Current nitrogen (N) leaching losses and their responses to monthly N additions were investigated under a disturbed pine (Pinus massoniana) forest and a mature monsoon broadleaf forest in southern China. N leaching losses from both disturbed and mature forests were quite high (14.6 and 29.2 kg N ha-1 year-1, respectively), accounting for 57% and 80% of their corresponding atmospheric N inputs. N leaching losses were substantially increased following the first 1.5 years of N applications in both forests. The average increases induced by the addition of 50 and 100 kg N ha-1 year-1 were 36.5 and 24.9 kg N ha-1 year-1, respectively, in the mature forest, accounting for 73.0% and 24.9% of the annual amount of N added, and 14.2 and 16.8 kg N ha-1 year-1 in the disturbed forest, accounting for 28.4% and 16.8% of the added N. Great N leaching and a fast N leaching response to N additions in the mature forest might result from long-term N accumulation and high ambient N deposition load (greater than 30 kg N ha-1 year-1 over the past 15 years), whereas in the disturbed forest, it might result from the human disturbance and high ambient N deposition load. These results suggest that both disturbed and mature forests in the study region may be sensitive to increasing N deposition.
We studied the responses of soil fauna to a simulated nitrogen deposition in nursery experimental plots in Subtropical China. Dissolved NH4NO3 was applied to the soil by spraying twice per month for 16 months, starting January 2003 with treatments of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 30 gN/(m^2·a). Soil fauna was sampled after 6, 9, 13 and 16 months of treatment in three soil depths (0-5 cm, 5-10 cm, 10-15 cm). Soil available N increased in correspondence with the increasing N treatment, whereas soil pH decreased. Bacterial and fungal densities were elevated by the N treatment. Soil fauna increased in the lower nitrogen treatments but decreased in the higher N treatments, which might indicate that there was a threshold around 10 gN/(m^2·a) for the stimulating effects of N addition. The N effects were dependent on the soil depth and sampling time. The data also suggested that the effects of the different N treatments were related to the level of N saturation, especially the concentration of NO3^- in the soil.
The effects of simulated nitrogen(N)deposition on soil exchangeable cations were studied in three forest types of subtropical China.Four N treatments with three replications were designed for the monsoon evergreen broadleaf forest (mature forest):control(0 kg N ha-1 year-1),low N(50 kg N ha-1 year-1),medium N(100 kg N ha-1 year-1)and high N(150 kg N ha-1 year-1),and only three treatments(i.e.,control,low N,medium N)were established for the pine and mixed forests.Nitrogen had been applied continuously for 26 months before the measurement.The mature forest responded more rapidly and intensively to N additions than the pine and mixed forests,and exhibited some significant negative symptoms,e.g.,soil acidification,Al mobilization and leaching of base cations from soil.The pine and mixed forests responded slowly to N additions and exhibited no significant response of soil cations.Response of soil exchangeable cations to N deposition varied in the forests of subtropical China,depending on soil N status and land-use history.
LU Xian-KaiMO Jiang-MingP.GUNDERSERNZHU Wei-XingZHOU Guo-YiLI De-JunZHANGXu
研究了鼎湖山自然保护区3种森林生态系统土壤微生物量碳对氮沉降增加的响应。选取南亚热带代表性森林类型马尾松林、混交林和季风常绿阔叶林(季风林)建立野外模拟氮沉降试验样地。2003年7月开始每月进行氮处理。这些处理分别为对照、低氮处理、中氮处理和高氮处理,即0、50、100 kg N hm-2a-1和150 kg N hm-2a-1。在2004年11月和2006年6月用氯仿熏蒸浸提法分别测定土壤微生物量碳和土壤可浸提有机碳。土壤微生物量碳和可浸提有机碳含量均表现为2006年6月高于2004年11月;季风林高于马尾松林和混交林。随着氮沉降增加季风林土壤微生物量碳减少,但可浸提有机碳含量则增加,且此趋势在高氮处理下表现明显。然而,氮沉降增加对马尾松林和混交林土壤微生物量碳和可浸提有机碳含量的影响不显著。以上结果表明,氮沉降增加可能提高季风林土壤有机碳的固持能力。