崇明东滩湿地芦苇和互花米草N、P利用策略的生态化学计量学分析

测定了崇明东滩湿地典型植物群落内芦苇和互花米草各器官及土壤中的N、P含量和N∶P,揭示了它们的季节性动态,并对其N、P利用对策进行了生态化学计量学分析.结果表明:两种植物的N、P含量差异显著且芦苇＞互花米草;不同植物以及同一植物不同器官的N、P含量随生长节律发生明显变化;N、P含量的器官分配模式对于芦苇和互花米草均是叶＞茎＞根;两种植物地上部分和地下部分N、P含量5月＞9月＞7月;芦苇N、P积累量＞互花米草;2种植物地上部分N、P含量差异显著;互花米草生境土壤各月份N含量均高于芦苇生境土壤;P含量仅在5月份高于芦苇生境土壤,其它月份均低于芦苇生境土壤.芦苇叶片N含量与生境土壤N含量相关不显著,叶片P含量与土壤P含量显著正相关;互花米草叶片N含量与土壤N含量极显著正相关,叶片P含量与土壤P含量相关不显著.芦苇和互花米草叶片N∶P与土壤N、P含量及N∶P间相关均不显著.芦苇在生长初期和生长末期的N∶P＜14,表明其生长受到N限制;处于生长旺季时,14＜N∶P＜16,表明其受到N、P共同限制.互花米草在各月份的N∶P＜14,说明其主要受到N限制.总体而言,N素是芦苇和互花米草净初级生产力的主要而经常性的限制因子.     

氮添加对黄河三角洲高潮滩芦苇生长和土壤理化性质的短期效应

氮富集会影响到全球生态系统的植物生长繁殖和土壤理化性质.然而,目前关于氮富集对潮汐湿地生态系统植物生长和土壤理化性质的影响研究相对较少.通过氮添加野外控制实验,研究了4个氮添加水平(CK:0 g·m-2·a-1、N1:5 g·m-2·a-1、N2:20 g·m-2·a-1、N3:50 g·m-2·a-1)对黄河三角洲高...     

A meta‐analysis of soil salinization effects on nitrogen pools,cycles and fluxes in coastal ecosystems

Salinity intrusion caused by land subsidence resulting from increasing groundwater abstraction, decreasing river sediment loads and increasing sea level because of climate change has caused widespread soil salinization in coastal ecosystems. Soil salinization may greatly alter nitrogen (N) cycling in coastal ecosystems. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of soil salinization on ecosystem N pools, cycling processes and fluxes is not available for coastal ecosystems. Therefore, we compiled data from 551 observations from 21 peer‐reviewed papers and conducted a meta‐analysis of experimental soil salinization effects on 19 variables related to N pools, cycling processes and fluxes in coastal ecosystems. Our results showed that the effects of soil salinization varied across different ecosystem types and salinity levels. Soil salinization increased plant N content (18%), soil NH₄⁺ (12%) and soil total N (210%), although it decreased soil NO₃^? (2%) and soil microbial biomass N (74%). Increasing soil salinity stimulated soil N₂O fluxes as well as hydrological NH₄⁺ and NO₂^? fluxes more than threefold, although it decreased the hydrological dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) flux (59%). Soil salinization also increased the net N mineralization by 70%, although salinization effects were not observed on the net nitrification, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium in this meta‐analysis. Overall, this meta‐analysis improves our understanding of the responses of ecosystem N cycling to soil salinization, identifies knowledge gaps and highlights the urgent need for studies on the effects of soil salinization on coastal agro‐ecosystem and microbial N immobilization. Additional increases in knowledge are critical for designing sustainable adaptation measures to the predicted intrusion of salinity intrusion so that the productivity of coastal agro‐ecosystems can be maintained or improved and the N losses and pollution of the natural environment can be minimized.     

