Method of assessment of 137Cs biological availability in forest soil

A method for quantitative assessment of 137Cs availability to plants in forest ecosystems on the basis of soil properties has been developed. It is shown that the experimental dependencies of 137Cs soil-to-plant transfer factor (TFag) for fern and bilberry on the bioavailability factor calculated on the basis of soil characteristics of root layer: 137Cs exchangeability, exchangeable Ca, effective selectivity coefficient, were satisfactory described by linear function. The advantage of the proposed method is that the necessary soil characteristics can be taken from the reference literature, evaluated using empirical correlations or determined with standard agrochemical procedures.     

Analysis of factors determining the biological availability of 137Cs in forest ecosystem soils

On five forest plots varying in species composition of woody plants and soil properties, 137Cs accumulation by vegetation of the forest understorey has been studied. Differences in 137Cs availability for root uptake are shown to be dependent on a vertical distribution of 137Cs content over the soil profile, percentage of exchangeable 137Cs and distribution of plant root systems (fungous mycelium) in soil. A 137Cs-bioavailability index is suggested and its non-linear relationship with 137Cs transfer factors to different plant species in the understorey is shown.     

The simulation of 137Cs distribution in forest ecosystems and prediction of its accumulation by forest products

A mathematical model of 137Cs migration in forest ecosystem is presented, which describes the behaviour of this radionuclide in the forest litter-soil system, trees, understory and forest animals. The model's parameters for different types of forest ecosystems are estimated and model's adequacy is tested through the use of independent experimental data. The sensitivity of the model's output variables is analyzed to variations in the most significant parameters. The differences in the seasonal and mean annual dynamics of 137Cs concentration in muscles of roe deers and mooses are shown to be defined by specific features of the diets of these animals and variations in 137Cs content in the main diet components.     

An estimation of 137Cs accumulation in forest fungi by the soil properties

A method of calculation of radiocaesium uptake by forest mushrooms as a function of soil properties is presented. Calculated value of 137Cs transfer factor for Xerocomus badius in the contaminated area of Bryansk Province of Russia is in a good agreement with experimental data.     

The concentration and distribution of 137Cs in soils of forest and agricultural ecosystems of Tula Region

The paper deals with a comparative study of 137Cs contamination in forest, old arable and cultivated soils of Tula Region. Initial interception of Chernobyl derived 137Cs is higher in forest ecosystems: oak-forest > birch-forest > pine-forest > agricultural ecosystems. Vertical migration of 137Cs in deeper layers of soils was intensive in agricultural ecosystems: cultivated soils > old arable soils > birch-forest soils > oak-forest soils > pine-forest soils. In study have been evaluated spatial variability of 137Cs in soil and asymmetrical distribution, that is a skew to the right. Spatial heterogeneity of 137Cs in agricultural soils is much lower than in forest soils. For cultivated soil are determined the rate of resuspension, which equal to 6.1 x 10(-4) day(-1). For forest soils are described the 137Cs concentration in litter of different ecosystems. The role of main accumulation and barrier of 137Cs retain higher layers of soils (horizon A1(A1E) in forest, horizon Ap in agricultural ecosystems) in long-term forecast after Chernobyl accident.     

Urbanization and fragmentation have opposing effects on soil nitrogen availability in temperate forest ecosystems

