variable for aboveground decomposition in riparian depressions and slope wetlands of central Pennsylvania. Discriminant analysis and classification and regression tree (CART) modeling found soil cation exchange capacity, soil pH, soil organic matter, and soil % nitrogen to be potentially important soil variables related to mass loss, and soil % nitrogen and soil pH to be potentially important variables related to nitrogen loss rate.     

Production,decomposition, and nitrogen dynamics ofMyrica gale litter

Summary Myrica gale litter deposition and decomposition were studied in a central Massachusetts peatland to determine the amount of N made available to the ecosystem by these processes. Leaf litter added 114–140 g biomass m^–2 annually and contained 2.12–2.59 g N m^–2 returning about 70% as much N to the ecosystem as was fixed annually byMyrica gale. During the first five years of decomposition, the leaf liter lost only 40% of its initial biomass and released only 10% of its initial N content. About 60% of its original N mass was still present when the litter reached the permanently waterlogged zone, and thus was effectively lost to the vegetation. The low decomposition rate was due primarily to the chemical content of the litter because similarly low rates were observed in an upland forest where the native litter decayed rapidly. The initial lignin content (40%) ofM. gale litter may be largely responsible for its slow decomposition in spite of its relatively high (1.69%) initial N content.M. gale litter decayed substantially more slowly and had a much higher initial lignin content than the litter of other woody N₂-fixing plants which have been examined.     

Insights into nitrogen and carbon dynamics of ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi from isotopic evidence

The successful use of natural abundances of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopes in the study of ecosystem dynamics suggests that isotopic measurements could yield new insights into the role of fungi in nitrogen and carbon cycling. Sporocarps of mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi, vegetation, and soils were collected in young, deciduous-dominated sites and older, coniferous-dominated sites along a successional sequence at Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Mycorrhizal fungi had consistently higher δ¹⁵N and lower δ¹³C values than saprotrophic fungi. Foliar δ¹³C values were always isotopically depleted relative to both fungal types. Foliar δ¹⁵N values were usually, but not always, more depleted than those in saprotrophic fungi, and were consistently more depleted than in mycorrhizal fungi. We hypothesize that an apparent isotopic fractionation by mycorrhizal fungi during the transfer of nitrogen to plants may be attributed to enzymatic reactions within the fungi producing isotopically depleted amino acids, which are subsequently passed on to plant symbionts. An increasing difference between soil mineral nitrogen δ¹⁵N and foliar δ¹⁵N in later succession might therefore be a consequence of greater reliance on mycorrhizal symbionts for nitrogen supply under nitrogen-limited conditions. Carbon signatures of mycorrhizal fungi may be more enriched than those of foliage because the fungi use isotopically enriched photosynthate such as simple sugars, in contrast to the mixture of compounds present in leaves. In addition, some ¹³C fractionation may occur during transport processes from leaves to roots, and during fungal chitin biosynthesis. Stable isotopes have the potential to help clarify the role of fungi in ecosystem processes. Received: 7 January 1998 / Accepted: 9 November 1998     

高山森林溪流冬季不同时期凋落物分解中水溶性氮和磷的动态特征

为了解高山森林溪流凋落物冬季分解过程中水溶性氮和磷的变化过程,采用凋落叶分解袋法,以川西高山森林典型乔木(四川红杉、方枝柏)和灌木(高山杜鹃、康定柳)凋落叶为研究对象,研究冬季不同时期(冻结初期、冻结期、融化期)溪流、河流、河岸带以及林下凋落叶水溶性氮和磷的动态特征.结果表明:经过一个冬季的分解,4种凋落物在不同生境下各时期的水溶性氮含量无显著变化.水溶性磷含量除林下外在其他生境均显著降低,表现出河流＜溪流＜河岸带＜林下的规律.高山森林凋落叶分解过程中水溶性磷含量与平均温度、正积温、负积温和流速呈显著负相关,水溶性氮含量与正积温呈显著正相关,物种显著影响凋落物分解过程中水溶性氮和磷的含量.高山森林凋落物冬季分解过程中水溶性磷更易随河流和溪流等水体的流动而流失,而水溶性氮受冬季水环境的影响相对较小.     

Foliar and fine root nitrate reductase activity in seedlings of four forest tree species in relation to nitrogen availability

Summary Seedlings of red maple, white pine, pitch pine and red pine were fertilized with nutrient solutions containing 4 levels of nitrate or ammonium additions. These levels corresponded to approximately 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 times normal availability of nitrogen in northeastern forests. Nitrate reductase (NR) activity was assayed in roots and leaves. Red maples treated with nitrate showed much higher leaf activities and higher ratios of leaf NR activity to root NR activity than any other species. Ammonium additions to red maple and white pine appeared to inhibit NR activity in leaves. With high nitrate additions, NR activity was induced in roots and leaves of pine species, but activity in roots remained much higher than in leaves.     