Salt tolerance and osmotic adjustment of Spartina alterniflora (Poaceae) and the invasive M haplotype of Phragmites australis (Poaceae) along a salinity gradient

An invasive variety of Phragmites australis (Poaceae, common reed), the M haplotype, has been implicated in the spread of this species into North American salt marshes that are normally dominated by the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora (Poaceae, smooth cordgrass). In some European marshes, on the other hand, Spartina spp. derived from S. alterniflora have spread into brackish P. australis marshes. In both cases, the non-native grass is thought to degrade the habitat value of the marsh for wildlife, and it is important to understand the physiological processes that lead to these species replacements. We compared the growth, salt tolerance, and osmotic adjustment of M haplotype P. australis and S. alterniflora along a salinity gradient in greenhouse experiments. Spartina alterniflora produced new biomass up to 0.6 M NaCl, whereas P. australis did not grow well above 0.2 M NaCl. The greater salt tolerance of S. alterniflora compared with P. australis was due to its ability to use Na(+) for osmotic adjustment in the shoots. On the other hand, at low salinities P. australis produced more shoots per gram of rhizome tissue than did S. alterniflora. This study illustrates how ecophysiological differences can shift the competitive advantage from one species to another along a stress gradient. Phragmites australis is spreading into North American coastal marshes that are experiencing reduced salinities, while Spartina spp. are spreading into northern European brackish marshes that are experiencing increased salinities as land use patterns change on the two continents.     

崇明东滩自然保护区盐沼植被的时空动态

盐沼植被是滩涂湿地的重要组成部分,其动态变化直接影响着湿地的生态服务功能和价值。通过对1998~2005年间4景不同时相的LandsatTM遥感影像的解译分析,结合历史资料数据和近年来的现场调查,分析了崇明东滩鸟类自然保护区自建立以来,盐沼植被的时空演替动态过程。结果显示,随着滩涂的淤涨,东滩盐沼植被的面积从1998年的2478.32hm2增加到2005年的4687.74hm2,而互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)自人为引入至2005年,其面积已增加到1283.4hm2,其增加速率显著高于土著种芦苇(Phragmites australis)和海三棱藨草(Scirpus mariqueter),并且已在东滩保护区相当区域内形成单优势种群落。受1998年和2001年两次高滩围垦和互花米草入侵影响,崇明东滩的芦苇群落面积大大减少,虽随着滩涂的淤涨,芦苇群落的面积逐年有所增加,但增加的速度缓慢。互花米草有着更广的生态幅和竞争优势,是滩涂中扩散最快的植被,而淤涨型滩涂为其提供了可扩张的空生态位,如不加以控制和治理,其快速扩散将会对崇明东滩保护区的生态系统造成更大的威胁和影响。     

Microbial immobilization drives nitrogen cycling differences among plant species

In many terrestrial ecosystems nitrogen (N) limits productivity and plant community composition is influenced by N availability. However, vegetation is not only controlled by N; plant species may influence ecosystem N dynamics through positive or negative effects on N cycling. We examined four potential mechanisms of plant species effects on nitrogen (N) cycling. We found no species differences in gross ammonification suggesting there are no changes in the ecosystem N cycling rate between the soil organic matter pool (SOM) and the plant/microbial pool. We also found weak differences among plant species in gross nitrification, thus plant species only marginally change the relative sizes of the NH₄⁺ and NO₃^? pools. Next, more than 90% of mineralized N was microbially immobilized, and microbial N immobilization was positively correlated with root biomass. Finally, while species differed in extractable soil NO3^? concentration, these differences were not related to root biomass suggesting that microbial immobilization drives net N mineralization and soil NO₃^? levels. Our results indicate that plant species do not cause feedbacks on the N cycling rate among the three major ecosystem N pools over nine years. However, plant carbon (C) inputs to the soil control microbial N immobilization and thereby change N partitioning between the plant and microbial N pools. Furthermore our results suggest that the SOM pool can act as a strong bottleneck for N cycling in these systems.     