Nitrogen (N) availability relative to plant demand has been declining in recent years in terrestrial ecosystems throughout the world, a phenomenon known as N oligotrophication. The temperate forests of the northeastern U.S. have experienced a particularly steep decline in bioavailable N, which is expected to be exacerbated by climate change. This region has also experienced rapid urban expansion in recent decades that leads to forest fragmentation, and it is unknown whether and how these changes affect N availability and uptake by forest trees. Many studies have examined the impact of either urbanization or forest fragmentation on nitrogen (N) cycling, but none to our knowledge have focused on the combined effects of these co-occurring environmental changes. We examined the effects of urbanization and fragmentation on oak-dominated (Quercus spp.) forests along an urban to rural gradient from Boston to central Massachusetts (MA). At eight study sites along the urbanization gradient, plant and soil measurements were made along a 90 m transect from a developed edge to an intact forest interior. Rates of net ammonification, net mineralization, and foliar N concentrations were significantly higher in urban than rural sites, while net nitrification and foliar C:N were not different between urban and rural forests. At urban sites, foliar N and net ammonification and mineralization were higher at forest interiors compared to edges, while net nitrification and foliar C:N were higher at rural forest edges than interiors. These results indicate that urban forests in the northeastern U.S. have greater soil N availability and N uptake by trees compared to rural forests, counteracting the trend for widespread N oligotrophication in temperate forests around the globe. Such increases in available N are diminished at forest edges, however, demonstrating that forest fragmentation has the opposite effect of urbanization on coupled N availability and demand by trees.     

Using 137Cs technique to quantify soil conservation capacities of different ecosystems in Wolong Natural Reserve, southwestern China

Reliable information about soil conservation capacities of different natural ecosystems is an important reference for the design of targeted erosion and sediment control strategies. The objective of this paper is to quantify the soil conservation capacities of different natural ecosystems that can represent different climatic zones. The 137Cs technique has been used to estimate soil redistribution rates in different natural ecosystems over the past 40 years in Wolong Nature Reserve. The reserve, transiting from the Chengdu plain to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, maintains rich ecosystems from subtropical to frigid.The net soil erosion rates of 5 selected ecosystems that represent a warm coniferous-broadleaf-mixed forest, a cold-resistant deciduous taiga forest, a cold-resistant shrub, an evergreen cold-resistant taiga servation capacities are reversed in order. The reference inventories for 137Cs in different ecosystems velop effective erosion and sediment strategies in areas with similar climates should consider natural ecosystem types.     

Using 137Cs technique to quantify soil conservation capacities of different ecosystems in Wolong Natural Reserve, southwestern China

Reliable information about soil conservation capacities of different natural ecosystems is an important reference for the design of targeted erosion and sediment control strategies. The objective of this paper is to quantify the soil conservation capacities of different natural ecosystems that can represent different climatic zones. The ¹³⁷Cs technique has been used to estimate soil redistribution rates in different natural ecosystems over the past 40 years in Wolong Nature Reserve. The reserve, transiting from the Chengdu plain to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, maintains rich ecosystems from subtropical to frigid. The net soil erosion rates of 5 selected ecosystems that represent a warm coniferous-broadleaf-mixed forest, a cold-resistant deciduous taiga forest, a cold-resistant shrub, an evergreen cold-resistant taiga forest, and an alpine meadow are 0.17, 0.16, 0.13, 0.11 and 0.06 kg·m⁻²·a⁻¹, respectively. Their soil conservation capacities are reversed in order. The reference inventories for ¹³⁷Cs in different ecosystems range from 1658 to 3707 Bq·m⁻² with the altitude. Results of this study indicate that any attempt to develop effective erosion and sediment strategies in areas with similar climates should consider natural ecosystem types. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40321101)     

Evaluation of the state of soil microbial communities in two types of Siberian forest ecosystems

Microbial respiration and biomass were evaluated in soils of the Ermak Tree Nursery and Pogorel’skii Forest under different coniferous species. The degree of disturbance of each biocenosis was determined from the metabolic coefficient (qCO₂). The microbial investigation demonstrated a lower resistance to ecological factors of the tree nursery biocenosis as compared to those of the Pogorel’skii Forest.     

The analysis of coefficient of 137Cs transfer from soil into potato in relationship with 137Cs content in soil and plant mineral feed

The soil-potato transfer factor for 137Cs (TF) was estimated by using results of 137Cs activity concentration measurements in 214 samples of soil and potato taken at fields with various level of contamination with 137Cs. The relationships between the coefficient TF and soil characteristics (acidity pH (KCl), content of K2O, P2O5, CaO and MgO in soil) and soil contamination with 137Cs have been analysed. The results show that the TF values tend to decrease with increasing concentration of 137Cs, K2O, P2O5, and CaO in considered sod-podsolic sandyloam soil. The regression function describing the TF dependence of 137Cs, K2O, P2O5, and CaO content in soil has been derived.     

