不同退化沙地土壤碳的矿化潜力

通过实验室土壤培养试验 ,研究了科尔沁退化沙质草地不同生境 (流动沙地 ,半固定沙地 ,固定沙地和丘间低地 )下土壤碳的矿化潜力及不同凋落物在沙地土壤中的分解。经 33d的室内培养 ,不同生境土壤 CO2 - C的释放有极显著的差异 ,与生境植被盖度 ,凋落物积累 ,土壤沙化程度 ,土壤有机碳和全氮含量的分布有显著相关。流动沙地土壤有极低的土壤有机碳和氮的含量及其微弱的土壤微生物呼吸 ,表明土地沙漠化不仅导致土壤有机碳库衰竭 ,也使土壤微生物活性丧失。在有机质含量很低的流动沙地和半固定沙地土壤中 ,含氮量高的小叶锦鸡儿 (Caragana microphylla)凋落物比含氮量低、C/N比高的差巴嘎蒿(Artemisia halodendron)和 1年生植物凋落物有较快的分解。在沙漠化的演变中 ,土壤的粗粒化 ,有机物质和养分及微生物活性的丧失制约着凋落物在土壤中的矿化潜力。灌木的存在使更多的有机物质和养分积聚在灌丛下 ,形成灌丛肥岛 ,因而显著贡献于碳的固存。     

黄土高原典型植物根际对土壤微生物生物量碳、氮、磷和基础呼吸的影响

选择黄土高原7种典型植物的根际与非根际土壤为研究对象,对土壤的养分含量、微生物生物量碳、氮、磷和基础呼吸的影响进行了初步研究。结果表明,7种不同植物根际土壤与非根际土壤的养分含量、微生物生物量和基础呼吸均存在显著差异;除冷蒿的土壤微生物生物量磷以外,其他各种植物的根际土壤的养分含量、微生物生物量和基础呼吸均比非根际土壤的高;土壤有机碳、全氮与土壤微生物生物量碳、氮及基础呼吸之间均具有极显著或显著相关关系,表明了土壤微生物生物量碳、氮可以作为判断土壤肥力状况的生物学指标,同时也可为提高土壤肥力水平和土壤培肥效果提供依据。     

城市绿化植物-凋落物-土壤系统碳氮磷化学计量特征研究

以福建福州市常见的15种乔木、灌木和草本绿化植物为对象,连续2年取样测定了这些植物、凋落物、立地土壤、土壤微生物量C、N、P含量,探讨城市绿化植物-凋落物-土壤系统生态化学计量特征,为中国城市绿化植物的生态功能恢复与植被重建提供科学依据。结果表明:(1)绿化植物不同器官C、N、P含量均表现为草本灌木乔木、C含量N含量P含量、叶茎根,呈现出叶的富集作用;绿化植物各器官化学计量比(C/N、C/P、N/P)也表现出基本一致的乔木灌木草本的变化趋势;各绿化植物对N的再吸收率极显著高于对P的再吸收率(P0.01),绿化植物N和P再吸收率表现为乔木灌木草本,不同绿化植物对N的再吸收率差异均显著(P0.05),对P的再吸收率差异均不显著(P0.05)。(2)绿化植物凋落物C、N、P含量基本表现为草本灌木乔木,其中不同绿化植物凋落物P含量差异不显著。(3)绿化植物立地土壤C、N、P含量表现为草本灌木乔木,但其N/P差异不显著;土壤微生物量C、N、P含量基本表现为草本灌木乔木,其相应的C/N、C/P、N/P差异均不显著。(4)植物-土壤-凋落物-土壤微生物量(C、N、P)均随着生长季温度的升高而降低,随着年降水量的增加而升高,P素的回归系数绝对值明显低于C素和N素;植物-凋落物-土壤的C与N含量、N与P含量、C/P与N/P、以及土壤和植物的C/N与N/P之间均呈显著正相关关系,而凋落物的C/N与N/P之间呈显著负相关关系;典范对应CCA排序中,植物高度、冠幅、茎粗、比叶面积和叶面积指数对植物-凋落物-土壤-土壤微生物量C、N、P含量和C/N、C/P和N/P具有较大影响作用,其中高度、冠幅和茎粗与比叶面积和叶面积指数呈负相关关系,与凋落物-土壤-土壤微生物量C、N、P含量呈负相关关系,与植物C、N、P含量呈正相关关系;而凋落物-土壤-土壤微生物量C、N、P含量与其C/N、C/P和N/P均具有一定的正相关关系。     