崇明东滩湿地不同盐沼植物群落土壤碳储量分布

海岸带盐沼植被的高生产力对湿地土壤碳库的形成具有重要意义.本文研究了长江口崇明东滩湿地3种主要盐沼植物(芦苇、互花米草和海三棱藨草)群落生物量差异、土壤碳储量时空动态和垂向分布特征.结果表明： 湿地盐沼植被总生物量表现为互花米草群落(5750.7 g·m^-2)>芦苇群落(4655.1 g·m^-2)>海三棱藨草群落(812.7 g·m^-2),且地上生物量在夏、秋季最高,地下生物量在冬季最高.湿地土壤碳储量(0～50 cm)在春季最低,随后逐渐增加,至冬季达到最大值.土壤碳储量年增量从高潮滩向低潮滩递减,表现为芦苇群落(711.8 g·m^-2)>互花米草群落(646.2 g·m^-2)>海三棱藨草群落(185.3 g·m^-2)>光滩(65.6 g·m^-2).光滩土壤碳储量在25～30 cm处最高,海三棱藨草、互花米草和芦苇群落土壤碳储量分别在10～15、30～35和30～40 cm处达到最大值,且不同群落土壤碳储量与植被地下生物量具有显著的线性关系.     

闽江河口湿地植物氮磷吸收效率的季节变化

以闽江河口湿地土著种芦苇与入侵种互花米草为研究对象,测定了二者地上生物量和氮、磷吸收效率.结果表明：芦苇和互花米草地上生物量的季节变化呈典型的单峰值曲线,芦苇夏季地上生物量最大,达到2195.33 g·m^-2,互花米草则秋季最大,达到3670.02 g·m^-2;不同季节芦苇和互花米草氮、磷吸收效率均呈单峰值曲线,芦苇氮、磷吸收效率分别在夏季和秋季达到最高(21.06 和1.12 g·m^-2),互花米草均在秋季达到峰值(26.76和3.23 g·m^-2);芦苇和互花米草的氮吸收效率极显著大于磷(P<0.01),且互花米草的氮、磷吸收效率显著大于芦苇(P<0.05);植物N/P、C/N和C/P对植物氮、磷吸收效率有一定指示意义.     

丛枝真菌对互花米草和芦苇氮磷吸收的影响

互花米草(Spartina alterniflora Loisel.)是我国海滨盐沼的入侵植物,与土著种芦苇(Phragmites australis)形成了广泛的竞争;已知丛枝菌根(AMF)对不同植物的生长存在差异性影响;但其对互花米草与芦苇之间的种间关系,是否对互花米草入侵芦苇群体产生作用值得探讨.研究对两物种进行了丛枝菌根接种处理,种植模式处理和盐度处理的三因素实验.结果表明:盐度增加使得单种时芦苇、混种时互花米草的AMF侵染率显著下降(p<0.05),而混种时芦苇和单种时的互花米草AMF侵染率受盐度影响不显著(p>0.05).混种时,两种植物的丛枝菌根形成均受对方影响,并且盐度升高使两种植物之间对AMF侵染率的影响发生变化,在淡水生境下混种时,芦苇的AMF侵染率比单种时降低40.5%,互花米草的AMF侵染率比单种时提高了86.9%,均差异显著(p<0.05);在低盐度下混种时芦苇的AMF侵染率比单种时降低24.7%,差异显著(p<0.05),而对互花米草的影响不显著;在高盐度下混种对芦苇的AMF侵染率影响不显著,而使互花米草的AMF侵染率显著降低,降低率比例达78.7%.在淡水生境下,丛枝菌根对芦苇和互花米草的N、P吸收均有显著的促进作用;但是在咸水生境下生长时芦苇的N、P含量主要受盐度的显著影响(p<0.05),随盐度增加而增加;虽然在咸水生境下丛枝菌根仍旧促进芦苇的N、P吸收,但其影响远小于盐度的影响,并且促进效果受到盐度的抑制;但互花米草的N、P含量不受盐度影响.由此可见,接种AMF对这两种植物的氮磷吸收有着不同程度的促进,其作用大小与侵染程度有关,且受到盐度和种植模式的影响.     

