Nutrient loading of a forest soil

Summary During July 1988 rooted and non-rooted experimental chambers were established in a Norway spruce (Picea abies. Karst) stand in south Devon U.K. Replicates were supplemented with ammonium and nitrate. The leachates were analysed to monitor the release of mineral-N species and cations over the 17-week experimental period. Ammonium treatments leached 300% more calcium and magnesium than controls. The onset of nitrification resulted in a decrease in sodium losses from ammonium treatments reflecting a decrease in the exchanging capacity of the soil solution. These results are discussed in relation to mineral ion leaching in soils subjected to increesed N-loading, and the ability of soils to buffer these perturbations.     

Ammonium Nutrition as a Strategy for Cadmium Mobilisation in the Rhizosphere of Sunflower

Ammonium nutrition of higher plants results in rhizosphere acidification due to proton excretion by root cells. The acidification induced by ammonium-fed plants can be exploited to promote a localised metal mobilisation in neutral to alkaline polluted soils and therefore to improve phytoextraction. The effects of ammonium uptake by sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants on the external medium pH, aerial and root growth and tolerance to soluble Cd were studied in hydroponic culture. The ammonium-fed sunflowers induced a strong acidification of the solution and, compared to the nitrate-fed sunflowers, a small modification in mineral nutrition and a different Cd partitioning between root and shoot. Moreover, ammonium nutrition was found to induce a great mobilisation of a sparingly soluble form of cadmium (CdCO₃). A pot experiment studied the ability of different ammonium-based fertilisers (ammonium sulphate, ammonium thiosulphate, urea) to modify bulk and rhizo-soil pH, compared to the effect of calcium nitrate and to the unfertilised soil. Furthermore, in order to promote the persistence of ammonium in soil, a combined treatment of ammonium sulphate and DMPP, a nitrification inhibitor, was tested. Soil pH was strongly modified by chemical and biological processes involved in fertiliser transformations. In particular, due to nitrification, all ammonium-based treatments showed a bulk soil acidification of over 1.5 pH units and a relative increase in rhizo-soil pH as a consequence of nitrate uptake. The treatment with DMPP showed an opposite trend with a lower pH in rhizo-soil than in bulk soil. The ability of ammonium-fed plants to mobilise heavy metals from the non-labile pool was studied in another pot experiment using three soils with different properties and at different degree and type of heavy metal contamination. Whatever the soil, the metal concentrations in shoots were higher in plants fed with ammonium (ammonium sulphate plus DMPP treatment). Our results support the hypothesis that ammonium nutrition with nitrification inhibitors is a viable strategy to improve heavy metals phytoextraction while protecting bulk soil from acidification and presumably from metal leaching. An erratum to this article is available at .     

湖南主要类型稻田土壤固定态铵含量及其影响因素

通过野外调查取样和室内培养试验 ,应用Silva和Bremner方法 ,研究了湖南省主要类型稻田土壤的固定态铵含量及其影响因素 .结果表明 ,该省主要类型稻田土壤固定态铵含量为 141～ 35 3mg·kg-1,平均为 2 72± 6 7mg·kg-1,占土壤全N的 11.2 % ,高于湖南省以北各地区土壤和本地区地带性土壤———红壤的固定态铵含量 .其含量的顺序为河沙泥 >紫泥田 >潮沙泥 >黄泥田 >红黄泥 .在土壤剖面中 ,固定态铵含量随剖面深度的变化有 4种情况 :在 1m深度范围内随深度增加而增加 ;随深度增加而减少 ;随深度增加而无明显变化 ;土壤剖面中某一土层固定态铵含量明显增加或减少 .土壤固定态铵含量占土壤全N百分比随深度增加而恒增大 .土壤对NH+ 4的固定作用在 30℃下最强 ,高于 2 0℃和 40℃ ;长期淹水有利于潮沙泥、紫泥田和河沙泥对NH+ 4的固定作用 ,但干湿交替有利于黄泥田对NH+ 4的固定作用 .相关分析表明 ,土壤固定态铵含量仅与 <0 .0 1mm粘粒含量呈P0 .0 5水平的显著正相关 ,与有机质、全N、有机N和 <0 .0 0 1mm粘粒含量的相关性均不显著     