Soil restoration under pasture after topsoil removal: Some factors influencing C and N mineralization and measurements of microbial biomass

Factors influencing rates of C and N mineralization of soil and plant materials, and the reliability of different procedures for estimating microbial biomass, were measured in a soil (Typic Dystrochrept) that had been restored under grazed pasture in a temperate environment for 10–11 years after 20 cm of the original topsoil had been removed by stripping. Rates of net N mineralization were appreciably lower, but CO₂-C production higher, in the stripped than in the unstripped soil. These activities were not influenced directly by levels of soil mineral-N, but they were influenced by differences in plant composition. Herbage and litter, and roots, from the stripped plots were generally mineralized more readily to CO₂-C, but more slowly to net mineral-N, than were the corresponding materials from the unstripped plots. Rates of mineralization of herbage and litter, or roots, were mainly indistinguishable in stripped and unstripped soil, whereas rates of mineralization of all standing dead material were lower in stripped soil. Measurements of extractable-C flush, and of CO₂-C flush (using a fumigated soil control) and mineral-N flush by fumigation-incubation procedures, indicated that microbial biomass in stripped soil had recovered to at least 88 percent of the levels in unstripped soil. Substrate-induced respiration also generally indicated high levels of recovery of microbial biomass. The fumigation-incubation procedure appeared to under-estimate microbial biomass markedly in stripped soil when unfumigated soil controls were used; the used of a large soil inoculum (20 percent w/w) only sometimes overcame this problem. Possible reasons for apparent anomalies in estimation of microbial C are discussed.     

Temporal and spatial variation of litter production in Sonoran Desert communities

The seasonal pattern of litter production was analyzed in three contiguous desert communities near the southern boundaries of the Sonoran Desert. There was a large spatial variation in annual litter production mainly caused by differences in the composition and structure of vegetation. In the most productive site (Arroyos) annual litterfall was 357 g m^-2yr^-1, a figure higher than some tropical deciduous forests. Litter production was only 60g m^-2yr^-1in the open desert in the plains (Plains) and 157 g m^-2yr^-1 in the thornscrub on the slopes (Hillsides). Topographic and hydrologic features influence the composition, structure and function of the vegetation, modifying the general relationship between rainfall and productivity described for desert ecosystems. The temporal pattern of litter production showed marked seasonality with two main periods of heavy litterfall: one after the summer rains from September to November (autumn litter production) and another after the winter rains from March to May (spring litter production). In the open desert areas, spring litter production was significantly higher than the autumn pulse, while in the slopes, the autumn production was the most important. The Arroyos site produced similar litterfall amounts during the two dry seasons. The species composition defined the season of maximum leaf-fall. In the Plains, the vigorous winter growth of ephemeral and perennial plants made up most of the litter production, while in the Hillsides, most perennials remained dormant throughout the winter-spring period and a significant peak of litterfall occurred only after the summer growth. This difference in growth between seasons was less pronounced in the Arroyos. The timing of maximum production of reproductive and woody litter also differed from site to site.     