Distribution of ecosystem C and N within contrasting vegetation types in a semiarid rangeland in the Great Basin,USA

Semiarid sagebrush ecosystems are being transformed by wildfire, rangeland improvement techniques, and exotic plant invasions, but the effects on ecosystem C and N dynamics are poorly understood. We compared ecosystem C and N pools to 1 m depth among historically grazed Wyoming big sagebrush, introduced perennial crested wheatgrass, and invasive annual cheatgrass communities, to examine whether the quantity and quality of plant inputs to soil differs among vegetation types. Natural abundance δ¹⁵N isotope ratios were used to examine differences in ecosystem N balance. Sagebrush-dominated sites had greater C and N storage in plant biomass compared to perennial or annual grass systems, but this was predominantly due to woody biomass accumulation. Plant C and N inputs to soil were greatest for cheatgrass compared to sagebrush and crested wheatgrass systems, largely because of slower root turnover in perennial plants. The organic matter quality of roots and leaf litter (as C:N ratios) was similar among vegetation types, but lignin:N ratios were greater for sagebrush than grasses. While cheatgrass invasion has been predicted to result in net C loss and ecosystem degradation, we observed that surface soil organic C and N pools were greater in cheatgrass and crested wheatgrass than sagebrush-dominated sites. Greater biomass turnover in cheatgrass and crested wheatgrass versus sagebrush stands may result in faster rates of soil C and N cycling, with redistribution of actively cycled N towards the soil surface. Plant biomass and surface soil δ¹⁵N ratios were enriched in cheatgrass and crested wheatgrass relative to sagebrush-dominated sites. Source pools of plant available N could become ¹⁵N enriched if faster soil N cycling rates lead to greater N trace gas losses. In the absence of wildfire, if cheatgrass invasion does lead to degradation of ecosystem function, this may be due to faster nutrient cycling and greater nutrient losses, rather than reduced organic matter inputs.     

Effects of plant diversity,N fertilization,and elevated carbon dioxide on grassland soil N cycling in a long‐term experiment

The effects of global environmental changes on soil nitrogen (N) pools and fluxes have consequences for ecosystem functions such as plant productivity and N retention. In a 13‐year grassland experiment, we evaluated how elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), N fertilization, and plant species richness alter soil N cycling. We focused on soil inorganic N pools, including ammonium and nitrate, and two N fluxes, net N mineralization and net nitrification. In contrast with existing hypotheses, such as progressive N limitation, and with observations from other, often shorter, studies, elevated CO₂ had relatively static and small, or insignificant, effects on soil inorganic N pools and fluxes. Nitrogen fertilization had inconsistent effects on soil N transformations, but increased soil nitrate and ammonium concentrations. Plant species richness had increasingly positive effects on soil N transformations over time, likely because in diverse subplots the concentrations of N in roots increased over time. Species richness also had increasingly positive effects on concentrations of ammonium in soil, perhaps because more carbon accumulated in soils of diverse subplots, providing exchange sites for ammonium. By contrast, subplots planted with 16 species had lower soil nitrate concentrations than less diverse subplots, especially when fertilized, probably due to greater N uptake capacity of subplots with 16 species. Monocultures of different plant functional types had distinct effects on N transformations and nitrate concentrations, such that not all monocultures differed from diverse subplots in the same manner. The first few years of data would not have adequately forecast the effects of N fertilization and diversity on soil N cycling in later years; therefore, the dearth of long‐term manipulations of plant species richness and N inputs is a hindrance to forecasting the state of the soil N cycle and ecosystem functions in extant plant communities.     

Disentangling species and functional group richness effects on soil N cycling in a grassland ecosystem

Species richness (SR) and functional group richness (FGR) are often confounded in both observational and experimental field studies of biodiversity and ecosystem function. This precludes discernment of their separate influences on ecosystem processes, including nitrogen (N) cycling, and how those influences might be moderated by global change factors. In a 17‐year field study of grassland species, we used two full factorial experiments to independently vary SR (one or four species, with FGR = 1) and FGR (1–4 groups, with SR = 4) to assess SR and FGR effects on ecosystem N cycling and its response to elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) and N addition. We hypothesized that increased plant diversity (either SR or FGR) and elevated CO₂ would enhance plant N pools because of greater plant N uptake, but decrease soil N cycling rates because of greater soil carbon inputs and microbial N immobilization. In partial support of these hypotheses, increasing SR or FGR (holding the other constant) enhanced total plant N pools and decreased soil nitrate pools, largely through higher root biomass, and increasing FGR strongly reduced mineralization rates, because of lower root N concentrations. In contrast, increasing SR (holding FGR constant and despite increasing total plant C and N pools) did not alter root N concentrations or net N mineralization rates. Elevated CO₂ had minimal effects on plant and soil N metrics and their responses to plant diversity, whereas enriched N increased plant and soil N pools, but not soil N fluxes. These results show that functional diversity had additional effects on both plant N pools and rates of soil N cycling that were independent of those of species richness.     

