降水变化与氮添加对晋北盐碱化草地土壤净氮矿化的影响

于2018年在晋北典型农牧交错带盐碱化草地设置增减降水和氮添加处理试验,2019年生长季(5-9月)采用原位顶盖PVC埋管法测定不同水、氮处理下土壤净氮矿化速率,研究盐碱化草地土壤净氮矿化速率对降水格局变化和氮沉降的响应.结果表明:土壤净氮矿化速率表现出明显的季节动态.单独增减降水(±50％)和氮添加(10g·m-2·...     

季节性冻融期间川西亚高山/高山森林土壤净氮矿化特征

气候变暖情景下季节性冻融格局的改变可能显著影响高寒森林土壤氮素矿化过程.本文采用原状土壤移位培养的方法,以海拔梯度形成的温度差异模拟气候变暖,研究了川西亚高山/高山森林在生长季节和季节性冻融期间土壤的净氮矿化量和净氮矿化速率.结果表明： 在川西亚高山/高山森林,土壤铵态氮和硝态氮含量均表现为从生长季节至冻结初期明显下降,完全冻结期明显增加,而在融化初期明显降低的变化过程.季节性冻融期土壤的净氮矿化量和净氮矿化速率显著低于生长季节,并且出现明显的氮素固持现象.与低海拔相比,中海拔森林土壤的氮素固持作用相对较大,高海拔相对较小,可能与不同海拔梯度土壤温度变化及引起的冻融循环密切相关.在生长季节,土壤净氮矿化量和矿化速率均随海拔的降低呈明显增加趋势,尤其在低海拔处土壤的氮素矿化作用最为强烈.在气候变暖背景下,温度的增加明显促进了生长季节土壤氮素矿化,并且通过提高冻融循环频次、缩短冻结时间来影响土壤氮素矿化速率.这一过程可能受到微环境的影响.     

Directed dispersal by rotational shepherding supports landscape genetic connectivity in a calcareous grassland plant

Directed dispersal by animal vectors has been found to have large effects on the structure and dynamics of plant populations adapted to frugivory. Yet, empirical data are lacking on the potential of directed dispersal by rotational grazing of domestic animals to mediate gene flow across the landscape. Here, we investigated the potential effect of large‐flock shepherding on landscape‐scale genetic structure in the calcareous grassland plant Dianthus carthusianorum, whose seeds lack morphological adaptations to dispersal to animals or wind. We found a significant pattern of genetic structure differentiating population within grazed patches of three nonoverlapping shepherding systems and populations of ungrazed patches. Among ungrazed patches, we found a strong and significant effect of isolation by distance (r = 0.56). In contrast, genetic distance between grazed patches within the same herding system was unrelated to geographical distance but significantly related to distance along shepherding routes (r = 0.44). This latter effect of connectivity along shepherding routes suggests that gene flow is spatially restricted occurring mostly between adjacent populations. While this study used nuclear markers that integrate gene flow by pollen and seed, the significant difference in the genetic structure between ungrazed patches and patches connected by large‐flock shepherding indicates the potential of directed seed dispersal by sheep across the landscape.     

Seasonal flooding,nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen utilization in a prairie marsh