Responses of atmospheric methane consumption by soils to global climate change

Soils consume about 40 Tg methane from the atmosphere annually. Thus, soils contribute significantly to the atmospheric methane budget. However, responses of atmospheric methane consumption to climate change are uncertain. Predicting these responses requires an understanding of the effect on methane consumption of specific variables (temperature and soil water content) as well as interactions among parameters (methane, ammonium, water content). Key considerations involve the limitations of diffusive transport and controls of methane diffusivity; limitation of methanotrophic activity by water stress; relatively slow growth rates of methane-oxidizing bacteria on atmospheric methane; ammonium toxicity. Interactions among these parameters may be particularly important, and lead to responses contrary to those predicted from changes in temperature and water content alone. Results from a number of analyses indicate that atmospheric methane consumption is especially sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances, which typically decrease activity. Continued increases in wet and dry ammonium deposition are likely to exacerbate inhibition resulting from changes in land use. Changes in hydrological regimes could further decrease activity if dry periods increase water stress at soil depths currently colonized by methanotrophs. Future trends in the soil methane sink are likely to lead to enhanced accumulation of atmospheric methane.     

Nitrogen use efficiency. 1. Uptake of nitrogen from the soil

The nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crop plants can be expressed very simply as the yield of nitrogen per unit of available nitrogen in the soil. This NUE can be divided into two processes: uptake efficiency, the ability of the plant to remove N from the soil normally present as nitrate or ammonium ions, and the utilisation efficiency, the ability of the plant to transfer the N to the grain, predominantly present as protein. In this article, we have highlighted the latest developments in the isolation and characterisation of the genes involved in the uptake of nitrogen from the soil.     

The influence of living plants on mineralization and immobilization of nitrogen

Summary Changes in the pattern of distribution of the nitrogen of the soil and seedling grass plants have been investigated when the grass plants were grown in pots of sandy soil, from a pasture, at pH 5.7. Net mineralization of soil nitrogen was not observed during an experimental period of one month in the absence of added nitrogenous fertilizer (Table 2). Addition of labeled nitrogen (as ammonium sulphate) to the soil at the beginning of the experimental period resulted in a negative net mineralization during this period (Table 4b). When none of the fertilizer nitrogen remained in its original form in the soil it was found that approximately 12 per cent of the labeled nitrogen had been immobilized in soil organic compounds. Clipping of the grass at this date was followed by a decrease in the amount of labeled soil organic nitrogen, indicating that mineralization was not depressed by living plants. The application of unlabeled ammonium sulphate subsequent to the utilization of the labeled nitrogen did not decrease the amount of immobilized labeled nitrogen in the soil organic matter, as would be expected if the organic nitrogen compounds of the soil had been decomposed to ammonia. This was thought to be due to the fact that decomposition of organic nitrogen compounds in permanent grassland results in the production of peptides, amino acids etc. which are utilized by microorganisms without deamination taking place. In pots with ageing grass plants, labeled organic nitrogen compounds were found to be translocated from the grass shoots to the soil (Table 7). Net mineralization of soil organic nitrogen was positive in the contents of pots containing killed root systems (Table 3b). About 8 per cent of the labeled nitrogen added to the contents of such pots, in the form of ammonium sulphate, was found to be present in soil organic nitrogen compounds approximately 4 weeks after application, while a total of about twice this amount of soil organic nitrogen was mineralized during that period. From the results obtained in this investigation, it is concluded that the constant presence of living plants is responsible for the accumulation of nitrogen in organic compounds in permanent grassland. No evidence was obtained that the decomposition of such compounds in the soil is inhibited by living plants.     

Ammonium fixation by some soils in the ussr and the availability of this ion to plants

Summary The ability of various soils to fix ammonium in unexchangeable form was studied. Soils in their natural state contain unexchangeably fixed NH₄. The amount of which considerably increases with systematic fertilization and in soils with high nutrient status, but the ability of these soils for extra fixation of ammonium decreases. Chernozem soils are able to fix ammonium in unexchangeable form in considerably greater quantities than soddy-podzolic soils. All soils show a little increase of ability to fix ammonium with profile depth. The heavier is the soil the greater is its ability for fixation of NH₄ in unexchangeable form.In the conditions of a greenhouse experiment unexchangeably fixed NH₄ was used by plants very poorly. Exchangeably absorbed ammonium is available to plants, although to a lesser extent than water soluble salts. Soils fix ammonium to a greater amount from NH₄OH than from ammonium nitrate, hence the latter is a better source of nitrogen for plants than ammonia liquor solution if applied to soils with a definite abolity to fix unexchangeable ammonium.     

