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1.
Summary

Patterns of foliar δ15 N can suggest testable hypotheses concerning N use among and within plant species. However, both spatial and time-series sampling is required to establish how the patterns vary within and among species. On a seasonal basis, foliar δl5 Nrankings may change among the species compared. When symbiotic N2-fixers are among the plants sampled, N2-fixation may be temporally disjunct from the near-0%c, expected foliar δ15 N, which is usually attributed to N2-fixation, and the fates of previously fixed N may not be apparent from a net foliar δ15 N of either soil or plants.  相似文献   

2.
Alterations to ecosystem nitrogen (N) cycling by introduced plant species may increase the invasibility of habitat providing a positive feedback for the introduced species to become invasive. Spatial patterns of foliar and soil δ15N ratios reflect variation in rates and process of N‐cycling across invaded landscapes and provide insight into N‐source uptake and utilization strategies of invasive plant species. To evaluate invasion‐associated changes in soil and foliar δ15N at different scales: regional (among different sites), local (between north‐ and south‐facing aspect at the same site), and microsite (within populations in the same community), we measured foliar and soil δ15 N, animal faeces cover (as a proxy for grazing intensity) and N2‐fixing species cover from inside to outside Thymus vulgaris L. (thyme)‐invaded lightly grazed pastoral communities in Central Otago, southern South Island, New Zealand. Mean thyme foliar δ15N were near‐zero across the invaded landscape, and did not change across the advancing edge of invasion or with aspect. There was no evidence that associations with N2‐fixing species provide a potential N source. Soil δ15N was lower inside of thyme compared to at the edge or outside of thyme and was varied between aspects at some sites. Animal faeces cover as a proxy for grazing intensity explained only 23% of this observed variation of soil δ15N. Thyme invasion may result in lowered soil δ15N reflecting alterations to N dynamics. Associated invasion‐related impacts of animal grazing may also impact soil δ15N. Further studies are required to distinguish the underlying mechanism responsible for the observed patterns of foliar and soil δ15N values across thyme‐invaded Central Otago landscapes.  相似文献   

3.
Studies of the variation in δ15N values for plants from a fire-prone Banksia woodland in South West Australia showed that pioneer herbaceous, non-mycorrhizal species which were active in nitrate reduction and storage, had the highest values (1.81%c). A detailed study of one such species Ptilotus polystachus demonstrated a close correspondence between the δ15N values of soil nitrate, xylem nitrate and leaf total nitrogen, suggesting an exclusive reliance on nitrate ions as nitrogen source. These pioneer species also showed a preponderance of the chloroplastic isoform of glutamine synthetase while woody species generally had higher activity associated with the cytosolic isoform. The group comprising monocotyledonous hemicryptophytes and geophytes contained species with slightly positive δ15N values and moderately active in nitrate reduction and storage. Nitrogen-fixing species had the lowest δ15N values (–0.36‰), irrespective of their apparent utilisation of nitrate. However, woody resprouter species which had low levels of nitrate reduction and storage had δ15N values which fell within the range of values obtained for the miscellaneous assemblage of N2-fixing species. Consequently, 15N abundance values failed to distinguish N2 fixing from non-fixing woody species, and therefore, could not be used in the ecosystem to determine the dependence of putative nitrogen fixing species on N2 fixation. The study demonstrated complex patterns of nitrogen utilization in the ecosystem in which exploitation of different nitrogen resources related to plant life form and the physiological attributes of nitrogen assimilation by component species.  相似文献   

