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Estimation of field soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates using soil N transformation parameters obtained through laboratory incubation

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Ecological Research

Abstract

We tested the potential of estimating in-field (in situ) nitrogen (N) transformation rates based on soil temperature data and N transformation parameters (Q10 and N transformation rates at standard temperature) obtained through laboratory incubations at three constant temperatures for 4 weeks. This test was conducted based on a comparison between in situ measurements and estimates using soils from 16 sites across 9 regions within the Japanese archipelago. The actual in situ N mineralization and nitrification rates measured using the buried-bag method at 0–50-cm-soil depth were 111 ± 34 and 106 ± 45 kg N ha−1 year−1, respectively, and estimates of both the rate and the amount were largely accurate. For rate alone, estimates were accurate in the 0–10-cm soil layer for annual and seasonal averages (except for spring–summer) whereas for amount alone, estimates were accurate to depths of 50 and 30 cm for N mineralization and nitrification, respectively. Thus, estimates of the rates and amounts were approximately equal to the actual in situ rate/amount, given the wide range of prediction intervals of the field measurement data. The differences between the estimates of N transformation rates derived from hourly measured and monthly average soil temperatures were negligible. Therefore, in situ soil N transformations, which are laborious to measure in the field, have the potential to be estimated from a combination of monthly average soil temperatures and N transformation parameters, which are relatively straightforward to obtain through laboratory incubation.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted as part of the GRENE (Green Network of Excellence) environmental information project (PI: Motomi Itoh, The University of Tokyo) supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. This work was also supported by the ReSIN-III (Regional and comparative Soil Incubation study on Nitrogen dynamics in forest ecosystems) project and Grand-in-Aid for Scientific Research funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JP25252026, JP26660127 and JP15K14756). We would like to thank the technical staff of the experimental forests for their support and cooperation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Asia Center for Air Pollution Research, Japan Environmental Sanitation Center, 1182 Sowa, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2144, Japan

    Rieko Urakawa

  2. Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Nobuhito Ohte

  3. Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, N9 W9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0809, Japan

    Hideaki Shibata, Karibu Fukuzawa & Tsunehiro Watanabe

  4. Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Oiwake-cho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Ryunosuke Tateno & Asami Nakanishi

  5. Shikoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 2-915 Asakura-Nishimachi, Kochi, 780-8077, Japan

    Yoshiyuki Inagaki

  6. Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Tomoki Oda

  7. Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan

    Hiroto Toda

  8. Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 394 Tsubakuro, Sasagurimachi, Kasuya, Fukuoka, 811-2415, Japan

    Takuo Hishi

  9. Environmental Science Research Niigata, 8-13 Yoshidahigashisakae-cho, Tsubame, Niigata, 959-0291, Japan

    Nobuhiro Oyanagi

  10. Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan

    Makoto Nakata

  11. Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minamiohsawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan

    Keitaro Fukushima

Authors
  1. Rieko Urakawa
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  2. Nobuhito Ohte
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  3. Hideaki Shibata
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  4. Ryunosuke Tateno
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  5. Yoshiyuki Inagaki
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  6. Tomoki Oda
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  7. Hiroto Toda
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  8. Karibu Fukuzawa
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  9. Tsunehiro Watanabe
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  10. Takuo Hishi
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  11. Nobuhiro Oyanagi
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  12. Makoto Nakata
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  13. Keitaro Fukushima
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  14. Asami Nakanishi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rieko Urakawa.

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Urakawa, R., Ohte, N., Shibata, H. et al. Estimation of field soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates using soil N transformation parameters obtained through laboratory incubation. Ecol Res 32, 279–285 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-016-1420-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-016-1420-5

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