三叶鬼针草与不同本地植物竞争对土壤 微生物和土壤养分的影响

入侵植物三叶鬼针草(Bidens pilosa)对我国农牧业生产造成了重大的损失。本文主要研究三叶鬼针草入侵与不同本地植物竞争对土壤微生物群落结构和土壤养分的影响。利用磷脂脂肪酸方法(phospholipid fatty acids, PLFAs)测定土壤微生物群落组成, 同时测定土壤养分和酶活性, 并利用Canoco4.5软件分析了土壤微生物、土壤养分和土壤酶活性的相关性。结果表明: (1)三叶鬼针草对革兰氏阳性菌、革兰氏阴性菌、丛枝菌根真菌等土壤微生物具有较强的聚集能力, 且其根际土壤聚集的微生物类群与本地植物种类密切相关。(2)三叶鬼针草入侵显著增加了入侵地土壤的有机碳含量, 降低了铵态氮的含量; 土壤中的速效钾、速效磷和硝态氮的含量则与本地植物种类密切相关。(3)相关性分析表明, 16:00和16:1 ω5c对铵态氮的含量影响较大, 而三叶鬼针草入侵地16:00和16:1 ω5c的含量显著高于裸土对照, 进而推测这一状况导致了铵态氮含量的降低。(4) 15:1 anteiso A和18:1 ω5c与速效钾的含量呈显著正相关, 而其含量在狗尾草(Setaria viridis)中显著高于其他处理, 三叶鬼针草与狗尾草混种处理中土壤中速效钾的含量高于其他处理。以上结果说明, 三叶鬼针草通过改变土壤微生物群落结构影响了土壤酶活性和土壤养分, 且这种改变与入侵地本地植物种类有关。     

Bulk soil pH and rhizosphere pH of peach trees in calcareous and alkaline soils as affected by the form of nitrogen fertilizers

One-year old nectarine trees [Prunus persica, Batsch var. nectarina (Ait.) Maxim.], cv Nectaross grafted on P.S.B2 peach seedlings [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] were grown for five months in 4-litre pots filled with two alkaline soils, one of which was also calcareous. Soils were regularly subjected to fertigation with either ammonium sulphate or calcium nitrate providing a total of 550 mg N/tree. Trees were also grown in such soils receiving only deionized water, as controls. Rhizosphere pH, measured by the use of a microelectrode inserted in agar sheet containing a bromocresol purple as pH indicator and placed on selected roots, was decreased by about 2–3 units compared to the bulk soil pH in all treatments. This decrease was slightly less marked when plants were supplied with calcium nitrate rather than ammonium sulphate or control. Measurements conducted during the course of the experiment indicated that ammonium concentration was similar in the solution of soils receiving the two N fertilizers. During the experiment, soil solution nitrate-N averaged 115 mg L^–1 in soil fertilized with calcium nitrate, 68 mg L^–1 in those receiving ammonium sulphate and 1 mg L^–1 in control soils. At the end of the experiment nitrate concentrations were similar in soils receiving the two N sources and bulk soil pH was decreased by about 0.4 units by ammonium sulphate fertigation: these evidences suggest a rapid soil nitriflcation activity of added ammonium. Symptoms of interveinal chlorosis in apical leaves appeared during the course of the experiment in trees planted in the alkaline-calcareous soil when calcium nitrate was added. The slightly higher rhizosphere pH for calcium nitrate-fed plants may have contributed to this. The findings suggest that using ammonium sulphate in a liquid form (e.g. by fertigation) in high-pH soils leads to their acidification and the micronutrient availability may be improved.     

复合菌剂调控连作当归根围土壤养分及对产量的影响

【背景】连作可引起微生物群落结构失调,导致土壤环境恶化、养分循环不畅、当归[Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels]产量降低,通过现代微生物技术改良土壤、消减连作障碍势在必行。【目的】于大田条件下,研究施用复合菌剂对当归根围土壤酶活、速效养分及产量的影响,明确增产机制,改进增产措施。【方法】利用溶磷圈法检测不同菌株溶磷活性、乙炔还原法检测固氮活性、试剂盒法检测过氧化物酶和硝化能力;复合菌剂T1[荧光假单胞菌(Pseudomonas fluorescens)CBS5、产碱假单胞菌(Pseudomonas alcaligenes) CBS7、嗜冷假单胞菌(Pseudomonas extremaustralis)CBSB、生枝动胶菌(Zoogloea ramigera) CBS4]和T2 (荧光假单胞菌CBS5、产碱假单胞菌CBS7、嗜冷假单胞菌CBSB)及对照CK (无菌马铃薯葡萄糖肉汤培养基)分别处理连作当归,分光光度法测定根围土壤及根中养分循环、转化相关酶活,氮、磷、钾速效养分含量;常规方法测产量;统计软件进行相关数据方差分析和主成分分析。【结果】产碱假单胞菌C...     

