Abstract
Aims
Nitrate (NO3−) leaching from forest ecosystems can differ depending on the plant species because of differences in nitrogen (N) retention capacities. Moso bamboo, a fast-growth species, expands into adjacent forests worldwide, potentially leading to increased N retention and subsequently reduced NO3− leaching. Accordingly, this study aims to compare NO3− leaching and potential factors between Moso bamboo and neighboring forest.
Methods
We measured NO3− concentrations in soil solutions at a Moso bamboo site (BF) and an adjacent Japanese cedar plantation (CF). We also evaluated soil nitrification and plant N uptake by the in situ depletion method.
Results
The NO3− concentration in the soil solution below the root zone (50 cm) was lower in BF (48 ± 8 µmol L−1) than in CF (305 ± 16 µmol L−1). The NO3− concentration in the soil solution was significantly higher for surface soil (0–5 cm) (111 ± 11 µmol L−1) than for soil below the root zone in BF, but not significantly different between these two layers in CF (357 ± 25 µmol L−1), indicating high N retention in BF. The net nitrification rates and root NO3− uptake rates were higher in BF than in CF, indicating that plant N uptake could be the main contributors to the low NO3− leaching.
Conclusions
Bamboo invasion has the potential to mitigate forest NO3− leaching due to its high N uptake. Our findings highlight the importance of vegetation with higher N uptake in enhancing N retention under elevated atmospheric N deposition.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request to the corresponding author.
References
Aber J, McDowell W, Nadelhoffer K, Magill A, Berntson G, Kamakea M, McNulty S, Currie W, Rustad L, Fernandez I (1998) Nitrogen saturation in temperate forest ecosystems: hypotheses revisited. Bioscience 48(11):921–934. https://doi.org/10.2307/1313296
Aber JD, Goodale CL, Ollinger SV, Smith M-L, Magill AH, Martin ME, Hallett RA, Stoddard JL (2003) Is nitrogen deposition altering the nitrogen status of northeastern forests? Bioscience 53(4):375–389. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0375:INDATN]2.0.CO;2
Brooks PD, Grogan P, Templer PH, Groffman P, Öquist MG, Schimel J (2011) Carbon and nitrogen cycling in snow-covered environments. Geogr Compass 5(9):682–699. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2011.00420.x
Campbell JL, Socci AM, Templer PH (2014) Increased nitrogen leaching following soil freezing is due to decreased root uptake in a northern hardwood forest. Glob Change Biol 20:2663–2673. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12532
Chen Z, Li Y, Chang SX, Xu Q, Li Y, Ma Z, Qin H, Cai Y (2021) Linking enhanced soil nitrogen mineralization to increased fungal decomposition capacity with Moso bamboo invasion of broadleaf forests. Sci Total Environ 771:144779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144779
Chiwa M (2021) Long-term changes in atmospheric nitrogen deposition and stream water nitrate leaching from forested watersheds in western Japan. Environ Pollut 287:117634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117634
Chiwa M, Onozawa Y, Otsuki K (2010) Hydrochemical characteristics of throughfall and stemflow in a Moso-bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forest. Hydrol Process 24:2924–2933. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7706
Chiwa M, Saito T, Haga H, Kato H, Otsuki K, Onda Y (2015) A nitrogen-saturated plantation of Cryptomeria japonica and Chamaecyparis obtusa in Japan is a large nonpoint nitrogen source. J Environ Qual 44(4):1225–1232. https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.2134/jeq2014.09.0401
Chiwa M, Tateno R, Hishi T, Shibata H (2019) Nitrate leaching from Japanese temperate forest ecosystems in response to elevated atmospheric N deposition. J For Res 24(1):1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13416979.2018.1530082
Crowley KF, Lovett GM (2017) Effects of nitrogen deposition on nitrate leaching from forests of the northeastern United States will change with tree species composition. Can J For Res 47:997–1009. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2016-0529
