Effects of temperature on soil net nitrogen mineralisation in two contrasting forests on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, China
Zhenfeng Xu A C , Qing Liu B C and Huajun Yin B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Institute of Ecology & Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611830, China.
B Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China.
C Corresponding authors. Email: cibxuzf@foxmail.com; sichuanliuqing@163.com
Soil Research 52(6) 562-567 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR13298
Submitted: 12 October 2013 Accepted: 7 April 2014 Published: 8 August 2014
Abstract
Intact soil cores from two adjacent forest ecosystems (natural coniferous forest and dragon spruce plantation) were incubated in the laboratory to examine effects of temperature, reforestation and their interactions on rates of nitrogen (N) mineralisation, nitrification and ammonification in the subalpine forest of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Two contrasting soils were incubated at five temperatures (–5, 0, 5, 15 and 25°C) for 4 weeks. Rates of N mineralisation and nitrification were insensitive to temperature at lower temperatures (0°C and 5°C) but increased over higher temperatures (15°C and 25°C). Large amounts of ammonium were released for each incubation time in both soils when the incubation temperature was –5°C. Therefore, the rates of mineralisation and ammonification at –5°C were significantly higher than at the other temperatures. Both the accumulations of inorganic N and rates of N transformation were significantly higher in the natural forest than in the plantation. Moreover, temperature sensitivity of net nitrification and N mineralisation were greater in the natural forest than the spruce plantation. Effects of temperature on accumulations of inorganic N and rates of N transformation were dependent on incubation time and forest ecosystem. Our results suggested that –5°C might be a key low temperature for N mineralisation in subalpine forest on the eastern Tibetan Plateau; the effect of projected warming on soil N transformation rate may be less significant in plantation forests than natural forests in this specific region.
Additional keywords: coniferous forest, Eastern Tibetan Plateau, net N mineralisation, reforestation, temperature.
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