Effects of temperature and fertilizer on activity and community structure of soil ammonia oxidizers

We investigated the effect of temperature on the activity of soil ammonia oxidizers caused by changes in the availability of ammonium and in the microbial community structure. Both short (5 days) and long (6.5, 16 and 20 weeks) incubation of an agricultural soil resulted in a decrease in ammonium concentration that was more pronounced at temperatures between 10 and 25 degrees C than at either 4 degrees C or 30-37 degrees C. Consistently, potential nitrification was higher between 10 and 25 degrees C than at either 4 degrees C or 37 degrees C. However, as long as ammonium was not limiting, release rates of N2O increased monotonously between 4 and 37 degrees C after short-term temperature adaptation, with nitrification accounting for about 35-50% of the N2O production between 4 and 25 degrees C. In order to see whether temperature may also affect the community structure of ammonia oxidizers, we studied moist soil during long incubation at low and high concentrations of commercial fertilizer. The soil was also incubated in buffered (pH 7) slurry amended with urea. Communities of ammonia oxidizers were assayed by denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the amoA gene coding for the alpha subunit of ammonia monooxygenase. We found that a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system using a non-degenerated reverse primer (amoAR1) gave the best results. Community shifts occurred in all soil treatments after 16 weeks of incubation. The community shifts were obviously influenced by the different fertilizer treatments, indicating that ammonium was a selective factor for different ammonia oxidizer populations. Temperature was also a selective factor, in particular as community shifts were also observed in the soil slurries, in which ammonium concentrations and pH were better controlled. Cloning and sequencing of selected DGGE bands indicated that amoA sequences belonging to Nitrosospira cluster 1 were dominant at low temperatures (4-10 degrees C), but were absent after long incubation at low fertilizer treatment. Sequences of Nitrosospira cluster 9 could only be detected at low ammonium concentrations, whereas those of Nitrosospira cluster 3 were found at most ammonium concentrations and temperatures, although individual clones of this cluster exhibited trends with temperature. Obviously, ammonia oxidizers are able to adapt to soil conditions by changes in the community structure if sufficient time (several weeks) is available.     

植被覆盖度和综合治理对纸坊沟流域土壤氮素流失的影响

同小流域土壤侵蚀一样,小流域土壤氮素随洪流流失也受到植被覆盖度的影响,通常经过调整小流域内土地利用结构以达到控制水土流失。该研究以8.27 km2纸坊沟流域和1:400比例流域模型为研究对象,研究植被覆盖度和综合治理对纸坊沟流域土壤氮素流失的影响。结果表明:在模拟降雨下,当流域植被覆盖度分别为60%、40%、20%和0时,流域模型铵态氮流失量分别为87.08、44.31、25.16和13.71 kg/km2,硝态氮为85.50、74.05、63.95和56.23 kg/km2,全氮为0.81、1.18、1.98和7.51 t/km2;在自然降雨下,1998年与1992年相比,全流域年土壤侵蚀量为1 086 t/km2和1 119 t/km2,氮素流失量为8 758.5和7 562.2 kg,减少了15.8%,其中农地减少了52.0%。流域对降水中的矿质氮具有过滤作用,硝态氮的过滤作用明显高于铵态氮。洪流泥沙中<20 mm微团聚体富集造成了泥沙有机质和全氮的富集。植被覆盖虽能有效地减少流域土壤侵蚀和全氮的流失,却能增加土壤矿质氮的流失。坡地退耕还林草可显著减少流域土壤氮素流失。     

Impact of snowpack decrease on net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in forest soil of northern Japan

Winter climate change is an important environmental driver that alters the biogeochemical processes of forest soils. The decrease in snowpack amplifies soil freeze–thaw cycles and decreases the snowmelt water supply to soil. This study examined how snow decrease affects nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification in forest soil in northern Japan by conducting an in situ experimental snowpack manipulation experiment and a laboratory incubation of soil with different moisture, temperature and freeze–thaw magnitudes. For the incubation studies, surface mineral soil (0–10 cm) was collected from a cool-temperate natural mixed forest and incubated using the resin core method during the winter. In the field, there were two treatments: 50 and 100 % snow removal and control plots. The increase in the soil freeze–thaw cycle increased net N mineralization and marginally decreased the net nitrification in soil. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and DOC/DON ratio in soil increased with the decrease in snowpack especially during the snow melt period. These results suggested that the change in substrate quality by the increase in freeze–thaw cycles caused the significant enhancement of microbial ammonium production in soil. The lower soil moisture and higher gross immobilization of inorganic N by soil microbes may be maintaining the slow net nitrification and low nitrate leaching in freeze–thaw cycles with less snowpack. The results indicate that winter climate change would strongly impact N biogeochemistry through the increase in ammonium availability in soil for plants and microbes, whereas it would be unlikely that nitrate loss from surface soil would be enhanced.     