天童常绿阔叶林不同退化群落的凋落物特征及与土壤养分动态的关系

 该研究以浙江天童常绿阔叶林及退化群落的凋落物特征为内容,探讨了养分归还和土壤养分动态之间的联系。结果显示：1)常绿阔叶林退化显 著降低了凋落物的年凋落量,从成熟常绿阔叶林的13.03 Mg·hm^－2下降到灌丛的6.38 Mg·hm^－2。2)凋落物氮含量在成熟群落至灌丛阶段下降显 著,而磷含量无明显递减规律;氮磷归还量均随常绿阔叶林退化显著下降。 3)凋落物特征（年均值）与土壤养分的相关分析表明,土壤氮磷含 量与凋落物凋落量间呈显著线性正相关;土壤氮含量与凋落物氮含量间无显著线性关系,而与氮归还量呈显著线性正相关(p<0.05);土壤总磷 含量与凋落物磷含量和磷归还量间均呈显著线性正相关( 磷含量:p<0.01; 磷归还量: p<0.001);土壤无机氮含量与凋落物各特征间无显著相关 关系;土壤氮素硝化速率与凋落物凋落量和氮归还量间呈显著线性正相关(凋落物凋落量:p<0.01; 氮归还量: p<0.005),而与凋落物氮含量无 显著线性关系,与之相比,土壤氮素矿化速率与凋落物特征间均不存在显著线性关系。可以认为,在常绿阔叶林退化过程中,由于不同植物在 养分归还特征上的差异,导致了养分归还量的下降,从而使土壤养分库的物质来源减少,但是,群落结构简化而导致的非生物要素的改变,对 控制土壤生物过程发挥着更大的作用。     

Mineralization and distribution of nutrients in plants and microbes in four arctic ecosystems: responses to warming

Mineralization and nutrient distribution in plants and microbes were studied in four arctic ecosystems at Abisko, Northern Sweden and Toolik Lake, Alaska, which have been subjected to long-term warming with plastic greenhouses. Net mineralization and microbial immobilization were studied by the buried bag method and ecosystem pool sizes of C, N and P were determined by harvest methods. The highest amounts of organic N and P were bound in the soil organic matter. Microbial N and P constituted the largest labile pools often equal to (N) or exceeding (P) the amounts stored in the vegetation. Despite large pools of N and P in the soil, net mineralization of N and P was generally low during the growing season, except in the wet sedge tundra, and in most cases lower than the plant uptake requirement. In contrast, the microorganisms immobilized high amounts of nutrients in the buried bags during incubation. The same high immobilization was not observed in the surrounding soil, where the microbial nutrient content in most cases remained constant or decreased over the growing season. This suggests that the low mineralization measured in many arctic ecosystems over the growing season is due to increased immobilization by soil microbes when competition from plant roots is prevented. Furthermore, it suggests that plants compete well with microbes for nutrients in these four ecosystems. Warming increased net mineralization in several cases, which led to increased assimilation of nutrients by plants but not by the microbes.     

Plant carbon substrate supply regulated soil nitrogen dynamics in a tallgrass prairie in the Great Plains,USA: results of a clipping and shading experiment

Aims Land use management affects plant carbon (C) supply and soil environments and hence alters soil nitrogen (N) dynamics, with consequent feedbacks to terrestrial ecosystem productivity. The objective of this study was to better identify mechanisms by which land-use management (clipping and shading) regulates soil N in a tallgrass prairie, OK, USA.Methods We conducted 1-year clipping and shading experiment to investigate the effects of changes in land-use management (soil microclimates, plant C substrate supply and microbial activity) on soil inorganic N (NH 4 + ? N and NO 3 ? ? N), net N mineralization and nitrification in a tallgrass prairie.Important findings Land-use management through clipping and/or shading significantly increased annual mean inorganic N, possibly due to lowered plant N uptake and decreased microbial N immobilization into biomass growth. Shading significantly increased annual mean mineralization rates (P < 0.05). Clipping slightly decreased annual mean N nitrification rates whereas shading significantly increased annual mean N nitrification rates. Soil microclimate significantly explained 36% of the variation in NO 3 ? ? N concentrations (P = 0.004). However, soil respiration, a predictor of plant C substrate supply and microbial activity, was negatively correlated with NH 4 + ? N concentrations (P = 0.0009), net N mineralization (P = 0.0037) and nitrification rates (P = 0.0028) across treatments. Our results suggest that change in C substrate supply and microbial activity under clipping and/or shading is a critical control on NH 4 + ? N, net N mineralization and nitrification rates, whereas clipping and shading-induced soil microclimate change can be important for NO 3 ? ? N variation in the tallgrass prairie.     