4.
Foliar δ15N has been used increasingly in research on ecosystem nitrogen (N) cycling, because it can serve as an integrator of ecosystem N cycling and thus has a potential to reveal temporal and spatial patterns of N cycling as well as how the N cycle is altered by disturbances. However, the current understanding on controls of foliar δ15N is based principally on studies from America, Europe, Australia and Africa. Here we compiled data from 65 forests at 33 sites across East Asia to explore regional patterns and what controls foliar δ15N by linking it to climate, species composition, soil depth, slope position, N deposition, and soil N availability. In East Asia, foliar δ15N ranged from ?7.1 to +2.7‰. Mean foliar δ15N values for tropical, subtropical and temperate forests were all ?3.1‰, which was unexpected. The patterns of foliar δ15N with precipitation, temperature and altitude were not clear. The variation in foliar δ15N among species and between different slope positions appeared to be small within a given forest. The δ15N for both bulk soil N and extractable inorganic N generally increased with soil depth as expected, strengthening the idea that deep-rooted trees may have access to 15N-enriched N. Different from the positive correlations reported across America and Europe, in East Asia we found that foliar δ15N decreased with increasing N deposition and did not relate to soil N availability. These discrepancies deserve more research to elucidate the mechanisms by which foliar δ15N is affected by ecosystem N availability at a regional scale.  相似文献   

5.
The present study explores the xylem‐tapping parasitism by mistletoe (Tapinanthus oleifolius) on native tree species along the Kalahari Transect (KT) using the stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. Mistletoe‐host pairs were collected at three geographical locations along the KT rainfall gradient in the 2005 and 2006 wet seasons. Foliar total carbon, total nitrogen and their stable isotope compositions (δ13C and δ15N) were measured. Heterotrophy (H) was calculated using foliar δ13C values of mistletoes and their hosts as an indicator of proportion of carbon in the mistletoes derived from host photosynthate. Based on the mistletoe H‐value and relationship between the mistletoe foliar δ15N and their host foliar δ15N, the results showed that mistletoes along the KT derived both nitrogen and carbon from their hosts. Mistletoes may regulate water use in relation to nitrogen supply. The proportion of carbon in the mistletoes derived from host photosynthate was between 35% and 78%, and the degree of heterotrophy was species‐specific with only limited annual variation. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating parasitic associations in future studies on studying carbon, water and nutrient cycling along the Kalahari.  相似文献   

6.
Nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN = NH4+ and NO3), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) were measured in Smith Lake, Alaska to assess their usefulness as proxies for the biological nitrogen cycling processes, nutrient concentration, and lake productivity. Large seasonal variations in δ15NH4+, δ15NO3 and δ15NPON occurred in response to different processes of nitrogen transformation that dominated a specific time period of the annual production cycle. In spring, 15N depletion in all three pools was closely related to the occurrences of a N2‐fixing cyanobacterial bloom (Anabaena flos‐aquae). In summer, δ15NPON increased as phytoplankton community shifted to use NH4+ and decreased as a brief N2‐fixing bloom (Aphanizomenon flos‐aquae) occurred in August. In early and mid‐winter, microbial nitrogen processes were dominated by nitrification that resulted in the largest isotope fractionation between NO3 and NH4+ in the annual cycle. This was followed by denitrification that led to the highest 15N enrichment in NO3. A peak of NH4+ assimilation by phytoplankton along with the elevated δ15NPON and Chl a concentration occurred just before the ice break due to increased light penetration. The δ15NDON displayed little temporal and spatial variations. This suggests that the DON pool was not altered by biological transformations of nitrogen as the results of its large size and possibly refractory nature. There was a positive correlation between Chl a concentration and δ15NPON, and a negative correlation between NH4+ and δ15NPON, suggesting that δ15NPON is a useful proxy for nitrogen productivity and ammonium concentration. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)  相似文献   