The effects of nitrate:ammonium ratios and nitrapyrin on the nitrogen response ofZea mays L. under field conditions

Five nitrate:ammonium ratios at two N-levels were tested with and without nitrapyrin [2 chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine] for grain production on a sandy soil. Treatments were applied to field maize as nutrient solutions, in one application, six weeks after planting. Nytrapyrin resulted in an increase in grain yield at a nitrate:ammonium ratio of 1:3 but in a decrease at a 0:1 ratio. The optimum nitrate:ammonium ratio was close to 1:3 with nitrapyrin and close to 3:1 without nitrapyrin. Nitrapyrin had an effect on NH₄ ⁺-N in the topsoil and NO₃ ⁻-N in the subsoil at 70 days after application. Interactions of nitrate:ammonium ratios and N-levels were shown for leaf N concentration, soil mineral N and soil pH.     

双氰胺对碳酸氢铵在土壤中氮素转化的影响

采用室内培养试验方法,研究了双氰胺对碳酸氢铵中的铵态氮在土壤中动态变化的影响。结果表明,无论是碳铵与双氰胺的机械混施,还是含双氰胺的长效碳铵,在抑制铵态氮硝化产生硝态氮的同时对氨挥发也有一定的抑制作用,使土壤在更长的时间内保持更高的铵态氮含量,并对碳铵施入后土壤的酸碱化强度起到了缓冲作用。添加双氰胺不但提高了碳铵的氮肥利用率,还减少了肥料氮素损失.     

植被覆盖度和综合治理对纸坊沟流域土壤氮素流失的影响

同小流域土壤侵蚀一样,小流域土壤氮素随洪流流失也受到植被覆盖度的影响,通常经过调整小流域内土地利用结构以达到控制水土流失.该研究以8.27 km2纸坊沟流域和1:400比例流域模型为研究对象,研究植被覆盖度和综合治理对纸坊沟流域土壤氮素流失的影响.结果表明:在模拟降雨下,当流域植被覆盖度分别为60%、40%、20%和0时,流域模型铵态氮流失量分别为87.08、44.31、25.16和13.71 kg/km2,硝态氮为85.50、74.05、63.95和56.23 kg/km2,全氮为0.81、1.18、1.98和7.51 t/km2;在自然降雨下,1998年与1992年相比,全流域年土壤侵蚀量为1 086 t/km2和1 119 t/km2,氮素流失量为8 758.5和7 562.2 kg,减少了15.8%,其中农地减少了52.0%.流域对降水中的矿质氮具有过滤作用,硝态氮的过滤作用明显高于铵态氮.洪流泥沙中＜20 μm微团聚体富集造成了泥沙有机质和全氮的富集.植被覆盖虽能有效地减少流域土壤侵蚀和全氮的流失,却能增加土壤矿质氮的流失.坡地退耕还林草可显著减少流域土壤氮素流失.     

Effects of an organic manure on the transformations of ammonium nitrogen in planted and unplanted soil

Cattle slurry supplemented with ¹⁵N labelled ammonium sulphate was applied to unplanted soil and to soil planted with sprouted potato tubers. For comparison, there was a similar treatment with ¹⁵N labelled ammonium sulphate alone. The pots of soil were kept at 20°C and the plants were harvested after 21, 42, 70 and 98 days. Labelled and unlabelled nitrogen were measured in the plants and, after the same intervals, in the soil as mineral, organic and clay-fixed nitrogen. The recovery of labelled nitrogen in plants plus soil by the end of the experiment was 90% with ammonium sulphate alone and 77% with cattle slurry; the corresponding recoveries in unplanted soil were only 65% and 48%. The greater recoveries of the labelled nitrogen in the planted soil are attributed to its greater protection against gaseous loss when within the plants. Another effect of the plants was to decrease the amount of labelled nitrogen that had been initially fixed by the clay. During the first 21 days with cattle slurry almost half of the labelled nitrogen became immobilized in organic matter. In the same period there was mineralization of unlabelled nitrogen, but the overall reaction was net immobilization. In later periods, immobilized labelled nitrogen in the unplanted soil decreased indicating remineralization. Estimates are given of the rates of gross mineralization, but the periods between sampling occasions were too long to yield reliable values. ei]Section editor: R Merckx     