Organic matter turnover in a sagebrush steppe landscape

Laboratory incubations of¹⁵N-amended soils from a sagebrush steppe in south-central Wyoming indicate that nutrient turnover and availability have complex patterns across the landscape and between microsites. Total and available N and P and microbial C and N were highest in topographic depressions characterized by tall shrub communities. Net and gross N mineralization rates and respiration were also highest in these areas, but microbial efficiencies expressing growth relative to respiration cost were highest in soils of exposed ridgetop sites (prostrate shrub communities). Similar patterns occurred between shrub and intershrub soils, with greater nutrient availability under shrubs, but lower microbial efficiencies under shrubs than between. Surface soils had higher soil nutrient pools and N mineralization rates than subsurface soils, but N and C turnover and microbial efficiencies were lower in those surface soils. All soils decreased in respiration, mineralization, and immobilization rates during the 30-day incubation period, apparently approaching a steady-state substrate use. Soil microbial activity of the high organic matter accumulation areas was apparently more limited by labile substrate.     

Species-specific effects of live roots and shoot litter on soil decomposer abundances do not forecast plant litter-nitrogen uptake

Plant species produce litter of varying quality and differ in the quality and quantity of compounds they release from live roots, which both can induce different decomposer growth in the soil. To test whether differences in decomposer growth can forecast the amount of N species acquire from plant litter, as suggested by theory, we grew individuals of three grassland plants—Holcus lanatus, Plantago lanceolata and Lotus corniculatus—in soils into which ¹⁵N-labelled litter of either Holcus, Plantago or Lotus was added. We measured the effects of live roots and litter of each species on soil microbes and their protozoan and nematode feeders, and to link decomposer growth and plant nutrient uptake, we measured the amount of N taken up by plants from the added litter. We hypothesised that those species that induce the highest growth of microbes, and especially that of microbial feeders, will also take up the highest amount of N from the litter. We found, however, that although numbers of bacterial-feeding Protozoa and nematodes were on average lower after addition of Holcus than Plantago or Lotus litter, N uptake was higher from Holcus litter. Further, although the effects on Protozoa and bacterial- and fungal-feeding nematodes did not differ between the live plants, litter-N uptake differed, with Holcus being the most efficient compared to Plantago and Lotus. Hence, although microbes and their feeders unquestionably control N mineralization in the soil, and their growth differs among plant species, these differences cannot predict differences in litter-N uptake among plant species. A likely reason is that for nutrient uptake, other species-specific plant traits, such as litter chemistry, root proliferation ability and competitiveness for soil N, override in significance the species-specific ability of plants to induce decomposer growth.     

Soil Biological and Chemical Properties in Restored Perennial Grassland in California

Restoration of California native perennial grassland is often initiated with cultivation to reduce the density and cover of non‐native annual grasses before seeding with native perennials. Tillage is known to adversely impact agriculturally cultivated land; thus changes in soil biological functions, as indicated by carbon (C) turnover and C retention, may also be negatively affected by these restoration techniques. We investigated a restored perennial grassland in the fourth year after planting Nassella pulchra, Elymus glaucus, and Hordeum brachyantherum ssp. californicum for total soil C and nitrogen (N), microbial biomass C, microbial respiration, CO₂ concentrations in the soil atmosphere, surface efflux of CO₂, and root distribution (0‐ to 15‐, 15‐ to 30‐, 30‐ to 60‐, and 60‐ to 80‐cm depths). A comparison was made between untreated annual grassland and plots without plant cover still maintained by tillage and herbicide. In the uppermost layer (0‐ to 15‐cm depth), total C, microbial biomass C, and respiration were lower in the tilled, bare soil than in the grassland soils, as was CO₂ efflux from the soil surface. Root length near perennial bunchgrasses was lower at the surface and greater at lower depths than in the annual grass–dominated areas; a similar but less pronounced trend was observed for root biomass. Few differences in soil biological or chemical properties occurred below 15‐cm depth, except that at lower depths, the CO₂ concentration in the soil atmosphere was lower in the plots without vegetation, possibly from reduced production of CO₂ due to the lack of root respiration. Similar microbiological properties in soil layers below 15‐cm depth suggest that deeper microbiota rely on more recalcitrant C sources and are less affected by plant removal than in the surface layer, even after 6 years. Without primary production, restoration procedures with extended periods of tillage and herbicide applications led to net losses of C during the plant‐free periods. However, at 4 years after planting native grasses, soil microbial biomass and activity were nearly the same as the former conditions represented by annual grassland, suggesting high resilience to the temporary disturbance caused by tillage.     