Nitrogen Cycling Responses to Mountain Pine Beetle Disturbance in a High Elevation Whitebark Pine Ecosystem

Ecological disturbances can significantly affect biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, but the biogeochemical consequences of the extensive mountain pine beetle outbreak in high elevation whitebark pine (WbP) (Pinus albicaulis) ecosystems of western North America have not been previously investigated. Mountain pine beetle attack has driven widespread WbP mortality, which could drive shifts in both the pools and fluxes of nitrogen (N) within these ecosystems. Because N availability can limit forest regrowth, understanding how beetle-induced mortality affects N cycling in WbP stands may be critical to understanding the trajectory of ecosystem recovery. Thus, we measured above- and belowground N pools and fluxes for trees representing three different times since beetle attack, including unattacked trees. Litterfall N inputs were more than ten times higher under recently attacked trees compared to unattacked trees. Soil inorganic N concentrations also increased following beetle attack, potentially driven by a more than two-fold increase in ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) concentrations in the surface soil organic horizon. However, there were no significant differences in mineral soil inorganic N or soil microbial biomass N concentrations between attacked and unattacked trees, implying that short-term changes in N cycling in response to the initial stages of WbP attack were restricted to the organic horizon. Our results suggest that while mountain pine beetle attack drives a pulse of N from the canopy to the forest floor, changes in litterfall quality and quantity do not have profound effects on soil biogeochemical cycling, at least in the short-term. However, continuous observation of these important ecosystems will be crucial to determining the long-term biogeochemical effects of mountain pine beetle outbreaks.     

Stable soil nitrogen accumulation and flexible organic matter stoichiometry during primary floodplain succession

Large increases in nitrogen (N) inputs to terrestrial ecosystems typically have small effects on immediate N outputs because most N is sequestered in soil organic matter. We hypothesized that soil organic N storage and the asynchrony between N inputs and outputs result from rapid accumulation of N in stable soil organic pools. We used a successional sequence on floodplains of the Tanana River near Fairbanks, Alaska to assess rates of stable N accumulation in soils ranging from 1 to 500+ years old. One-year laboratory incubations with repeated leaching separated total soil N into labile (defined as inorganic N leached) and stable (defined as total minus labile N) pools. Stable N pools increased faster (2 g N m^–2 yr^–1) than labile N (0.4 g N m^–2 yr^–1) pools during the first 50 years of primary succession; labile N then plateaued while stable and total N continued to increase. Soil C pools showed similar trends, and stable N was correlated with stable C (r² = 0.95). From 84 to 95 % of soil N was stable during our incubations. Over successional time, the labile N pool declined as a proportion of total N, but remained large on an aerial basis (up to 38 g N m^–2). The stoichiometry of stable soil N changed over successional time; C:N ratios increased from 10 to 22 over 275 years (r² = 0.69). A laboratory ¹⁵N addition experiment showed that soils had the capacity to retain much more N than accumulated naturally during succession. Our results suggest that most soil N is retained in a stable organic pool that can accumulate rapidly but is not readily accessible to microbial mineralization. Because stable soil organic matter and total ecosystem organic matter have flexible stoichiometry, net ecosystem production may be a poor predictor of N retention on annual time scales.     

Soil Characteristics and the Accumulation of Inorganic Nitrogen in an Arid Urban Ecosystem

