Stable Nitrogen and Carbon Isotope Compositions in Plant-soil Systems Under Different Land-use Types in a Red Soil Region, Southeast China

Overview

Journal PeerJ

Specialties Biology
Environmental Health
General Medicine

Date 2022 Jun 13

PMID 35694377

Authors

Man Liu

Guilin Han

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Stable N isotope compositions in plant-soil systems have been widely used to indicate soil N transformation and translocation processes in ecosystems. However, soil N processes and nitrate ( ) loss potential under different land-use types are short of systematic comparison in the red soil region of Southeast China.

Methods: In the present study, the stable N and C isotope compositions ( N and C) of soil and leaf were analyzed to indicate soil N transformation processes, and the soil to plant N enrichment factor () was used to compare soil loss potential under different land-use types, including an abandoned agricultural land, a natural pure forest without understory, and a natural pure forest with a simple understory.

Results: The foliar N value (-0.8‰) in the abandoned agricultural land was greater than those of the forest lands (ranged from -2.2‰ to -10.8‰). In the abandoned agricultural land, N values of soil organic nitrogen (SON) increased from 0.8‰ to 5.7‰ and C values of soil organic carbon (SOC) decreased from -22.7‰ to -25.9‰ with increasing soil depth from 0-70 cm, mainly resulting from SON mineralization, soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, and C plant input. In the soils below 70 cm depth, N values of SON (mean 4.9‰) were likely affected by microbial assimilation of N-depleted . The variations in N values of soil profiles under the two forests were similar, but the values were significant different between the pure forest with a simple understory (-10.0‰) and the forest without understory (-5.5‰).

Conclusions: These results suggest that soil to plant N enrichment factor have a great promise to compare soil loss potential among different ecosystems.

Citing Articles

Stable isotope analysis in soil prospection reveals the type of historic land-use under contemporary temperate forests in Europe.

Janovsky M, Ferenczi L, Trubac J, Klir T Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):14746.

PMID: 38926400 PMC: 11208554. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63563-1.

Soil organic nitrogen variation shaped by diverse agroecosystems in a typical karst area: evidence from isotopic geochemistry.

Han R, Zhang Q, Xu Z PeerJ. 2024; 12:e17221.

PMID: 38638157 PMC: 11025543. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17221.

References

Boeckx P, Paulino L, Oyarzun C, van Cleemput O, Godoy R . Soil delta15N patterns in old-growth forests of southern Chile as integrator for N-cycling. Isotopes Environ Health Stud. 2005; 41(3):249-59. DOI: 10.1080/10256010500230171. View

Koopmans C, van Dam D, Tietema A, Verstraten J . Natural N abundance in two nitrogen saturated forest ecosystems. Oecologia. 2017; 111(4):470-480. DOI: 10.1007/s004420050260. View

Zeng J, Han G, Zhang S, Liang B, Qu R, Liu M . Potentially toxic elements in cascade dams-influenced river originated from Tibetan Plateau. Environ Res. 2022; 208:112716. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.112716. View

Taylor B, Chazdon R, Menge D . Successional dynamics of nitrogen fixation and forest growth in regenerating Costa Rican rainforests. Ecology. 2019; 100(4):e02637. DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2637. View

Robinson D . delta(15)N as an integrator of the nitrogen cycle. Trends Ecol Evol. 2001; 16(3):153-162. DOI: 10.1016/s0169-5347(00)02098-x. View

Fowler D, Pyle J, Raven J, Sutton M . The global nitrogen cycle in the twenty-first century: introduction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2013; 368(1621):20130165. PMC: 3682749. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0165. View

Song W, Liu X, Hu C, Chen G, Liu X, Walters W . Important contributions of non-fossil fuel nitrogen oxides emissions. Nat Commun. 2021; 12(1):243. PMC: 7801390. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20356-0. View

Gogoi A, Ahirwal J, Sahoo U . Evaluation of ecosystem carbon storage in major forest types of Eastern Himalaya: Implications for carbon sink management. J Environ Manage. 2021; 302(Pt A):113972. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113972. View

Zhang Y, Zhang J, Zhu T, Muller C, Cai Z . Effect of orchard age on soil nitrogen transformation in subtropical China and implications. J Environ Sci (China). 2015; 34:10-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2015.03.005. View

10.

Kahmen A, Wanek W, Buchmann N . Foliar delta(15)N values characterize soil N cycling and reflect nitrate or ammonium preference of plants along a temperate grassland gradient. Oecologia. 2008; 156(4):861-70. PMC: 2757603. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-008-1028-8. View

11.

Liu Y, Wang C, He N, Wen X, Gao Y, Li S . A global synthesis of the rate and temperature sensitivity of soil nitrogen mineralization: latitudinal patterns and mechanisms. Glob Chang Biol. 2016; 23(1):455-464. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13372. View

12.

Guo Q, Wang C, Wei R, Zhu G, Cui M, Okolic C . Qualitative and quantitative analysis of source for organic carbon and nitrogen in sediments of rivers and lakes based on stable isotopes. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2020; 195:110436. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110436. View

13.

Galloway J, Townsend A, Erisman J, Bekunda M, Cai Z, Freney J . Transformation of the nitrogen cycle: recent trends, questions, and potential solutions. Science. 2008; 320(5878):889-92. DOI: 10.1126/science.1136674. View

14.

Liu M, Han G . Distribution of soil nutrients and erodibility factor under different soil types in an erosion region of Southeast China. PeerJ. 2021; 9:e11630. PMC: 8214394. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11630. View

15.

Zhou J, Cui J, Fan J, Liang J, Wang T . Dry deposition velocity of atmospheric nitrogen in a typical red soil agro-ecosystem in Southeastern China. Environ Monit Assess. 2009; 167(1-4):105-13. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-009-1034-2. View

16.

Muhammed S, Coleman K, Wu L, Bell V, Davies J, Quinton J . Impact of two centuries of intensive agriculture on soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in the UK. Sci Total Environ. 2018; 634:1486-1504. PMC: 5981008. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.378. View

17.

Jia X, Zhu Y, Huang L, Wei X, Fang Y, Wu L . Mineral N stock and nitrate accumulation in the 50 to 200m profile on the Loess Plateau. Sci Total Environ. 2018; 633:999-1006. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.249. View