7.
The foliar stable N isotope ratio (δ15N) can provide integrated information on ecosystem N cycling. Here we present the δ15N of plant and soil in four remote typical tropical rainforests (one primary and three secondary) of southern China. We aimed to examine if (1) foliar δ15N in the study forests is negative, as observed in other tropical and subtropical sites in eastern Asia; (2) variation in δ15N among different species is smaller compared to that in many N-limited temperate and boreal ecosystems; and (3) the primary forest is more N rich than the younger secondary forests and therefore is more 15N enriched. Our results show that foliar δ15N ranged from ?5.1 to 1.3 ‰ for 39 collected plant species with different growth strategies and mycorrhizal types, and that for 35 species it was negative. Soil NO3 ? had low δ15N (?11.4 to ?3.2 ‰) and plant NO3 ? uptake could not explain the negative foliar δ15N values (NH4 + was dominant in the soil inorganic-N fraction). We suggest that negative values might be caused by isotope fractionation during soil NH4 + uptake and mycorrhizal N transfer, and by direct uptake of atmospheric NH3/NH4 +. The variation in foliar δ15N among species (by about 6 ‰) was smaller than in many N-limited ecosystems, which is typically about or over 10 ‰. The primary forest had a larger N capital in plants than the secondary forests. Foliar δ15N and the enrichment factor (foliar δ15N minus soil δ15N) were higher in the primary forest than in the secondary forests, albeit differences were small, while there was no consistent pattern in soil δ15N between primary and secondary forests.  相似文献   

8.

Background and aims

The aim of weed control and fertilization in forest plantations was to increase tree growth by reducing competition for available nutrients and water. However, treatments that influence weed biomass can also have significant impacts on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling which can in turn lead to changes in the dynamics of stable C (δ13C) and N (δ15N) isotope compositions in soils and tree foliage.

Methods

We examined the key C and N cycling processes influenced by routine and luxury weed control and fertilization treatments as reflected by soil and foliar δ13C and δ15N and long-term tree growth in an 8-year old F1 hybrid pine (Pinus elliottii x P. caribaea) plantation in southeast Queensland, Australia. Weed control treatments varied by treatment frequency and intensity while fertilization treatments varied by the application of N, phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and micronutrients. Different soil and canopy sampling positions were assessed to determine if sampling position enhanced the relationships among soil N transformations and tree N use, water use efficiency and carbon gain under the early establishment silviculture.

Results

Routine weed control was associated with increased weed biomass returned to the soil, compared with luxury weed control. Soil δ13C increased at the 0–5 cm soil sampling depth in both the inter-planting (IPR) and planting row (PR) as a result of the routine weed control treatments. In addition, soil δ13C was significantly higher as a result of fertilisation treatment in the 0–5 cm soil sampling depth in the PR. Soil δ13C was negatively correlated to soil δ15N at the 0–5 cm soil sampling depth in the IPR. Soil δ15N increased in the 0–5 and 5–10 cm soil sampling depths in the IPR, as a result of more frequent (luxury) weed control. Foliar δ15N and tree water use efficiency (WUE) (as indicated by foliar δ13C) were positively correlated with tree growth at age 8 years. While relationships between δ13C and δ15N in the soil and foliage varied depending on soil sampling depth and position, and with canopy sampling position where there were consistent relationships between soil δ13C (or δ15N) and foliar δ15N.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates how early establishment silviculture has important implications for soil C and N cycling and how soil δ13C and δ15N were consistent with changes in soil C cycling and N transformations as a result of weed control treatments, while foliar δ15N was linked to more rapid N cycling as reflected in the soil δ15N, which increased tree growth and tree WUE (as reflected by foliar δ13C).
  相似文献   

9.
Protein, amino acids and ammonium were the main forms of soluble soil nitrogen in the soil solution of a subtropical heathland (wallum). After fire, soil ammonium and nitrate increased 90- and 60-fold, respectively. Despite this increase in nitrate availability after fire, wallum species exhibited uniformly low nitrate reductase activities and low leaf and xylem nitrate. During waterlogging soil amino acids increased, particularly γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which accounted for over 50% of amino nitrogen. Non-mycorrhizal wallum species were significantly (P < 0.05) 15N-enriched (0.3–4.3‰) compared to species with mycorrhizal associations (ericoid-type, ecto-, va-mycorrhizal) which were strongly depleted in 15N (-6.3 to -1.8‰). Lignotubers and roots had δ15N signatures similar to that of the leaves of respective species. The exceptions were fine roots of ecto-, ecto/va-, and ericoid type mycorrhizal species which were enriched in 15N (0.1–2.4‰). The 515N signatures of δ15Ntotal soil N and δ15Nsoil NH4+ were in the range 3.7–4.5‰, whereas δ15Nsoil NO3? was significantly (P < 0.05) more enriched in 15N (9.2–9.8‰). It is proposed that there is discrimination against 15N during transfer of nitrogen from fungal to plant partner. Roots of selected species incorporated nitrogen sources in the order of preference: ammonium > glycine > nitrate. The exception were proteoid roots of Hakea (Proteaceae) which incorporated equal amounts of glycine and ammonium.  相似文献   