De Schrijver A, Geudens G, Augusto L, Staelens J, Mertens J, Wuyts K, Gielis L, Verheyen K (2007) The effect of forest type on throughfall deposition and seepage flux: a review. Oecologia 153(3):663–674. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0776-1
de Vries FT, Bardgett RD (2012) Plant–microbial linkages and ecosystem nitrogen retention: lessons for sustainable agriculture. Front Ecol Environ 10:425–432. https://doi.org/10.1890/110162
Eissenstat DM (1992) Costs and benefits of constructing roots of small diameter. J Plant Nutr 15:763–782. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904169209364361
Eno CF (1960) Nitrate production in the field by incubating the soil in polyethylene bags. Soil Sci Soc Am J 24:277–279. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1960.03615995002400040019x
Fang Y, Gundersen P, Mo J, Zhu W (2009) Nitrogen leaching in response to increased nitrogen inputs in subtropical monsoon forests in southern China. For Ecol Manage 257:332–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2008.09.004
Fang H, Gao Y, Zhang Q, Ma L, Wang B, Shad N, Deng W, Liu X, Zhang L (2021) Moso bamboo and Japanese cedar seedlings differently affected soil N2O emissions. J Plant Ecol 15:277–285. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtab091
Fukuzawa K, Shibata H, Takagi K, Nomura M, Kurima N, Fukazawa T, Satoh F, Sasa K (2006) Effects of clear-cutting on nitrogen leaching and fine root dynamics in a cool-temperate forested watershed in northern Japan. For Ecol Manage 225:257–261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2006.01.001
Gundersen P, Rasmussen L (1990) Nitrification in forest soils: effects from nitrogen deposition on soil acidification and aluminum release. In: Ware GW (ed) Reviews of environmental contamination and toxicology. Springer New York, New York, pp 1–45
Gundersen P, Emmett BA, Kjønaas OJ, Koopmans CJ, Tietema A (1998) Impact of nitrogen deposition on nitrogen cycling in forests: a synthesis of NITREX data. For Ecol Manag 101:37–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(97)00124-2
Ichihashi R, Komatsu H, Kume T, Onozawa Y, Shinohara Y, Tsuruta K, Otsuki K (2015) Stand-scale transpiration of two Moso bamboo stands with different culm densities. Ecohydrology 8(3):450–459. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1515
Isagi Y, Torii A (1997) Range expansion and its mechanisms in a naturalized bamboo species, Phyllostachys pubescens, in Japan. J Sustain for 6:127–141. https://doi.org/10.1300/J091v06n01_08
Ito T, Tanaka-Oda A, Masumoto T, Akatsuki M, Makita N (2022) Different relationships of fine root traits with root ammonium and nitrate uptake rates in conifer forests. J For Res: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/13416979.2022.2102752
Jobbágy EG, Jackson RB (2001) The distribution of soil nutrients with depth: Global patterns and the imprint of plants. Biogeochemistry 53:51–77. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1010760720215
Kobayashi T, Fukushima K, Hisamoto Y, Inoue A (2015) The species biology of bamboos in Japan: from gene to landscape. Plant Spec Bio 30:42–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/1442-1984.12075
Komatsu H, Maita E, Otsuki K (2008) A model to estimate annual forest evapotranspiration in Japan from mean annual temperature. J Hydrol 348:330–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.10.006
Komatsu H, Onozawa Y, Kume T, Tsuruta K, Kumagai T, Shinohara Y, Otsuki K (2010) Stand-scale transpiration estimates in a Moso bamboo forest: II. Comparison with coniferous forests. For Ecol Manage 260(8):1295–1302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.06.040
Lambers H, Oliveira RS (2019) Mineral nutrition. In: Plant physiological ecology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29639-1_9
Laplace S, Komatsu H, Tseng H, Kume T (2017) Difference between the transpiration rates of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) and Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) forests in a subtropical climate in Taiwan. Ecol Res 32:835–843. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-017-1512-x