Copper nutrition of wheat in relation to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization

Summary In a pot culture study, copper addition to soil increased the crop yield only in presence of nitrogen. The latter increased the utilization of both native as well as applied copper but more that of applied. It also minimised the adverse effect of applied phosphorus on copper utilization. Phosphorus at the rate 45 ppm had the tendency of decreasing copper uptake by wheat if applied without nitrogen or with its low level.     

日本中部10种树木叶片中氮和磷的季节变化及其转移

从叶完全展开到生长季结束,对常绿阔叶树种日本米储、具柄冬青、铁冬青、红楠和海桐及落叶阔叶树种袍栎、栓皮栎、日本朴、银杏和日本树五加的叶N和P含量进行了测定．结果表明,在整个生长季中,常绿阔叶树种中的日本米储和铁冬青的新叶和老叶的N和P含量呈现初期高、中期较低、后期上升的趋势;具柄冬青和海桐新叶的N和P含量的变化趋势与日本米储和铁冬青相似,而其老叶的N和P含量随季节推移而逐渐下降;红楠新叶和老叶的N含量呈现上升的趋势,其新叶和老叶的P含量则呈下降趋势;落叶阔叶树种的叶N和P含量随着时间的推移不断减少．各树种的N转移率为43％～75％,P为62％～84％．常绿阔叶树种的N平均转移率与落叶阔叶树种相似,而其P平均转移率大于落叶阔叶树种．所有树种的N平均转移率小于P平均转移率．     

The effect of nitrogen and phosphorus addition on the growth,reproduction, and nutrient dynamics of two ericaceous shrubs

Summary Aboveground growth, reproduction, and foliar nitrogen and phosphorus contents of two ericaceous shrub species were compared over two seasons in (a) an undisturbed shrub bog (pocosin), and (b) a factorial fertilization design in which three levels each of nitrogen and phosphorus were added in all possible combinations. One species, Zenobia pulverulenta, is deciduous whereas the other species, Lyonia lucida, is evergreen. In the nutrient-poor undisturbed pocosin the two species exhibited similar foliar nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and aboveground growth rates. Neither species flowered. In response to nutrient-addition Zenobia increased growth rates more than Lyonia. Foliar phosphorus concentrations of both species increased in response to enhanced phosphorus availability. in the first season neither species flowered in any treatment. In the second season Zenobia flowered only in the fertilized plots, with the most flowering in the high phosphorus treatments. I conclude that, by virtue of high growth rates and efficient use of nutrients and despite differences in leaf phenology and morphology, both Lyonia and Zenobia are successful in a competitive community under conditions of extremely low phosphorus availability. However, unlike Lyonia, Zenobia can take advantage of temporarily increased nutrient availability, which occurs following fire in the pocosin, to increase growth and reproduction.     

Nitrogen and carbon dynamics in C3 and C4 estuarine marsh plants grown under elevated CO2 in situ

Summary Carbon dioxide concentrations were elevated in three estuarine communities for an entire growing season. Open top chambers were used to raise CO₂ concentrations ca. 336 ppm above ambient in monospecific communities of Scirpus olneyi (C₃) and Spartina patens (C₄), and a mixed community of S. olneyi, S. patens and Distichlis spicata (C₄). Nitrogen and carbon concentration (% wt) of aboveground tissue was followed throughout growth and senescence. Green shoot %N was reduced and %C was unchanged under elevated CO₂ in S. olneyi. This resulted in a 20%–40% increase in tissue C/N ratio. There was no effect of CO₂ on either C₄ species. Maximum aboveground N (g/m²) was unchanged in S. olneyi, indicating that increased productivity under elevated CO₂ was dependent on reallocation of stored N. There was no change in the N recovery efficiency of S. olneyi in pure stand and a decrease in the mixed community. Litter C/N ratio was not affected by elevated CO₂ suggesting that decomposition and N mineralization rates will also remain unchanged. Continued growth responses to elevated CO₂ could, however, be limited by the ability of S. olneyi to increase the total aboveground N pool.     