Microbial biomass and nitrogen cycling responses to fertilization and litter removal in young northern hardwood forests

The influence of site fertility on soil microbial biomass and activity is not well understood but is likely to be complex because of interactions with plant responses to nutrient availability. We examined the effects of long-term (8 yr) fertilization and litter removal on forest floor microbial biomass and N and C transformations to test the hypothesis that higher soil resource availability stimulates microbial activity. Microbial biomass and respiration decreased by 20–30 % in response to fertilization. Microbial C averaged 3.8 mg C/g soil in fertilized, 5.8 mg C/g in control, and 5.5 mg C/g in litter removal plots. Microbial respiration was 200 µg CO₂-C g^–1 d^–1 in fertilized plots, compared to 270 µg CO₂-C g^–1 d^–1 in controls. Gross N mineralization and N immobilization did not differ among treatments, despite higher litter nutrient concentrations in fertilized plots and the removal of substantial quantities of C and N in litter removal plots. Net N mineralization was significantly reduced by fertilization. Gross nitrification and NO₃ ^– immobilization both were increased by fertilization. Nitrate thus became a more important part of microbial N cycling in fertilized plots even though NH₄ ⁺ availability was not stimulated by fertilization.Soil microorganisms did not mineralize more C or N in response to fertilization and higher litter quality; instead, results suggest a difference in the physiological status of microbial biomass in fertilized plots that influenced N transformations. Respiration quotients (qCO₂, respiration per unit biomass) were higher in fertilized plots (56 µg CO₂-C mg C^–1 d^–1) than control (48 µg CO₂-C mg C^–1 d ^–1) or litter removal (45 µg CO₂-C mg C^–1 d^–1), corresponding to higher microbial growth efficiency, higher proportions of gross mineralization immobilized, and lower net N mineralization in fertilized plots. While microbial biomass is an important labile nutrient pool, patterns of microbial growth and turnover were distinct from this pool and were more important to microbial function in nitrogen cycling.     

Benthic bacterial and fungal productivity and carbon turnover in a freshwater marsh

Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi are widely recognized as crucial mediators of carbon, nutrient, and energy flow in ecosystems, yet information on their total annual production in benthic habitats is lacking. To assess the significance of annual microbial production in a structurally complex system, we measured production rates of bacteria and fungi over an annual cycle in four aerobic habitats of a littoral freshwater marsh. Production rates of fungi in plant litter were substantial (0.2 to 2.4 mg C g(-1) C) but were clearly outweighed by those of bacteria (2.6 to 18.8 mg C g(-1) C) throughout the year. This indicates that bacteria represent the most actively growing microorganisms on marsh plant litter in submerged conditions, a finding that contrasts strikingly with results from both standing dead shoots of marsh plants and submerged plant litter decaying in streams. Concomitant measurements of microbial respiration (1.5 to 15.3 mg C-CO2 g(-1) of plant litter C day(-1)) point to high microbial growth efficiencies on the plant litter, averaging 45.5%. The submerged plant litter layer together with the thin aerobic sediment layer underneath (average depth of 5 mm) contributed the bulk of microbial production per square meter of marsh surface (99%), whereas bacterial production in the marsh water column and epiphytic biofilms was negligible. The magnitude of the combined production in these compartments (approximately 1,490 g C m(-2) year(-1)) highlights the importance of carbon flows through microbial biomass, to the extent that even massive primary productivity of the marsh plants (603 g C m(-2) year(-1)) and subsidiary carbon sources (approximately 330 g C m(-2) year(-1)) were insufficient to meet the microbial carbon demand. These findings suggest that littoral freshwater marshes are genuine hot spots of aerobic microbial carbon transformations, which may act as net organic carbon importers from adjacent systems and, in turn, emit large amounts of CO2 (here, approximately 870 g C m(-2) year(-1)) into the atmosphere.     