Li Z, Zhang L, Deng B, Liu Y, Kong F, Huang G, Zou Q, Liu Q, Guo X, Fu Y, Niu D, Siemann E (2017) Effects of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) invasions on soil nitrogen cycles depend on invasion stage and warming. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24:24989–24999. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0186-9
Liu G, Fan S, Cai C, Liu X, Li Y, Luo T (2017) Fine root biomass distribution of Moso bamboo at different ages. J Trop Subtrop Bot 25(5):472–479 (in Chinese with English summary)
Lucash MS, Yanai RD, Joslin JD (2008) Nutrient uptake by intact and disturbed roots of loblolly pine seedlings. Environ Exp Bot 64:15–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2008.05.013
Min X, Siddiqi MY, Guy RD, Glass ADM, Kronzucker HJ (1998) Induction of nitrate uptake and nitrate reductase activity in trembling aspen and lodgepole pine. Plant Cell Environ 21:1039–1046. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3040.1998.00340.x
Ouyang M, Yang Q, Chen X, Yang G, Shi J, Fang X (2016) Effects of the expansion of Phyllostachys edulis on species composition, structure and diversity of the secondary evergreen broad-leaved forests. Biodivers Sci 24(6):649–657. https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20163248677
Oyanagi N, Chihara M, Toda H, Haibara K (2002) Characteristics of carbon and nitrogen mineralization of forest soils in different slopes and vegetation. J Jpn For Soc 84:111–119 (in Japanese with English summary)
R Core Team (2022) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. http://www.R-project.org/. Accessed Nov 2022
Rygiewicz PT, Bledsoe CS (1986) Effects of pretreatment conditions on ammonium and nitrate uptake by Douglas-fir seedlings. Tree Physiol 1(2):145–150. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/1.2.145
Schwenke GD, Haigh BM (2016) The interaction of seasonal rainfall and nitrogen fertiliser rate on soil N2O emission, total N loss and crop yield of dryland sorghum and sunflower grown on sub-tropical Vertosols. Soil Res 54:604–618. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR15286
Shimono K, Katayama A, Kume T, Enoki T, Chiwa M, Hishi T (2021) Differences in net primary production allocation and nitrogen use efficiency between Moso bamboo and Japanese cedar forests along a slope. J For Res 27(1):28–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/13416979.2021.1965280
Sievering H, Fernandez I, Lee J, Hom J, Rustad L (2000) Forest canopy uptake of atmospheric nitrogen deposition at eastern U.S. conifer sites: carbon storage implications? Global Biogeochem Cy 14(4):1153–1159. https://doi.org/10.1029/2000GB001250
Socci AM, Templer PH (2011) Temporal patterns of inorganic nitrogen uptake by mature sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) trees using two common approaches. Plant Ecol Divers 4(2–3):141–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/17550874.2011.624557
Song Q, Ouyang M, Yang Q, Lu H, Yang G, Chen F, Shi J-M (2016) Degradation of litter quality and decline of soil nitrogen mineralization after Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubscens) expansion to neighboring broadleaved forest in subtropical China. Plant Soil 404(1):113–124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-2835-z
Song Q, Lu H, Liu J, Yang J, Yang G, Yang Q (2017) Accessing the impacts of bamboo expansion on NPP and N cycling in evergreen broadleaved forest in subtropical China. Sci Rep 7(1):40383. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40383
Tateno R, Takeda H (2003) Forest structure and tree species distribution in relation to topography-mediated heterogeneity of soil nitrogen and light at the forest floor. Ecol Res 18:559–571. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1703.2003.00578.x
Templer PH, Lovett GM, Weathers KC, Findlay SE, Dawson TE (2005) Influence of tree species on forest nitrogen retention in the Catskill Mountains, New York, USA. Ecosystems 8(1):1–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-004-0230-8
Thomas FM, Hilker C (2000) Nitrate reduction in leaves and roots of young pedunculate oaks (Quercus robur) growing on different nitrate concentrations. Environ Exp Bot 43:19–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0098-8472(99)00040-4
Ueda MU, Tokuchi N, Ogawa R (2009) High nitrate reductase activity in sprouts of Phyllostachys pubescens. J for Res 14:55–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-008-0100-x