Urbanization represents the extreme case of human influence on an ecosystem. Biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen (N) in cities is very different from that of non-urban landscapes due to the large input of reactive forms of N and the heterogeneous distribution of various land uses that alters landscape connections. To quantify the likely effects of human activities on soil N and other soil properties in urban ecosystems, we conducted a probability-based study to sample 203 plots randomly distributed over the 6,400 km² Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) area, which encompasses metropolitan Phoenix with its 3.5 million inhabitants. Soil inorganic N concentrations were significantly higher in urban residential, non-residential, agricultural, transportation, and mixed sites than in the desert sites. Soil water content and organic matter were both significantly higher under urban and agricultural land uses, whereas bulk density was lower compared to undeveloped desert. We calculated that farming and urbanization on average had caused an accumulation of 7.23 g m⁻² in soil inorganic N across the CAP study area. Average soil inorganic N of the sampled desert sites (3.23 g m⁻²) was much higher than the natural background level reported in the literature. Laboratory incubation studies showed that many urban soils exhibited net immobilization of inorganic N, whereas desert and agricultural soils showed small, but positive, net N mineralization. The large accumulation of inorganic N in soils (mostly as nitrate) was highly unusual in terrestrial ecosystems, suggesting that in this arid urban ecosystem, N is likely no longer the primary limiting resource affecting plants, but instead poses a threat to surface and groundwater contamination, and influences other N cycling processes such as denitrification.     

氮水平和竞争对互花米草与芦苇叶特征的影响

 互花米草 (Spartina alterniflora) 和芦苇 (Phragmites australis) 是滨海盐沼湿地的多年生草本植物,从世界范围来看,它们二者具有区域性的相互入侵特征,因此研究生境条件对两物种互侵机制的影响是一个十分有意义的生态学命题。该文运用随机区组实验设计方法,模拟海滩环境、构建人工种群、控制可变因子,研究了外来种互花米草与本地种芦苇分别单种和混种时,叶特征对不同氮水平、不同植株密度的响应。结果表明：随着氮水平的升高,互花米草和芦苇的叶面积无论是在单种还是混种情况下都显著增加 (p<0.05),但混种条件下芦苇的叶面积在高氮水平下增幅减少,这与高氮状况下互花米草与芦苇的竞争加剧有关;氮水平对单种中两种植物的叶数影响最显著 (p<0.01),对混种中互花米草的叶数和芦苇的叶宽影响最大 (p<0.05)。植株密度增加导致种内和种间竞争加剧,无论在单种还是混种处理下,都造成两种植物叶面积的显著减少 (p<0.05)。单种处理中, 两物种的叶数受密度的响应最显著 (p<0.05);而混种处理中芦苇对互花米草的竞争显著减小了互花米草的叶宽和叶数(p<0.05),互花米草对芦苇的竞争则显著减小了芦苇 的叶长、叶宽和叶数 (p<0.05)。两种植物的竞争结果受到氮营养的调控,低、高氮水平下互花米草的种间竞争能力大于芦苇,中氮水平下则是芦苇的种间竞争能力大于互花米草。高氮水平下互花米草通过叶面积的快速增加抑制了芦苇的叶生长,使其叶面积减少,从而在竞争中占据优势,这可能是互花米草入侵我国海滩芦苇种群的机制之一。     

闽江河口湿地枯落物分解及主要影响因子

以闽江河口湿地挺水植物本地种芦苇和入侵种互花米草的花和叶枯落物为研究对象,采用分解袋法分析其分解过程及主要影响因素.结果表明:立枯分解(0～90 d)是2种湿地盐沼植物重要的分解阶段,芦苇和互花米草的花和叶质量损失率分别为(15.0±3.5)％、(13.3±1.1)％和(31.9±1.1)％、(20.8±1.4)％.倒伏分解阶段(91 ～210 d),芦苇和互花米草的花和叶质量损失率分别为(69.5±0.6)％、(71.5±2.5)％和(76.8±1.9)％、(67.5±2.1)％.在立枯分解阶段,2种挺水植物枯落物的分解速率与C/N呈正相关,与N/P呈负相关,分解过程受到P的限制程度较大.倒伏分解阶段,枯落物C/N、C/P和N/P的影响降低,而大气温湿度、土壤水分、酸碱度、盐度和沉积物特性等的影响加大.不同分解阶段枯落物分解影响因子的差异主要与其所处的微域环境和潮汐因素有关.     

Changes in biomass, chemical composition and nutritive value of Spartina alterniflora due to organic pollution in the Itanhaém River Basin (SP, Brazil).