Symbiotic N2-fixation by the cover crop Pueraria phaseoloides as influenced by litter mineralization

The perennial legume Pueraria phaseoloides is widely used as a cover crop in rubber and oil palm plantations. However, very little knowledge exists on the effect of litter mineralization from P. phaseoloides on its symbiotic N₂-fixation. The contribution from symbiotic N₂-fixation (Ndfa) and litter N (Ndfl) to total plant N in P. phaseoloides was determined in a pot experiment using a ¹⁵N cross-labeling technique. For determination of N₂-fixation the non-fixing plant Axonopus compressus was used as a reference. The experiment was carried out in a growth chamber during 9 weeks with a sandy soil and 4 rates of ground litter (C/N=16,2.8% N). P. phaseoloides plants supplied with the highest amount of litter produced 26% more dry matter and fixed 23% more N than plants grown in soil with no litter application, but the percentage of Ndfa decreased slightly, but significantly, from 87 to 84%. The litter N uptake was directly proportional to the rate of application and constituted 10% of total plant N at the highest application rate. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between litter N uptake and the amount of fixed N₂. The total recovery of litter N in plants averaged 26% at harvest (shoot + root) and was not affected by the quantity added. A parallel incubation experiment also showed that, as an average of all litter levels, 26% of the litter N was present in the inorganic N pool. The amounts of fertilizer and soil N taken up by plants decreased with litter application, probably due to microbial immobilization and denitrification. It is concluded that, within the litter levels studied, litter mineralization will result in a higher amount of N₂-fixed by P. phaseoloides.     

不同林龄杉木人工林植物-凋落叶-土壤C、N、P化学计量特征及互作关系

以贵州8年、16年、28年生杉木人工林为研究对象,分析植物-凋落叶-土壤的C、N、P化学计量特征及其内在联系,探讨林龄对杉木人工林生态化学计量的影响,为杉木人工林可持续经营提供参考。结果表明:(1)杉木人工林植物-凋落叶-土壤均呈高C低N、P元素格局,两两组分间差异显著(P0.05);成熟叶C/N(38.58)、C/P(376.67)偏低,其养分利用效率较低;与成熟叶相比,凋落叶N、P偏低,C/N、C/P偏高;土壤C/P、N/P偏低,C/N较高,说明土壤P素分解较快而N保存较好,反映了凋落叶分解不利。(2)成熟叶C、P以及根、凋落叶、土壤的C、N、P、C/N、C/P、N/P均受林龄的显著影响;从8年到28年,C、N、P含量在植物体呈先增后减趋势,而在土壤中相反,呈先减后增趋势,但在凋落物中C、P显著减小,且C/P,N/P显著增加,反映杉木林早期对养分需求旺盛,随年龄增大需求减小,凋落物分解受制于P素,加剧中幼期杉木生态系统养分供需矛盾。(3)成熟叶与凋落叶N、C/N、N/P之间显著正相关,凋落叶养分源自成熟叶;成熟叶重吸收率P(0.518—0.645)N(0.292—0.488),即对P的利用效率高于N。凋落叶与土壤C、C/N之间显著负相关,表明土壤C、N来源于凋落叶分解,但凋落叶分解缓慢,导致大量元素滞留于凋落叶,土壤损耗元素得不到补给,两者间养分循环缓慢。土壤与根C、P、C/N、C/P、N/P之间均显著正相关,土壤与成熟叶的C、N、P均不相关,表明土壤养分是杉木生长养分的主要来源,但土壤C、N、P含量对成熟叶C、N、P含量影响不大。     

The Influence of Soil Inoculum and Nitrogen Availability on Restoration of High-Elevation Steppe Communities Invaded by Bromus tectorum