Heterotrophic nitrification in a health soil demonstrated by anin situ method

Summary Nitrate reductase activity (NRA) in the leaves of two subspecies ofHypochaeris radicata was taken as a parameter for nitrate production in the soilin situ. Ammonium addition to the soil ofH. radicata ssp.radicata (soil pH 6.2) resulted in an increase of NRA, thus indicating nitrate formation by chemolithotrophic nitrifiers after a certain time-lag. Addition of ammonium to the soil ofH. radicata ssp.ericetorum (soil pH 4.3) dit not affect NRA in the leaves. Tests based on the MPN method failed to demonstrate the occurrence of chemolithotrophic nitrifiers in this soil. However, the addition of peptone led to an increase of NRA within seven days, which indicates the presence of heterotrophic nitrifying organisms. The results obtainedin situ were confirmed in a laboratory experiment, where soil samples were incubated in the presence and absence of (NH₄)₂SO₄ or peptone. The addition of ammonium led to a decrease in the production of nitrate to zero as compared with the control in the acid soil of ssp.ericetorum, whereas the addition of peptone resulted in nitrate levels amounting to about twice the control value. In the soil of ssp.radicata nitrate formation showed a rapid increase, compared with the control, after the addition of ammonium as well as after the addition of peptone.Grassland species research group, publication no27     

Response of Douglas-fir and amabilis fir to split-root nutrition with inorganic and organic nitrogen

There is limited understanding of the spatial plasticity of conifer root growth in response to inorganic and organic nitrogen (N). In this study, slow-growing amabilis fir and fast-growing Douglas-fir, and slow- and fast-growing seedlots of the latter species were examined for their ability to proliferate roots preferentially in compartments of sand/peat medium enriched in organic and inorganic forms of N. In one experiment, N was supplied as 7.1 or 0.71 mM ammonium, nitrate and ammonium nitrate, and in a second experiment, N was supplied as ammonium or glycine. The seedlings’ ability to compensate for the starvation of a portion of the root system was assessed by measuring biomass of leaves, stems and roots, and foliar N concentration. Both fast- and slow-growing seedlots of Douglas-fir and slow-growing amabilis fir were able to proliferate roots in compartments of soil enriched with inorganic and organic N. In the first experiment, whole plant and root biomass was greatest when N was provided as ammonium followed by nitrate, and in the second experiment, seedling whole and root biomasses did not differ between ammonium and glycine treatments. All seedlings were able to compensate for the starvation of a portion of the root system, thus total plant biomass did not differ between split-root treatments; however, foliar N contents were lower in the 7.1/0.71 mM inorganic N split-root treatments. Foliar N concentrations were also lower in seedlings supplied with glycine.     

Influence of alpine plants on soil nutrient concentrations in a monoculture experiment

The ability of different alpine species to influence soil nutrient concentrations was quantified by growing monocultures of 17 species on a homogenized acid alpine soil mixture. The experiment was carried out at 2750 m a.s.l. in the Teberda Reserve, Northwest Caucasus. Soil nuturient contents (NH₄, NO₃, P, Ca, Mg, and K) and pH were analyzed after 6 years. The same soil mixture but without plants was used as a control. The plant species had significant effects on all soil properties. Different species groups tended to decrease different nutrients to different extents, e.g.Matricaria caucasica had the lowest level for NO₃ andFestuca ovina for P. Many species increased the cation content (Ca, Mg, K) in the soil in comparison with the control. Prevention of cation leaching seems to be the main mechanism of these increases, because initial cation contents were higher than the final. All species, exceptSibbaldia procumbens, increased soil pH in comparison with the final control. Significant differences among taxonomic groups (families) were found for exchangeable Ca, Mg, and pH.Fabaceae decreased cation contents (Ca, Mg), but tended to increase nitrogen (NH₄, NO₃).Cyperaceae (Carex spp.) tended to decrease ammonium content, and bothAsteraceae andCyperaceae tended to decrease nitrate concentrations. The phosphorus content tended to be reduced by grasses. There was no strong correspondence between properties of native soils of 4 alpine communities and nutrient concentrations for species preferring those communities.