10.
Spatial variation in mean annual precipitation is the principal driver of plant water and nitrogen status in drylands. The natural abundance of carbon stable isotopes (δ13C) in photosynthetic tissues of C3 plants is an indicator of time‐integrated behaviour of stomatal conductance; while that of nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) is an indicator of the main source of plant N (soil N vs. atmospheric N2). Previous studies in drylands have documented that plant δ13C and δ15N values increase with decreasing mean annual precipitation due to reductions in stomatal conductance, and soil enriched in 15N, respectively. However, evidence for this comes from studies focused on stable isotopes measurements integrated at the plant community level or on dominant plants at the site level, but little effort has been made to study C and N isotope variations within a species growing along rainfall gradients. We analysed plant δ13C, δ15N and C/N values of three woody species having different phenological leaf traits (deciduous, perennial and aphyllous) along a regional mean annual precipitation gradient from the central‐western Argentinian drylands. Noticeably, plant δ13C and δ15N values in the three woody species did not increase towards sites with low precipitation or at the start of the growing season (drier period), as we expected. These results suggest that environmental factors other than mean annual precipitation may be affecting plant δ13C and δ15N. The short‐term environmental conditions may interact with species‐specific plant traits related to water and nitrogen use strategies and override the predictive influence of the mean annual precipitation on plant δ13C and δ15N widely reported in drylands.  相似文献   

11.
Global patterns in soil, plant, and fungal stable isotopes of N (δ15N) show promise as integrated metrics of N cycling, particularly the activity of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. At small spatial scales, however, it remains difficult to differentiate the underlying causes of plant δ15N variability and this limits the application of such measurements to better understand N cycling. We conducted a landscape-scale analysis of δ15N values from 31 putatively N-limited monospecific black spruce (Picea mariana) stands in central Alaska to assess the two main hypothesized sources of plant δ15N variation: differing sources and ECM fractionation. We found roughly 20% of the variability in black spruce foliar N and δ15N values to be correlated with the concentration and δ15N values of soil NH4 + and dissolved organic N (DON) pools, respectively. However, 15N-based mixing models from 24 of the stands suggested that fractionation by ECM fungi obscures the 15N signature of soil N pools. Models, regressions, and N abundance data all suggested that increasing dependence on soil DON to meet black spruce growth demands predicates increasing reliance on ECM-derived N and that black spruce, on average, received 53% of its N from ECM fungi. Future research should partition the δ15N values within the soil DON pool to determine how choice of soil δ15N values influence modeled ECM activity. The C balance of boreal forests is tightly linked to N cycling and δ15N values may be useful metrics of changes to these connections.  相似文献   

12.
Stable isotope natural abundance measurements integrate across several biogeochemical processes in ecosystem N and C dynamics. Here, we report trends in natural isotope abundance (δ13C and δ15N in plant and soil) along a climosequence of 33 Nothofagus forest stands located within Patagonia, Southern Argentina. We measured 28 different abiotic variables (both climatic variables and soil properties) to characterize environmental conditions at each of the 33 sites. Foliar δ13C values ranged from ?35.4‰ to ?27.7‰, and correlated positively with foliar δ15N values, ranging from ?3.7‰ to 5.2‰. Soil δ13C and δ15N values reflected the isotopic trends of the foliar tissues and ranged from ?29.8‰ to ?25.3‰, and ?4.8‰ to 6.4‰, respectively, with no significant differences between Nothofagus species (Nothofagus pumilio, Nothofagus antarctica, Nothofagus betuloides). Principal component analysis and multiple regressions suggested that mainly water availability variables (mean annual precipitation), but not soil properties, explained between 42% and 79% of the variations in foliar and soil δ13C and δ15N natural abundance, which declined with increased moisture supply. We conclude that a decline in water use efficiency at wetter sites promotes both the depletion of heavy C and N isotopes in soil and plant biomass. Soil δ13C values were higher than those of the plant tissues and this difference increased as annual precipitation increased. No such differences were apparent when δ15N values in soil and plant were compared, which indicates that climatic differences contributed more to the overall C balance than to the overall N balance in these forest ecosystems.  相似文献   