Cheatgrass ( Bromus tectorum L.) is an exotic annual grass that has invaded approximately 40,000,000 ha of rangelands in the United States, including montane ecosystems that are important habitats for wildlife and livestock. In addition to well-understood mechanisms by which Cheatgrass gains competitive advantage, recent studies have shown that Cheatgrass may also change the associated soil microbial community to impact native perennial plants and promote the persistence of Cheatgrass. Furthermore, reducing plant-available N represents a tool for initiating conditions that accelerate successional change from annual- to perennial-dominated communities. At a montane, mixed shrub–grassland Cheatgrass-dominated site in Colorado, we applied sucrose to reduce available N, and we added soil from a native plant community in order to reestablish the microbial community. This approach tested the idea that intact native soil microbial communities may enhance the beneficial effect of reducing soil N availability in a restoration setting. By the end of the experiment, reduced N availability decreased Cheatgrass by 9.8%, non-native annual/biennial plant cover by 15.0%, and increased relative perennial plant cover by 13.4%; soil inoculation reduced Cheatgrass by 7.6% and increased perennial abundance by 11.3%. Soil inoculum additions and reduced N availability both contributed toward restoring a perennial-dominated community and demonstrates that addition of native soil inoculum may be a useful tool for restoration efforts.     

Factors affecting nitrogen dynamics in a semiarid woodland (Dry Chaco,Argentina)

In an effort to elucidate the factors affecting soil N dynamics in the Dry Chaco ecosystem, soil respiration and microbial biomass N were measured for one year underneath 5 vegetation types: a leguminous tree (Prosopis flexuosa DC), a non-leguminous tree (Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco Schlecht.), a non leguminous shrub (Larrea spp.), the open interspaces, and a pure grassland. Ammonifier and nitrifier densities and N content in litter were also measured in some cases. Results were compared with previously reported N mineralization rates and soil fertility.During the dry season microbial biomass N and net N mineralization were low, while accretion of easily mineralizable C occurred (estimated through soil respiration rates in lab under controlled temperature and moisture). With the onset of rain, microbial biomass N and N mineralization increased markedly, resulting in a decrease in easily mineralizable C. Throughout the wet season N mineralization varied with soil moisture while microbial biomass N remained consistently high. Mean values of immobilized N in this ecosystem were high (20–140 mg kg^–1), of about the same order of magnitude as accumulated net N mineralization (50–150 mg kg^–1 yr^–1). Microbial decay in the dry season, considered as a source of easily mineralizable N, accounted for only 40% of gross N mineralization increase at the beginning of the wet season. Ammonifier densities correlated significantly with soil moisture and N mineralization, but nitrifiers did not.The highest values of total N, N mineralization, inorganic N, microbial biomass N, nitrifier densities, N content in litter, total organic C and easily mineralizable C were found under Prosopis and the lowest values under shrubs and the interspaces. The main differences between tree species were in N mineralization at the beginning of the wet season, in total and inorganic N pools, and in nitrifier densities; all of which were significantly lower under Aspidosperma than under Prosopis.N mineralization in the pure grassland was very low despite high values of total N and C sources. Although N immobilized in microbial biomass was similarly high under Aspidosperma, Prosopis and the pure grassland, net N mineralization rates were quite different.     

内生真菌感染对禾草宿主生境土壤特性和微生物群落的影响

以羊草(Leymus chinensis)-内生真菌共生体为研究对象, 分别在野外样地和室内盆栽两种实验条件下研究了内生真菌感染对土壤特性和微生物群落结构的影响。结果显示：在处理时间较长并伴随有枯落物分解的羊草样地中, 内生真菌感染促进了土壤氮(N)的积累, 提高了30天培养时间内土壤初始碳(C)矿化速率和前3天土壤矿化量和土壤矿化总量; 而在处理时间较短且没有地上枯落物分解的盆栽羊草中, 内生真菌感染对土壤的C、N含量及C矿化均无显著影响。无论是野外样地还是室内盆栽实验, 内生真菌感染均未引起土壤微生物磷脂脂肪酸种类的变化, 但内生真菌感染均有提高土壤微生物生物量的趋势, 内生真菌显著增加了盆栽羊草土壤中细菌、革兰氏阴性细菌、真菌磷脂脂肪酸含量和磷脂脂肪酸总量, 增加了羊草样地土壤中革兰氏阳性细菌和放线菌的磷脂脂肪酸含量。总体看来, 内生真菌感染能够改变土壤N积累和C矿化率, 并且改变土壤中微生物群落的结构, 这有助于进一步认识内生真菌与羊草之间的共生关系及其在生态系统C、N循环中所起的作用。     