Short- and Long-term Tannin Induced Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Dynamics in Corsican Pine Litter

Pine litter amended with either tannic acid (TA) or condensed tannins (CTs) was studied to assess the effects on C, N and P mineralization in relation to the fate of tannins by incubation experiments during various time intervals. TA induced a rapid short-term effect resulting in high C respiration and net N and P immobilisation. After one week of incubation, TA was decomposed and net C, N and P mineralization and net nitrification resembled that of the control (non-amended litter). CTs exhibited effects on net mineralization on longer terms, i.e. after several weeks of incubation until the end of the experiment (84 days). While net N and P mineralization were greatly reduced, net nitrification was only slightly affected. Most likely CTs formed complexes with organic N of the substrate thereby reducing net N mineralization, while such complexes were not involved in net nitrification processes. The reduction of net P mineralization is due to the lack of need for P by microbes when they cannot get access to N. The fact that decreasing amounts of extractable CTs were accompanied by increasing effects on mineralization processes with incubation time strongly suggests that CTs were incorporated into the litter in such a way that they were inextricable by the common solvents needed to measure tannins, such as for the Folin–Ciocalteu and HCl–butanol assays.     

Litter decomposition contrasts in second- and old-growth Douglas-fir forests of the Pacific Northwest, USA

Litterfall and its subsequent decomposition are important feedback mechanisms in the intrasystem cycling of nutrients in forest ecosystems. The amount of litterfall and the rate of decomposition are expected to vary with stand age and climate. Over a 2-year period, decomposition of five litter types were measured in two second-growth forest stands and one old-growth stand in the Cascade Mountains of southern Washington state, USA. Both second-growth stands were dominated by Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.,) Franco] but one had a significant proportion of red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.), a nitrogen (N) fixer. The old-growth stand was dominated by Douglas-fir and western hemlock [Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.]. All stands had a relatively shallow layer of forest floor mass. The five litter types were placed in each stand to evaluate decomposition patterns. Despite significant differences in stand age, microclimate and mean residence times for carbon (C) and N, the rates of litter mass loss varied only slightly between sites. The relative order of species litter mass loss was: vine maple ≫ salal = western hemlock > Douglas-fir (from the youngest stand) > Douglas-fir (from the N rich stand with red alder). The initial litter lignin concentration, not lignin:N, was the primary determinant of decomposition rates, although the initial N concentration was the predictor for mass loss after 2 years in the N rich Douglas-fir-alder stand. All litter types showed immobilization of N for nearly 2 years. Data for Douglas-fir litter suggest that higher levels of N may retard decomposition of tissues with greater amounts of lignified material. The retention of N by the litter appeared influenced by the nutrient capital of the stands as well as the forest floor C:N ratio. Decomposition was minimal during the cold winter months, but displayed a definitive peak period during early Fall with wet weather, warm soils, and fungal activity. Thus, long-term climatic change effects on forest floor C storage may depend more on changes in seasonality of precipitation changes than just temperature changes.     

Time-scale dynamics of proteome predicts the central carbon metabolism involved in triterpenoid accumulation responsive to nitrogen limitation in Ganoderma lucidum

Central carbon metabolism describes the integration of transport pathway of main carbon sources inside the cell. Nitrogen (N) limitation is a favorable approach to stimulate ganoderic triterpenoid (GT) accumulation in Ganoderma lucidum. In this study, the dynamic regulation of metabolism reassignment towards GT biosynthesis responsive to N limitation was investigated by iTRAQ-based proteome. Physiological data suggested that N limitation slightly affected cell growth but significantly enhanced GT contents in the initial 20 days. From day 10, the protein contents were halted by prolonged N limitation duration. Proteomics-based investigations revealed that the carbon skeletons integrated into GT precursors were regenerated by glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Cells strategically reserved nitrogen by barely incorporating it into TCA cycle intermediates to form amino acids, and enzymes involved in protein degradation were up regulated. Furthermore, regulation of proteins in response to abiotic stress and oxidation– reduction processes played a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. These findings indicated that the flux of carbon into GT following N deficiency was a consequence of the remodeling of intermediate metabolism in TCA cycle and glycolysis reactions. This study provides a rationale for genetic engineering of G. lucidum, which may enable synchronized biomass and GT synthesis.     

土壤-植物系统中稀土元素与氮磷养分的交互作用

土壤－植物系统中稀土元素与N,P养分交互作用属农田稀土安全性评价研究的前沿,土壤中稀土元素与N,P交互作用直接关系到稀土对农田土壤生产力的影响以及稀土对农作物的增产机理和生态环境安全性的评价,就土壤－植物系统中有关稀土元素与N,P交互作用的研究作简要综述,提出今后应加强作物根际,农田土壤表层以及植物体内稀土与N,P养分之间交互作用的研究。