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Nitrogen addition decreases root exudation of four temperate tree species seedlings, independent of the applied nitrogen form

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Abstract

Background and Aims

Root exudations play a crucial role in plant nutrient uptake; however, studies on their response to different forms of nitrogen (N) are lacking. To bridge these gaps, we examined the effect of different N forms on the root exudation rates among tree species.

Methods

NO3−-N, NH4+-N, and organic N were added to the soil at identical concentrations for three months. Root exudate, fine root, and soil samples were collected from the seedlings of four temperate tree species to determine the root exudation rate, aboveground biomass, root characteristics (morphological, physiological, and nutrient traits), and soil characteristics (soil physicochemical properties and enzymatic activity). The differences in all variables among different N forms and tree species were investigated to explore the causative factors for the variations in root exudation.

Results

All three forms of N addition reduced the root exudation rate (up to 43.8%), which was consistent across all species and was positively correlated with root morphological traits and negatively correlated with soil total N concentration. The effect of N addition on root exudation was not affected by N form.

Conclusion

For four temperate tree species, inorganic and organic N additions increased soil N availability and reduced root exudation rates, and the effects were not varied with N form. The results indicated that, in the short-term, temperate tree species do not show a preference in utilizing different N resources. These findings provide new insights into the effect of different N form additions on belowground C dynamics and root-soil interactions.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate Gang Liu, Li Pan, Zhen Lei, Weizhen Li, Lipeng Shi, Xingyu Liu, Xueyu Wang, and Leilei Xie for their assistant. We thank ELSEVIER (www.elsevier.cn) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.

Funding

The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFD1500705); the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2572022AW09).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Liu Yang, Tingting Li, Xiaoxia Li, Yisong Wang & Xiuwei Wang

  2. Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Xiuwei Wang

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  1. Liu Yang
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  2. Tingting Li
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  3. Xiaoxia Li
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  4. Yisong Wang
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Contributions

Liu Yang and Xiuwei Wang contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Liu Yang, Tingting Li, Xiaoxia Li, and Yisong Wang. Statistical analysis was performed by Xiuwei Wang and Liu Yang. The manuscript was written by Liu Yang. Xiuwei Wang commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xiuwei Wang.

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Yang, L., Li, T., Li, X. et al. Nitrogen addition decreases root exudation of four temperate tree species seedlings, independent of the applied nitrogen form. Plant Soil 498, 637–650 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06462-0

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