Flooding can be an important control of nitrogen (N) biogeochemistry in wetland ecosystems. In North American prairie marshes, spring flooding is a dominant feature of the physical environment that increases emergent plant production and could influence N cycling. I investigated how spring flooding affects N availability and plant N utilization in whitetop (Scolochloa festucacea) marshes in Manitoba, Canada by comparing experimentally spring-flooded marsh inside an impoundment with adjacent nonflooded marsh. The spring-flooded marsh had net N mineralization rates up to 4 times greater than nonflooded marsh. Total growing season net N mineralization was 124 kg N ha^–1 in the spring-flooded marsh compared with 62 kg N ha^–1 in the nonflooded marsh. Summer water level drawdown in the spring-flooded marsh decreased net N mineralization rates. Net nitrification rates increased in the nonflooded marsh following a lowering of the water table during mid summer. Growing season net nitrification was 33 kg N ha^–1 in the nonflooded marsh but < 1 kg N ha^–1 in the spring-flooded marsh. Added NO₃ ^–1 induced nitrate reductase (NRA) activity in whitetop grown in pot culture. Field-collected plants showed higher NRA in the nonflooded marsh. Nitrate comprised 40% of total plant N uptake in the nonflooded marsh but <1% of total N uptake in the spring-flooded marsh. Higher plant N demand caused by higher whitetop production in the spring-flooded marsh approximately balanced greater net N mineralization. A close association between the presence of spring flooding and net N mineralization and net nitrification rates indicated that modifications to prairie marshes that change the pattern of spring inundation will lead to rapid and significant changes in marsh N cycling patterns.     

Effects of simulated long-term climatic change on the bryophytes of a limestone grassland community

The bryophyte vegetation of upland limestone grassland at Buxton in the southern Pennine Hills (UK) was studied following seven years' continuous simulated climate change treatments. The experimental design involved two temperature regimes (ambient, winter warming by 3°C) in factorial combination with three moisture regimes (normal, summer drought, supplemented summer rainfall) and with five replicate blocks. Percentage cover of the bryophytes was estimated visually using 15 randomly positioned quadrats (30 cm × 30 cm) within each of the 30 3 m × 3 m plots. Significant treatment effects were found but these were relatively modest. Total bryophyte cover and cover of Calliergonella cuspidata and Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus responded negatively to drought, whereas Fissidens dubius increased in the droughted plots. Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus increased with winter warming, while R. squarrosus, Lophocolea bidentata and species richness all decreased. The effects on the total bryophyte flora were further studied by canonical correspondence analysis, which yielded a first axis reflecting the combined effects of the moisture and temperature treatments. However, this analysis and a detrended correspondence analysis of the plot data also revealed that natural factors were more important causes of variation in the grassland community than the simulated climate treatments. It was concluded that dewfall may be an important source of moisture for grassland bryophytes and that this factor may have reduced the impact of the moisture treatments. The absence of some thermophilous species such as Homalothecium lutescens in the plots initially may also have reduced their scope for major vegetational change.     

Cheatgrass is favored by warming but not CO2 enrichment in a semi‐arid grassland

Elevated CO₂ and warming may alter terrestrial ecosystems by promoting invasive plants with strong community and ecosystem impacts. Invasive plant responses to elevated CO₂ and warming are difficult to predict, however, because of the many mechanisms involved, including modification of phenology, physiology, and cycling of nitrogen and water. Understanding the relative and interactive importance of these processes requires multifactor experiments under realistic field conditions. Here, we test how free‐air CO₂ enrichment (to 600 ppmv) and infrared warming (+1.5 °C day/3 °C night) influence a functionally and phenologically distinct invasive plant in semi‐arid mixed‐grass prairie. Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), a fast‐growing Eurasian winter annual grass, increases fire frequency and reduces biological diversity across millions of hectares in western North America. Across 2 years, we found that warming more than tripled B. tectorum biomass and seed production, due to a combination of increased recruitment and increased growth. These results were observed with and without competition from native species, under wet and dry conditions (corresponding with tenfold differences in B. tectorum biomass), and despite the fact that warming reduced soil water. In contrast, elevated CO₂ had little effect on B. tectorum invasion or soil water, while reducing soil and plant nitrogen (N). We conclude that (1) warming may expand B. tectorum's phenological niche, allowing it to more successfully colonize the extensive, invasion‐resistant northern mixed‐grass prairie, and (2) in ecosystems where elevated CO₂ decreases N availability, CO₂ may have limited effects on B. tectorum and other nitrophilic invasive species.     