荒漠短命植物不同生长期化学计量特征与生境土壤因子关系分析

深入了解荒漠短命植物的化学计量特征,有助于更好地理解生境土壤因子与植物生存策略的关系。以古尔班通古特沙漠广泛分布的尖喙牻牛儿苗（Erodium oxyrrhynchum）、假狼紫草（Nonea caspica）、琉苞菊（Hyalea pulchella）、飘带果（Lactuca undulata）为植物材料,测定不同深度（0~5、5~10、10~15 cm）的土壤理化性质,野外原位多时段采样比较分析4种植物化学计量特征与土壤因子的动态变化及其耦合关系。结果表明：①4种短命植物碳（C）、氮（N）、磷（P）含量普遍较低,化学计量特征存在物种间差异,但在不同生长期内变化规律大致相似。N、P含量从幼苗期到结实期逐渐减少,而C含量则长期趋于稳定。整个生长期内,P、C∶P的变异幅度较大,相反,C、N∶P的变异幅度较小。4种植物在不同生长期的化学计量特征差异与生长期、植物种类存在显著相关性。②0~5 cm土层有机碳（SOC）、总氮（TN）、总磷（TP）含量最高,且随土层的加深逐渐减少。随着植物的生长,0~5 cm土层中SOC和TN含量呈明显增加的趋势,而TP含量却呈现抛物线状变化趋势。在植物不同生长期内,土壤TP含量稳定性最强,SOC、TN的变异性较强,较低的N含量及TN∶TP比显示出该区域土壤属于N素缺乏类型。3个土层土壤在不同生长期的化学计量特征差异受土层、生长期的影响显著。③4种植物与各层次土壤化学计量特征的相关性无一致规律。植物化学计量指标仅与0~10 cm土层SOC、SOC∶TP相关性较强,而大部分化学计量特征间未显示出相关性。上述结果说明植物化学计量特征并非全部由土壤养分特征直接决定,其明显的种间差异显示了植物自身遗传特性在土壤—植物计量特征耦合关系的重要性。     

Earthworms,Collembola and residue management change wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis>) and herbivore pest performance (Aphidina: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhophalosiphum padi</Emphasis>)

Management practices of arable systems determine the distribution of soil organic matter thereby changing decomposer animal activity and their impact on nutrient mineralization, plant growth and plant-herbivore interactions. Decomposer-mediated changes in plant growth and insect pest performance were investigated in wheat-aphid model systems in the greenhouse. Three types of litter distribution were established: litter patch at the soil surface (simulating mulching), litter patch deeper in soil (simulating ploughing) and litter homogeneously mixed into soil (simulating disk cultivation). The litter was labelled with (15)N to follow the mineralization and uptake of nutrients by the plants. Earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa) and Collembola (Protaphorura armata) were included as representatives of major functional groups of decomposers. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) was planted and aphids (Rhophalosiphum padi) were introduced to leaves as one of the most important pests. Earthworms, Collembola and litter distribution affected plant growth, N acquisition and aphid development in an interactive way. Earthworms and Collembola increased biomass of seeds, shoots and roots of wheat. Increased plant growth by earthworms and Collembola was mainly due to increased transfer of N from soil (rather than litter) into plants. Despite increasing plant growth, earthworms reduced aphid reproduction. Aphid reproduction was not correlated closely with plant N concentrations, but rather with the concentration of litter N in wheat. Unexpectedly, both Collembola and earthworms predominantly affected the mobilization of N from soil organic matter, and by altering the distribution of litter earthworms reduced infestation of crops by aphids via reducing plant capture of litter N, in particular if the litter was concentrated deeper in soil. The results suggest that management practices stimulating a continuous moderate increase in nutrient mobilization from soil organic matter rather than nutrient flushes from decomposing fresh organic matter result in maximum plant growth with minimum plant pest infestation.