13.
Foliar nitrogen isotope (δ15N) composition patterns have been linked to soil N, mycorrhizal fractionation, and within-plant fractionations. However, few studies have examined the potential importance of the direct foliar uptake of gaseous reactive N on foliar δ15N. Using an experimental set-up in which the rate of mycorrhizal infection was reduced using a fungicide, we examined the influence of mycorrhizae on foliar δ15N in potted red maple (Acer rubrum) seedlings along a regional N deposition gradient in New York State. Mycorrhizal associations altered foliar δ15N values in red maple seedlings from 0.06 to 0.74 ‰ across sites. At the same sites, we explored the predictive roles of direct foliar N uptake, soil δ15N, and mycorrhizae on foliar δ15N in adult stands of A. rubrum, American beech (Fagus grandifolia), black birch (Betula lenta), and red oak (Quercus rubra). Multiple regression analysis indicated that ambient atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration explained 0, 69, 23, and 45 % of the variation in foliar δ15N in American beech, red maple, red oak, and black birch, respectively, after accounting for the influence of soil δ15N. There was no correlation between foliar δ13C and foliar %N with increasing atmospheric NO2 concentration in most species. Our findings suggest that total canopy uptake, and likely direct foliar N uptake, of pollution-derived atmospheric N deposition may significantly impact foliar δ15N in several dominant species occurring in temperate forest ecosystems.  相似文献   

14.
This study was performed to assess the N2-fixing capability of the native actinorhizal species Ochetophila trinervis (sin. Discaria trinervis) and Discaria chacaye (Rhamnaceae) in Northwest Patagonia. We measured the N concentration and 15N natural abundance in leaves and nodules of O. trinervis and D. chacaye, in leaves of associated non-actinorhizal vegetation, and in the soils under each sampled plant. O. trinervis and D. chacaye had foliar N concentrations that were about twice that of non-actinorhizal shrubs growing at the same sites, even though soils varied four-fold in total N across the sites. Leaves of both actinorhizal plants had a similar δ15N at any site and were close to atmospheric values. The foliar δ15N of non-actinorhizal plants and soil δ15N were strongly correlated across the sites. Nodules were depleted in δ15N relative to the foliage of the respective actinorhizal species. In conjunction with the uniformly high foliage N concentration of these actinorhizal plants and the universal presence of vesicles observed in root nodules, these data strongly suggest that O. trinervis and D. chacaye obtain a significant amount of their N from N2 fixation. To calculate the proportion of N derived from atmosphere, theoretical B-values were estimated. In all cases where the δ15N of fixing and reference foliage were significantly different, O. trinervis and D. chacaye obtained almost all of their N from N2 fixation. These results are the first to demonstrate N2 fixation by O. trinervis and D. chacaye in the field and therefore suggest an important role for these actinorhizal plants in the N economy of ecosystems in northwest Patagonia as well as their potential use for restoration of degraded lands in this region.  相似文献   