硝化抑制剂DCD、 DMPP对褐土氮总矿化速率和硝化速率的影响

采用15N库稀释-原位培养法研究了硝化抑制剂DCD、DMPP对华北盐碱性褐土氮总矿化速率和硝化速率的影响.试验在山西省运城市种植玉米的盐碱性土壤上进行,设单施尿素、尿素+DCD、尿素+DMPP 3个处理.结果表明:施肥后2周,DCD、DMPP分别使氮总矿化速率和氮总硝化速率减少了25.5％、7.3％和60.3％、59.1％,DCD对氮总矿化速率的影响显著高于DMPP,两者对氮总硝化速率的影响无显著差异;而在施肥后7周,不同硝化抑制剂对氮总硝化速率的影响存在差异.施肥后2周,3个处理的土壤氮总矿化速率和硝化速率分别是施肥前的7.2 ～10.0倍和5.5 ～21.5倍;NH4+和NO3-消耗速率分别是施肥前的9.1 ～12.2倍和5.1 ～8.4倍,这是由氮肥对土壤的激发效应所致.硝化抑制剂使氮肥更多地以NH4+形式保持在土壤中,减少了NO3-的积累.土壤氮总矿化速率和总硝化速率受硝化抑制剂的抑制是N2O减排的主要原因.     

Climatic variation and simulated patterns in seedling establishment of two dominant grasses at a semi‐arid‐arid grassland ecotone

Abstract. The objective of this study was to predict the effects of climatic variation at multiple temporal frequencies on seedling establishment by two congeneric C₄ perennial grasses (Bouteloua gracilis and B. eriopoda) at the ecotone between shortgrass steppe grassland and Chihuahuan desert grassland in central New Mexico, USA. The approach was to use a daily time‐step simulation model to determine the occurrence of a recruitment event in each year based upon the amount and timing of soil water required for establishment. Historical weather data were used to predict effects of seasonal and inter‐decadal variation in climate on establishment. A sensitivity analysis was used to predict effects of directional climate change on establishment. Bouteloua gracilis had a broad pattern of simulated establishment from May through September that included periods with high year‐to‐year variation in precipitation. B. eriopoda establishment events occurred primarily in July when precipitation amounts were most reliable. Climatic conditions from 1949 through 1968 were more favorable for B. eriopoda establishment compared to the cooler, wetter conditions from 1969 through 1988 that favored B. gracilis. Establishment of B. eriopoda was lowest in El Niño years whereas B. gracilis establishment was highest in La Niña years. Establishment of B. gracilis was most sensitive to temperature when precipitation was higher than current amounts. The greatest response to temperature by B. eriopoda for all precipitation amounts occurred at cooler temperatures than found currently. These results indicate that climatic variation at multiple frequencies has differential effects on seedling establishment for these two perennial grasses, and may account at least in part for patterns in dominance at this biome transition zone.     

石灰性土壤微生物量碳、氮与土壤颗粒组成和氮矿化势的关系

以黄土高原土壤类型和土壤肥力差异较大的25个农田石灰性耕层土壤为供试土样,研究了土壤微生物量碳（BC）、微生物量氮（BN）与土壤氮素矿化势（NO）、全氮（TN）、有机碳（OC）及土壤颗粒组成的关系．结果表明：BC、BN与TN、OC呈极显著正相关（P〈0．01）,表明BC、BN与土壤肥力关系密切,可作为评价土壤质量的生物学指标．BC、BN与NO均呈高度正相关,相关系数分别为0．665和0．741（P〈0．01）．BC、BN、TN、OC、NO与土壤物理性粘粒（〈0．01mm）呈显著或极显著正相关,而与物理性砂粒（〉0．01mm）呈显著或极显著负相关,与物理性粘粒和砂粒比值呈显著或极显著正相关,表明土壤有机质主要通过与土壤物理性粘粒复合而形成有机无机复合体．     