Glycine mineralization in situ closely correlates with soil carbon availability across six North American forest ecosystems

Free amino acids (FAA) constitute a significant fraction of dissolved organic nitrogen (N) in forest soils and play an important role in the N cycle of these ecosystems. However, comparatively little attention has been given to their role as labile carbon (C) substrates that might influence the metabolic status of resident microbial populations. We hypothesized that the residence time of simple C substrates, such as FAA, are mechanistically linked to the turnover of endogenous soil C pools. We tested this hypothesis across a latitudinal gradient of forested ecosystems that differ sharply with regard to climate, overstory taxon, and edaphic properties. Using a combined laboratory and field approach, we compared the turnover of isotopically labeled glycine in situ to the turnover of mineralizable soil C (C_min) at each site. The turnover of glycine was rapid (residence times <2 h) regardless of soil type. However, across all ecosystems glycine turnover rates were strongly correlated with indices of soil organic matter quality. For example, C:N ratios for the upper soil horizons explained ~80% of the variability observed in glycine turnover, and there was a strong positive correlation between in situ glycine-C turnover and C_min measured in the laboratory. The turnover of glycine in situ was better explained by changes in soil C availability than cross-ecosystem variation in soil temperature or concentrations of dissolved inorganic N and FAA-N. This suggests the consumption of these low-molecular-weight substrates by soil microorganisms may be governed as much by the overall decomposability of soil C as by N limitation to microbial growth.     

Potential for phytoextraction of137 Cs from a contaminated soil

Potential for phytoremediation of a soil contaminated with radiocesium was investigated in three phases: (1) hydroponic screening for plant species capable of accumulating elevated levels of cesium in shoots, (2) investigation of several amendments for their potential to increase the bioavailability of ¹³⁷Cs in the contaminated soil, and (3) bioaccumulation of radiocesium in shoots of plants grown in¹³⁷ Cs-contaminated soil.The bioaccumulation ratio for Cs in shoots of hydroponically grown plants ranged between 38 and 165. From solution, dicot species accumulated 2- to 4-fold more cesium in shoots than grasses. In studies investigating the bioavailability of ¹³⁷Cs in aged contaminated soil, ammonium salts were found to be the most effective desorbing agents, releasing approximately 25% of the¹³⁷ Cs. The extent of ¹³⁷Cs desorption from the soil increased with ammonium concentration up to 0.2 M. In a pot study conducted in a greenhouse, there was significant species-dependent variability in the ability to accumulate ¹³⁷Cs in the shoot from contaminated soil. The ability to accumulate ¹³⁷Cs from the soil increased in the order: reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) < Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) < tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius)< cabbage (B. oleracea var. capitata). It was also found that addition of NH₄NO₃ solution to the soil elicited a two- to twelve-fold increase in ¹³⁷Cs accumulation in the shoot. The greatest amount of ¹³⁷Cs (40 Bq g^-1 dw) was removed in shoots of cabbage grown in contaminated soil amended with 80 mmols NH₄NO₃ kg^-1 soil. Bioaccumulation ratios of 2–3 were obtained with the best performing plant species. These values are significantly greater than those previously reported in the literature (usually <0.1) for plants grown on aged contaminated soil. These results indicate that careful species selection along with amendments that increase the bioavailability of¹³⁷ Cs in the soil could greatly enhance the prospects for the use of plants to remediate ¹³⁷Cs-contaminated soils.     