15.
Molecular nitrogen (N2) constitutes the majority of Earth's modern atmosphere, contributing ~0.79 bar of partial pressure (pN2). However, fluctuations in pN2 may have occurred on 107–109 year timescales in Earth's past, perhaps altering the isotopic composition of atmospheric nitrogen. Here, we explore an archive that may record the isotopic composition of atmospheric N2 in deep time: the foliage of cycads. Cycads are ancient gymnosperms that host symbiotic N2‐fixing cyanobacteria in modified root structures known as coralloid roots. All extant species of cycads are known to host symbionts, suggesting that this N2‐fixing capacity is perhaps ancestral, reaching back to the early history of cycads in the late Paleozoic. Therefore, if the process of microbial N2 fixation records the δ15N value of atmospheric N2 in cycad foliage, the fossil record of cycads may provide an archive of atmospheric δ15N values. To explore this potential proxy, we conducted a survey of wild cycads growing in a range of modern environments to determine whether cycad foliage reliably records the isotopic composition of atmospheric N2. We find that neither biological nor environmental factors significantly influence the δ15N values of cycad foliage, suggesting that they provide a reasonably robust record of the δ15N of atmospheric N2. Application of this proxy to the record of carbonaceous cycad fossils may not only help to constrain changes in atmospheric nitrogen isotope ratios since the late Paleozoic, but also could shed light on the antiquity of the N2‐fixing symbiosis between cycads and cyanobacteria.  相似文献   

16.

Background and aims

The aim of this study is to enhance our knowledge of nitrogen (N) cycling and N acquisition in tropical montane forests through analysis of stable N isotopes (δ15N).

Methods

Leaves from eight common tree species, leaf litter, soils from three depths and roots were sampled from two contrasting montane forest types in Jamaica (mull ridge and mor ridge) and were analysed for δ15N.

Results

All foliar δ15N values were negative and varied among the tree species but were significantly more negative in the mor ridge forest (by about 2 ‰). δ15N of soils and roots were also more negative in mor ridge forests by about 3 ‰. Foliar δ15N values were closer to that of soil ammonium than soil nitrate suggesting that trees in these forests may have a preference for ammonium; this may explain the high losses of nitrate from similar tropical montane forests. There was no correlation between the rankings of foliar δ15N in the two forest types suggesting a changing uptake ratio of different N forms between forest types.

Conclusions

These results indicate that N is found at low concentrations in this ecosystem and that there is a tighter N cycle in the mor ridge forest, confirmed by reduced nitrogen availability and lower rates of nitrification. Overall, soil or root δ15N values are more useful in assessing ecosystem N cycling patterns as different tree species showed differences in foliar δ15N between the two forest types.  相似文献   

17.
Forest ecosystem nitrogen (N) response to disturbance has often been examined by space-for-time substitution, but there are few objective tests of the possible variation in disturbance type and intensity across chronosequence sites. We hypothesized that tree ring δ15N, as a record of ecosystem N status, could validate chronosequence assumptions and provide isotopic evidence to corroborate N trends. To test this we measured soil N availability, soil δ15N, and foliar N attributes of overstory Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and understory western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) across three old-growth stands and nine second-growth plantations on southeast Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Canada). Increment cores for wood δ15N were retrieved from three co-dominant Douglas-fir per plot. Bulk soil δ15N was well aligned with both foliar and recent wood δ15N, demonstrating the utility of wood δ15N in monitoring ecosystem N status. Strongly contrasting trends in tree ring δ15N were evident among second-growth stands, with most trees from plantations older than 50 years exhibiting steep declines (3–4‰) in δ15N but with no temporal trends detected for younger plantations. The discrepancy in tree ring δ15N suggests disturbance history varied considerably among second-growth sites, likely because of greater slash loads and hotter broadcast burns on older cutblocks. As a consequence, the pattern of increased soil N availability and foliar N concentration with time since disturbance derived from the chronosequence could not be validated. Tree ring δ15N may provide insights into disturbance intensity, especially fire, and correlations with foliar N concentration could inform the extent of changes in stand nutrition.  相似文献   