We compared the values of the biomass, chemical composition and nutritive value of the emergent aquatic macrophyte S. alterniflora in a river affected by the discharge of domestic sewage (Guaú River) and in an unpolluted river (Itanhaém River). S. alterniflora, water and sediment samples were obtained in the two rivers in November, 2001. The Guaú River presented the highest levels of Total-N and Total-P in the water (415 and 674 microg.L(-1), respectively) and in the sediment (0.25 e 0.20% of the Dry Mass, respectively), when compared to the water (TN = 105 microg.L(-1); TP = 20 microg.L(-1)) and the sediment (NT = 0.12% DM; PT = 0.05% DM) of the Itanhaém River. Aerial (316 g DM.m(-2)) and subterraneous (425 g DM.m(-2)) biomass of S. alterniflora were significantly higher in the Guaú River than in the Itanhaém River (146 and 115 g DM.m(-2), respectively). In addition, the values of TN, protein, TP, lipids and soluble carbohydrates were significantly higher in S. alterniflora biomass from the Guaú River. On the other hand, the values of the polyphenols and the cell wall fraction were significantly higher in the biomass of S. alterniflora from the Itanhaém River. We concluded that domestic sewage discharge in water bodies may increase the biomass and change the chemical composition of S. alterniflora. The high N and P availability in the water of the Guaú River is probably the cause of the higher biomass, TN, TP, protein, lipids and soluble carbohydrates measured in S. alterniflora in this river.     

Ecosystem processes and nitrogen export in northern U.S. watersheds

There is much interest in the relationship of atmospheric nitrogen (N) inputs to ecosystem outputs as an indicator of possible "nitrogen saturation" by human activity. Longer-term, ecosystem-level mass balance studies suggest that the relationship is not clear and that other ecosystem processes may dominate variation in N outputs. We have been studying small, forested watershed ecosystems in five northern watersheds for periods up to 35 years. Here I summarize the research on ecosystem processes and the N budget. During the past 2 decades, average wet-precipitation N inputs ranged from about 0.1 to 6 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) among sites. In general, sites with the lowest N inputs had the highest output-to-input ratios. In the Alaska watersheds, streamwater N output exceeded inputs by 70 to 250%. The ratio of mean monthly headwater nitrate (NO3-) concentration to precipitation NO3- concentration declined with increased precipitation concentration. A series of ecosystem processes have been studied and related to N outputs. The most important appear to be seasonal change in hydrologic flowpath, soil freezing, seasonal forest-floor inorganic N pools resulting from over-winter mineralization beneath the snowpack, spatial variation in watershed forest-floor inorganic N pools, the degree to which snowmelt percolates soils, and gross soil N mineralization rates.     

Nitrogen availability increases in a tundra ecosystem during five years of experimental permafrost thaw

Perennially frozen soil in high latitude ecosystems (permafrost) currently stores 1330–1580 Pg of carbon (C). As these ecosystems warm, the thaw and decomposition of permafrost is expected to release large amounts of C to the atmosphere. Fortunately, losses from the permafrost C pool will be partially offset by increased plant productivity. The degree to which plants are able to sequester C, however, will be determined by changing nitrogen (N) availability in these thawing soil profiles. N availability currently limits plant productivity in tundra ecosystems but plant access to N is expected improve as decomposition increases in speed and extends to deeper soil horizons. To evaluate the relationship between permafrost thaw and N availability, we monitored N cycling during 5 years of experimentally induced permafrost thaw at the Carbon in Permafrost Experimental Heating Research (CiPEHR) project. Inorganic N availability increased significantly in response to deeper thaw and greater soil moisture induced by Soil warming. This treatment also prompted a 23% increase in aboveground biomass and a 49% increase in foliar N pools. The sedge Eriophorum vaginatum responded most strongly to warming: this species explained 91% of the change in aboveground biomass during the 5 year period. Air warming had little impact when applied alone, but when applied in combination with Soil warming, growing season soil inorganic N availability was significantly reduced. These results demonstrate that there is a strong positive relationship between the depth of permafrost thaw and N availability in tundra ecosystems but that this relationship can be diminished by interactions between increased thaw, warmer air temperatures, and higher levels of soil moisture. Within 5 years of permafrost thaw, plants actively incorporate newly available N into biomass but C storage in live vascular plant biomass is unlikely to be greater than losses from deep soil C pools.