Using ~(137)Cs technique to quantify soil conservation capacities of different ecosystems in Wolong Natural Reserve, southwestern China

Reliable information about soil conservation capacities of different natural ecosystems is an important reference for the design of targeted erosion and sediment control strategies. The objective of this paper is to quantify the soil conservation capacities of different natural ecosystems that can represent dif-ferent climatic zones. The 137Cs technique has been used to estimate soil redistribution rates in differ-ent natural ecosystems over the past 40 years in Wolong Nature Reserve. The reserve, transiting from the Chengdu plain to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, maintains rich ecosystems from subtropical to frigid. The net soil erosion rates of 5 selected ecosystems that represent a warm coniferous-broadleaf-mixed forest, a cold-resistant deciduous taiga forest, a cold-resistant shrub, an evergreen cold-resistant taiga forest, and an alpine meadow are 0.17, 0.16, 0.13, 0.11 and 0.06 kg·m-2·a-1, respectively. Their soil con-servation capacities are reversed in order. The reference inventories for ~(137)Cs in different ecosystems range from 1658 to 3707 Bq·m-2 with the altitude. Results of this study indicate that any attempt to de-velop effective erosion and sediment strategies in areas with similar climates should consider natural ecosystem types.     

东北东部森林生态系统土壤呼吸组分的分离量化

对森林生态系统的土壤呼吸组分进行分离和量化,确定不同组分CO2释放速率的控制因子,是估测局域和区域森林生态系统碳平衡研究中必不可少的内容。采用挖壕法和红外气体分析法测定无根和有根样地的土壤表面CO2通量(RS),确定东北东部6种典型森林生态系统RS中异养呼吸(RH)和根系自养呼吸(RA)的贡献量及其影响因子。具体研究目标包括:(1)量化各种生态系统的RH及其与主要环境影响因子的关系;(2)量化各种生态系统RS中根系呼吸贡献率(RC)的季节动态;(3)比较6种森林生态系统RH和RA的年通量。土壤温度、土壤含水量及其交互作用显著地影响森林生态系统的RH(R2=0.465~0.788),但其影响程度因森林生态系统类型而异。硬阔叶林和落叶松人工林的RH主要受土壤温度控制,其他生态系统RH受土壤温度和含水量的联合影响。各个森林生态系统类型的RC变化范围依次为:硬阔叶林32.40%~51.44%;杨桦林39.72%~46.65%;杂木林17.94%~47.74%;蒙古栎林34.31%~37.36%;红松人工林33.78%~37.02%;落叶松人工林14.39%~35.75%。每个生态系统类型RH年通量都显著高于RA年通量,其变化范围分别为337~540 gC.m-2.a-1和88~331 gC.m-2.a-1。不同生态系统间的RH和RA也存在着显著性差异。     

Successional changes in soil nitrogen availability,non-symbiotic nitrogen fixation and carbon/nitrogen ratios in southern Chilean forest ecosystems

Vast areas of southern Chile are now covered by second-growth forests because of fire and logging. To study successional patterns after moderate-intensity, anthropogenic fire disturbance, we assessed differences in soil properties and N fluxes across a chronosequence of seven successional stands (2–130 years old). We examined current predictions of successional theory concerning changes in the N cycle in forest ecosystems. Seasonal fluctuations of net N mineralization (N_min) in surface soil and N availability (N_a; N_a=NH ₄ ⁺ –N+NO ₃ ^– –N) in upper and deep soil horizons were positively correlated with monthly precipitation. In accordance with theoretical predictions, stand age was positively, but weakly related to both N_a (r ²=0.282, P<0.001) and total N (N_tot; r ²=0.192, P<0.01), and negatively related to soil C/N ratios (r ²=0.187, P<0.01) in surface soils. A weak linear increase in soil N_min (upper plus deep soil horizons) was found across the chronosequence (r ²=0.124, P<0.022). N_min occurred at modest rates in early successional stands, suggesting that soil disturbance did not impair microbial processes. The relationship between N fixation (N_fix) in the litter layer and stand age best fitted a quadratic model (r ²=0.228, P<0.01). In contrast to documented successional trends for most temperate, tropical and Mediterranean forests, non-symbiotic N_fix in the litter layer is a steady N input to unpolluted southern temperate forests during mid and late succession, which may compensate for hydrological losses of organic N from old-growth ecosystems.     