18.
Reduced soil N availability under elevated CO2 may limit the plant's capacity to increase photosynthesis and thus the potential for increased soil C input. Plant productivity and soil C input should be less constrained by available soil N in an N2‐fixing system. We studied the effects of Trifolium repens (an N2‐fixing legume) and Lolium perenne on soil N and C sequestration in response to 9 years of elevated CO2 under FACE conditions. 15N‐labeled fertilizer was applied at a rate of 140 and 560 kg N ha?1 yr?1 and the CO2 concentration was increased to 60 Pa pCO2 using 13C‐depleted CO2. The total soil C content was unaffected by elevated CO2, species and rate of 15N fertilization. However, under elevated CO2, the total amount of newly sequestered soil C was significantly higher under T. repens than under L. perenne. The fraction of fertilizer‐N (fN) of the total soil N pool was significantly lower under T. repens than under L. perenne. The rate of N fertilization, but not elevated CO2, had a significant effect on fN values of the total soil N pool. The fractions of newly sequestered C (fC) differed strongly among intra‐aggregate soil organic matter fractions, but were unaffected by plant species and the rate of N fertilization. Under elevated CO2, the ratio of fertilizer‐N per unit of new C decreased under T. repens compared with L. perenne. The L. perenne system sequestered more 15N fertilizer than T. repens: 179 vs. 101 kg N ha?1 for the low rate of N fertilization and 393 vs. 319 kg N ha?1 for the high N‐fertilization rate. As the loss of fertilizer‐15N contributed to the 15N‐isotope dilution under T. repens, the input of fixed N into the soil could not be estimated. Although N2 fixation was an important source of N in the T. repens system, there was no significant increase in total soil C compared with a non‐N2‐fixing L. perenne system. This suggests that N2 fixation and the availability of N are not the main factors controlling soil C sequestration in a T. repens system.  相似文献   

19.
The presence of grazers on grazing lawns in East Africa and North America often alters nitrogen cycling and availability. Grazing lawns can be defined as areas where grasses are kept in a short, actively growing, palatable state by the action of grazers. Our aim was to test whether lawns have enhanced leaf nitrogen (N) concentrations, total soil N and δ15N when compared to tall grass areas in a South African savannah. Previous studies have used ecosystem δ15N as a proxy of N availability, and enriched δ15N values have been suggested to indicate higher N availability or higher N transformation rates. Across all sites, foliar N concentrations (but not soil N) were higher when compared to tall grass areas, and evidence of enriched foliar and soil δ15N values was found on the lawns. These results suggest that grazers may be involved in altering the rates of N transformations directly on grazing lawns. Regardless of whether these N transformations included increased net N mineralization, higher N concentrations in above‐ground foliage attract grazers back to the lawns, encouraging their maintenance.  相似文献   

20.
Abstract. Woody plants are increasing in many grassland and savanna ecosystems around the world. As a case in point, the Edwards Plateau of Texas, USA, is a vast region (93 000 km2) in which rapid woody encroachment appears to be occurring. The native vegetation (prior to the Anglo‐European settlement 150–200 yr ago) and the biogeochemical consequences of woody encroachment in this region, however, are poorly understood. To assess these matters we measured plant and soil δ13C, soil organic C and soil N content from grasslands and two important woody patch types (mature Quercus virginiana clusters and Juniperus ashei woodlands) in this region. Soil δ13C values showed that relative productivity of C3 species has increased in grassland and both woody habitats in recent times. δ13C of SOC in grasslands and Q. virginiana clusters increased with depth from the litter layer to 30 cm (grasslands =?21 to ?13‰Q. virginiana clusters =?27 to ?17‰) and were significantly different between habitats at all depths, indicating that Q. virginiana has been a long‐term component of the landscape. In J. ashei woodlands, soil δ13C values (at 20–30 cm depth) near the woodland edge (‐13‰) converged with those of an adjacent grassland (‐13‰) while those from the woodland interior (‐15‰) remained distinct, indicating that the woodland has been present for many years but has recently expanded. Concentrations and densities of SOC and total N were generally greater in woody patches than in grasslands. However, differences in the amount of SOC and N stored beneath the two woody patch types indicates that C and N sequestration potentials are species dependent.  相似文献   

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