硝化抑制剂DCD、DMPP对褐土氮总矿化速率和硝化速率的影响

采用¹⁵N库稀释-原位培养法研究了硝化抑制剂DCD、DMPP对华北盐碱性褐土氮总矿化速率和硝化速率的影响.试验在山西省运城市种植玉米的盐碱性土壤上进行,设单施尿素、尿素+DCD、尿素+DMPP 3个处理.结果表明：施肥后2周,DCD、DMPP分别使氮总矿化速率和氮总硝化速率减少了25.5%、7.3%和60.3%、59.1%,DCD对氮总矿化速率的影响显著高于DMPP,两者对氮总硝化速率的影响无显著差异;而在施肥后7周,不同硝化抑制剂对氮总硝化速率的影响存在差异.施肥后2周,3个处理的土壤氮总矿化速率和硝化速率分别是施肥前的7.2～10.0倍和5.5～21.5倍;NH₄⁺和NO₃^-消耗速率分别是施肥前的9.1～12.2倍和5.1～8.4倍,这是由氮肥对土壤的激发效应所致.硝化抑制剂使氮肥更多地以NH₄⁺形式保持在土壤中,减少了NO₃^-的积累.土壤氮总矿化速率和总硝化速率受硝化抑制剂的抑制是N₂O减排的主要原因.     

A test of a field‐based 15N–nitrous oxide pool dilution technique to measure gross N2O production in soil

Soils are both a major source and sink of nitrous oxide (N₂O), but the proportion of soil N₂O production released to the atmosphere (termed the N₂O yield) is poorly constrained due to the difficulty in measuring gross N₂O production. The quantification of gross N₂O fluxes would greatly improve our ability to predict N₂O dynamics across the soil‐atmosphere interface. We report a new approach, the ¹⁵N₂O pool dilution technique, to measure rates of gross N₂O production and consumption under laboratory and field conditions. In the laboratory, gross N₂O production and consumption compared well between the ¹⁵N₂O pool dilution and acetylene inhibition methods whereas the ¹⁵NO₃^? tracer method measured significantly higher rates. In the field, N₂O emissions were not significantly affected by increasing chamber headspace concentrations up to 100 ppb ¹⁵N₂O. The pool dilution model estimates of ¹⁴N₂O and ¹⁵N₂O concentrations as well as net N₂O fluxes fit observed data very well, suggesting that the technique yielded robust estimates of gross N₂O production. Estimated gross N₂O consumption rates were underestimated relative to rates calculated as the difference between gross and net N₂O production rates, possibly due to heterogeneous and/or inadequate tracer diffusion to deeper layers in the soil profile. Gross N₂O production rates were high, averaging 8.4 ± 3.2 mg N m^?2 day^?1, and were most strongly correlated to mineral nitrogen concentrations and denitrifying enzyme activity (R² = 0.73). Gross N₂O production rates varied spatially, with the highest rates in soils with the best drainage and the highest mineral N availability. Estimated and calculated N₂O consumption rates constrained the average N₂O yield from 0.70 to 0.84. Our results demonstrate that the ¹⁵N₂O pool dilution technique can provide well‐constrained estimates of N₂O yields and field rates of gross N₂O production correlated to soil characteristics, improving our understanding of terrestrial N₂O dynamics.     