Partitioning soil respiration of temperate forest ecosystems in northeastern China

Quantifying soil respiration components and their relations to environmental controls are essential to estimate both local and regional carbon (C) budgets of forest ecosystems. In this study, we used the trenching-plot and infrared gas exchange analyzer approaches to determine heterotrophic (R_H) and autotrophic respiration (R_A) in the soil surface CO₂ flux for six major temperate forest ecosystems in northeastern China. The ecosystems were: Mongolian oak forest (dominated by Quercus mongolica), aspen-birch forest (dominated by Populous davidiana and Betula platyphylla), mixed wood forest (composed of P. davidiana, B. platyphylla, Fraxinus mandshurica, Tilia amurensis, Acer amono, etc.), hardwood forest (dominated by F. mandshurica, Juglans mandshurica, and Phellodendron amurense), Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis), and Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii) plantations, representing the typical secondary forest ecosystems in this region. Our specific objectives were to: (1) quantify R_H and its relationship with the environmental factors of the forest ecosystems, (2) characterize seasonal dynamics in the contribution of root respiration to total soil surface CO₂ flux (RC), and (3) compare annual CO₂ fluxes from R_H and R_A among the six forest ecosystems. Soil temperature, water content, and their interactions significantly affected R_H in the ecosystems and accounted for 46.5%–78.8% variations in R_H. However, the environmental controlling factors of R_H varied with ecosystem types: soil temperature in hardwood and Dahurian larch forest ecosystems, soil temperature, and water content in the others. The RC for hardwood, poplar-birch, mixed wood, Mongolian oak, Korean pine, and Dahurian larch forest ecosystems varied between 32.40%–51.44%, 39.72%–46.65%, 17.94%–47.74%, 34.31%–37.36%, 33.78%–37.02%, and 14.39%–35.75%, respectively. The annual CO₂ fluxes from R_H were significantly greater than those from R_A for all the ecosystems, ranging from 337–540 g Cm^-2a^-1 and 88‐331 gCm^-2a^-1 for R_H and R_A, respectively. The annual CO₂ fluxes from R_H and R_A differed significantly among the six forest ecosystems.     

Effect of soil microorganisms and labile C availability on soil respiration in response to litter inputs in forest ecosystems: A meta‐analysis

Litter inputs can influence soil respiration directly through labile C availability and, indirectly, through the activity of soil microorganisms and modifications in soil microclimate; however, their relative contributions and the magnitude of any effect remain poorly understood. We synthesized 66 recently published papers on forest ecosystems using a meta‐analysis approach to investigate the effect of litter inputs on soil respiration and the underlying mechanisms involved. Our results showed that litter inputs had a strong positive impact on soil respiration, labile C availability, and the abundance of soil microorganisms, with less of an impact related to soil moisture and temperature. Overall, soil respiration was increased by 36% and 55%, respectively, in response to natural and doubled litter inputs. The increase in soil respiration induced by litter inputs showed a tendency for coniferous forests (50.7%)> broad‐leaved forests (41.3%)> mixed forests (31.9%). This stimulation effect also depended on stand age with 30‐ to 100‐year‐old forests (53.3%) and ≥100‐year‐old forests (50.2%) both 1.5 times larger than ≤30‐year‐old forests (34.5%). Soil microbial biomass carbon and soil dissolved organic carbon increased by 21.0%‐33.6% and 60.3%‐87.7%, respectively, in response to natural and doubled litter inputs, while soil respiration increased linearly with corresponding increases in soil microbial biomass carbon and soil dissolved organic carbon. Natural and doubled litter inputs increased the total phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) content by 6.6% and 19.7%, respectively, but decreased the fungal/bacterial PLFA ratio by 26.9% and 18.7%, respectively. Soil respiration also increased linearly with increases in total PLFA and decreased linearly with decreases in the fungal/bacterial PLFA ratio. The contribution of litter inputs to an increase in soil respiration showed a trend of total PLFA > fungal/bacterial PLFA ratio > soil dissolved organic carbon > soil microbial biomass carbon. Therefore, in addition to forest type and stand age, labile C availability and soil microorganisms are also important factors that influence soil respiration in response to litter inputs, with soil microorganisms being more important than labile C availability.