Urakawa R, Ohte N, Shibata H, Tateno R, Hishi T, Fukushima K, Inagaki Y, Hirai K, Oda T, Oyanagi N, Nakata M, Toda H, Kenta T, Fukuzawa K, Watanabe T, Tokuchi N, Nakaji T, Saigusa N, Yamao Y, Nakanishi A, Enoki T, Ugawa S, Hayakawa A, Kotani A, Kuroiwa M, Isobe K (2015) Biogeochemical nitrogen properties of forest soils in the Japanese archipelago. Ecol Res 30(1):1–2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-014-1212-8
Urakawa R, Ohte N, Shibata H, Isobe K, Tateno R, Oda T, Hishi T, Fukushima K, Inagaki Y, Hirai K, Oyanagi N, Nakata M, Toda H, Kenta T, Kuroiwa M, Watanabe T, Fukuzawa K, Tokuchi N, Ugawa S, Enoki T, Nakanishi A, Saigusa N, Yamao Y, Kotani A (2016) Factors contributing to soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates of forest soils in the Japanese archipelago. For Ecol Manage 361:382–396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.11.033
Vitousek PM, Aber JD, Howarth RW, Likens GE, Matson PA, Schindler DW, Schlesinger WH, Tilman DG (1997) Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: Sources and consequences. Ecol Appl 7(3):737–750. https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(1997)007[0737:HAOTGN]2.0.CO;2
Wang F, Zhu W, Xia H, Fu S, Li Z (2010) Nitrogen Mineralization and Leaching in the Early Stages of a Subtropical Reforestation in Southern China. Restor Ecol 18:313–322. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2009.00642.x
Watanabe M, Miura S, Hasegawa S, Koshikawa MK, Takamatsu T, Kohzu A, Imai A, Hayashi S (2018) Coniferous coverage as well as catchment steepness influences local stream nitrate concentrations within a nitrogen-saturated forest in central Japan. Sci Total Environ 636:539–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.307
Yahara H, Tanikawa N, Okamoto M, Makita N (2019) Characterizing fine-root traits by species phylogeny and microbial symbiosis in 11 co-existing woody species. Oecologia 191(4):983–993. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04546-2
Yan E, Wang X, Huang J, Li G, Zhou W (2008) Decline of soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification during forest conversion of evergreen broad-leaved forest to plantations in the subtropical area of Eastern China. Biogeochemistry 89(2):239–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-008-9216-5
Yang R, Chiwa M (2021) Low nitrogen retention in a Japanese cedar plantation in a suburban area, western Japan. Sci Rep 11:5335. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84753-1
Zhou Z, Liu Y, Zhu Q, Lai X, Liao K (2020) Comparing the variations and controlling factors of soil N2O emissions and NO3–N leaching on tea and bamboo hillslopes. CATENA 188:104463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104463
Acknowledgements
We thank the staff and students of the Laboratory of Ecohydrology, Kyushu University Forest, especially Hayato Abe, Tomonori Kume, and Kazushige Uemori, for their assistance with fieldwork and for helpful discussions. We also thank Karibu Fukuzawa of Hokkaido University, who helped with measurements of inorganic nitrogen in KCl extracted soil solution. We thank Jennifer Smith, PhD, from Edanz (https://jp.edanz.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.
Funding
This study was financially supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP17H03833 and 22H02386 and JST SPRING, Grant Number JPMJSP2136.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
MC and DF conceived and designed the experiments. DF and MC carried out the experiments and analyzed the data. DF wrote the manuscript with the help of MC. Both authors read, edited, and approved the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no conflict of interests.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Wen-Hao Zhang.
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Fu, D., Chiwa, M. Contrasting nitrate leaching from an abandoned Moso bamboo forest and a Japanese cedar plantation: role of vegetation in mitigating nitrate leaching. Plant Soil 492, 229–240 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06167-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06167-4