华北盐渍化草地土壤净氮矿化速率对不同水平氮添加的响应

对于养分贫瘠的盐渍化草地生态系统, 大气氮沉降如何影响土壤氮循环过程是一个目前尚未解决的问题。该研究在位于华北地区山西省右玉县境内的盐渍化草地建立了一个模拟氮沉降的试验平台, 设置8个氮添加水平, 分别为0、1、2、4、8、16、24、32 g·m^-2·a^-1 (N0、N1、N2、N4、N8、N16、N24、N32), 生长季5-9月, 每月月初以喷施的方式等量添加NH₄NO₃。从2017年5月到2019年10月, 运用顶盖PVC管法每月一次进行净氮矿化速率的测定同时计算了净氮矿化速率对不同水平氮添加的敏感性。主要结果表明: (1)高水平氮添加(N16、N24、N32)显著增加土壤无机氮库; (2)该盐渍化草地土壤氮矿化以硝化作用为主, 经过3年氮添加以后, 高氮添加(N24、N32)显著促进了土壤净硝化速率, 并且不同氮添加水平在不同的月份和年份中表现出差异性响应; (3)不同氮添加水平对土壤净氮矿化敏感性的影响在不同降水年份差异显著, 短期低水平氮添加提高了土壤净氮矿化的敏感性, 而高水平氮添加降低土壤净氮矿化敏感性; (4)盐渍化草地土壤净氮矿化速率与土壤温度和水分呈正相关关系, 与土壤pH呈负相关关系。因此, 在当前氮沉降增加的背景下, 北方盐渍化草地土壤氮矿化速率对低氮添加的敏感性较高, 结合氮沉降的特点, 未来模型预测应该同时考虑氮沉降对盐渍化草地的可能影响。     

Simulation of the decomposition and nitrogen mineralization of aboveground plant material in two unfertilized grassland ecosystems

A simple model of the decomposition and nitrogen mineralization of plant material from two unfertilized grassland ecosystems has been developed, with only the proportion of leaves and stems in the original material, the initial nitrogen contents of these plant parts and temperature as input data. The model simulates carbon losses from stems and leaves, using a double exponential decay function, with the temperature sum as independent variable. Mineralization of nitrogen is not calculated via microbial growth rates, but simulated on the basis of the carbon utilization efficiency of the microorganisms and the critical C/N ratio, i.e. the C/N ratio of the litter at which the microbial demand for nitrogen is met exactly. The parameter values for leaching fractions of carbon and nitrogen, relative decay rates, microbial carbon utilization efficiencies and critical C/N ratios were derived from a litter bag experiment with 12 litter types (species) including both green and dead materials, carried out in two unfertilized grassland ecosystems differing in production level. The model was evaluated using a cross-validation method, in which one species was omitted from the parametrization procedure, and its decomposition and mineralization were predicted by the resulting model. In general there was good agreement between the observed and predicted amounts of carbon and nitrogen remaining for all green litter types/species, but carbon and nitrogen dynamics in the dead material of Festuca rubra were poorly predicted. This disparity has been attributed to the proportion of leaves in the material of Festuca rubra (95%) being far beyond the range of leaf proportions in the three litter types the calibration set consisted of (8–35%). When the data of all litter types were used to determine the model parameters, good agreement was obtained between measured and simulated values for the changes in nitrogen and carbon in all litter types of both the green and dead material series. Optimization yielded parameter values for microbial carbon utilization efficiencies of 0.30 for microorganisms associated with green litter and 0.35 for those associated with dead litter. The critical C/N ratios for green and dead material were found to be 29 and 36, respectively.     

Precipitation amount and event size interact to reduce ecosystem functioning during dry years in a mesic grassland

Ongoing intensification of the hydrological cycle is altering rainfall regimes by increasing the frequency of extreme wet and dry years and the size of individual rainfall events. Despite long‐standing recognition of the importance of precipitation amount and variability for most terrestrial ecosystem processes, we lack understanding of their interactive effects on ecosystem functioning. We quantified this interaction in native grassland by experimentally eliminating temporal variability in growing season rainfall over a wide range of precipitation amounts, from extreme wet to dry conditions. We contrasted the rain use efficiency (RUE) of above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) under conditions of experimentally reduced versus naturally high rainfall variability using a 32‐year precipitation–ANPP dataset from the same site as our experiment. We found that increased growing season rainfall variability can reduce RUE and thus ecosystem functioning by as much as 42% during dry years, but that such impacts weaken as years become wetter. During low precipitation years, RUE is lowest when rainfall event sizes are relatively large, and when a larger proportion of total rainfall is derived from large events. Thus, a shift towards precipitation regimes dominated by fewer but larger rainfall events, already documented over much of the globe, can be expected to reduce the functioning of mesic ecosystems primarily during drought, when ecosystem processes are already compromised by low water availability.     

Enhanced CO2 uptake is marginally offset by altered fluxes of non-CO2 greenhouse gases in global forests and grasslands under N deposition

Despite the increasing impact of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on terrestrial greenhouse gas (GHG) budget, through driving both the net atmospheric CO₂ exchange and the emission or uptake of non-CO₂ GHGs (CH₄ and N₂O), few studies have assessed the climatic impact of forests and grasslands under N deposition globally based on different bottom-up approaches. Here, we quantify the effects of N deposition on biomass C increment, soil organic C (SOC), CH₄ and N₂O fluxes and, ultimately, the net ecosystem GHG balance of forests and grasslands using a global comprehensive dataset. We showed that N addition significantly increased plant C uptake (net primary production) in forests and grasslands, to a larger extent for the aboveground C (aboveground net primary production), whereas it only caused a small or insignificant enhancement of SOC pool in both upland systems. Nitrogen addition had no significant effect on soil heterotrophic respiration (R_H) in both forests and grasslands, while a significant N-induced increase in soil CO₂ fluxes (R_S, soil respiration) was observed in grasslands. Nitrogen addition significantly stimulated soil N₂O fluxes in forests (76%), to a larger extent in grasslands (87%), but showed a consistent trend to decrease soil uptake of CH₄, suggesting a declined sink capacity of forests and grasslands for atmospheric CH₄ under N enrichment. Overall, the net GHG balance estimated by the net ecosystem production-based method (forest, 1.28 Pg CO₂-eq year⁻¹ vs. grassland, 0.58 Pg CO₂-eq year⁻¹) was greater than those estimated using the SOC-based method (forest, 0.32 Pg CO₂-eq year⁻¹ vs. grassland, 0.18 Pg CO₂-eq year⁻¹) caused by N addition. Our findings revealed that the enhanced soil C sequestration by N addition in global forests and grasslands could be only marginally offset (1.5%–4.8%) by the combined effects of its stimulation of N₂O emissions together with the reduced soil uptake of CH₄.     

Conservation of nitrogen increases with precipitation across a major grassland gradient in the Central Great Plains of North America

Regional analyses and biogeochemical models predict that ecosystem N pools and N cycling rates must increase from the semi-arid shortgrass steppe to the sub-humid tallgrass prairie of the Central Great Plains, yet few field data exist to evaluate these predictions. In this paper, we measured rates of net N mineralization, N in above- and belowground primary production, total soil organic matter N pools, soil inorganic N pools and capture in resin bags, decomposition rates, foliar ¹⁵N, and N use efficiency (NUE) across a precipitation gradient. We found that net N mineralization did not increase across the gradient, despite more N generally being found in plant production, suggesting higher N uptake, in the wetter areas. NUE of plants increased with precipitation, and δ¹⁵N foliar values and resin-captured N in soils decreased, all of which are consistent with the hypothesis that N cycling is tighter at the wet end of the gradient. Litter decomposition appeared to play a role in maintaining this regional N cycling trend: litter decomposed more slowly and released less N at the wet end of the gradient. These results suggest that immobilization of N within the plant–soil system increases from semi-arid shortgrass steppe to sub-humid tallgrass prairie. Despite the fact that N pools increase along a bio-climatic gradient from shortgrass steppe to mixed grass and tallgrass prairie, this element becomes relatively more limiting and is therefore more tightly conserved at the wettest end of the gradient. Similar to findings from forested systems, our results suggest that grassland N cycling becomes more open to N loss with increasing aridity.     

Seasonal variability of N:P ratios in eutrophic lakes

The ratios of different forms of nitrogen to phosphorus (particulate, total, total dissolved, and dissolved inorganic N : P) from four eutrophic lakes are presented to assess their variability during two consecutive growing seasons. Particulate and total N : P ratios showed the lowest amplitude of fluctuations, while the total inorganic N : P ratios showed the highest. All N : P forms demonstrated substantial variations and seasonal pattern over the growing period April-October. It was the short-lasting spring minima of the N : P ratios, ranging from less than 1: 1 to 6 : 1, which triggered the onset of nitrogen-fixing cyanophyte blooms. Seasonal mean values were as high as 20: 1 to 30: 1 and misleading in assessing nitrogen limitation. The nitrogen fixation rapidly restored the N : P values to normal levels (TN: TP of 15: 1 and over).     

Aged biochar affects gross nitrogen mineralization and recovery: a 15N study in two contrasting soils

Biochar is a pyrolysed biomass and largely consists of pyrogenic carbon (C), which takes much longer to decompose compared to the biomass it is made from. When applied to soil, it could increase agricultural productivity through nutrient retention and changing soil properties. The biochar‐mediated nutrient retention capacity depends on the biochar properties, which change with time, and on soil properties. Here, we examined the effects of a wood biochar (20 t ha^?1), that has aged (21 months) in a grassland field, on gross nitrogen (N) mineralization (GNM) and ¹⁵N recovery using a ¹⁵N tracer. A field experiment was conducted in two soil types, that is a Tenosol and a Dermosol, and also included a phosphorus (P) addition treatment (1 kg ha^?1). Compared to the control, biochar with P addition significantly increased GNM in the Tenosol. Possibly, biochar and P addition enhanced nutrient availability in this nutrient‐limited soil, thereby stimulating microbial activity. In contrast, biochar addition reduced GNM in the Dermosol, possibly by protecting soil organic matter (SOM) from decomposition through sorption onto biochar surfaces and enhanced formation of organo‐mineral complexes in this soil that had a higher clay content (29% vs. 8% in the Tenosol). Compared to the control, biochar significantly increased total ¹⁵N recovery in the Tenosol (on average by 12%) and reduced leaching to subsurface soil layers (on average by 52%). Overall, ¹⁵N recovery was greater in the Dermosol (83%) than the Tenosol (63%), but was not affected by biochar or P. The increased N recovery with biochar addition in the sandy Tenosol may be due to retention at exchange sites on aged biochar, while such beneficial effects may not be visible in soils with higher clay content. Our results suggest that aged biochar may increase N use efficiency through reduced leaching or gaseous losses in sandy soils.     

Limitations of a calculated N mineralization potential in studies of the N mineralization process

Soil is often incubated under controlled conditions to assess its capacity to mineralize nitrogen and to define the N mineralization potential (N_o) by fitting a negative exponential curve to N mineralization data. The specificity of N_o for a given soil and its relevance in N mineralization studies was examined as part of an overall study of the N mineralization process. Soil mixed with an equal amount of sand was aerobically incubated at 35 °C and leached at specific time intervals. Upon leaching, ammonium and nitrate were measured in the extract.It was found that N mineralization data did not always follow first-order kinetics making it difficult to calculate N_o. The computed N_o value was influenced by the shape of the curve, the duration of the incubation experiment and was reciprocally related to the N mineralization constant (k_exp). N_o did not always give an adequate indication of the amount of N mineralized and was not soil specific as the time of sampling largely affected its size. The usefulness of N_o in the simulation of the N mineralization process with a k_exp value valid for all soils was limited and a k_exp value specific for each soil was required. A value combining the soil specific N_o and k_exp values and reflecting the amount of N mineralized over one year was proposed as a suitable alternative to the use of N_o in comparative studies of the N mineralization process. It was concluded that a calculated N_o could not be used in studies comparing the N mineralization of different soils. In addition, the simulation of the N mineralization required the use of the soil specific k_exp and could not be carried out with a k_exp valid for all soils.