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Increasing reclamation ages drive shifts in carbon and nitrogen stoichiometry and natural isotopes from leaf-litter-root-soil continuum in a reclamation ecosystem, North China

  • Soils, Sec 3 • Remediation and Management of Contaminated or Degraded Lands • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Understanding the dynamics of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stoichiometry and their natural isotopes from the plant-soil continuum is crucial to assess the succession stages of reforestation ecosystems. However, little is known about the long-term dynamics of C and N stoichiometry and their isotopes in the leaf-litter-root-soil continuum in reclaimed ecosystems.

Materials and methods

The samples of leaf, litter, root, and soil aggregates were collected from four different types of forests along an age sequence (0–10 years, 11–20 years, and 21–30 years) from a reclaimed dump in the Pingshuo opencast coal mine dump, China. The selected forests were categorized as follows: Robinia pseudoacacia L., Pinus tabulaeformis Carr, Ulmus pumila L. forests, and one forest with mixed tree species. The C and N contents and their natural isotopes were determined from the leaf-litter-root-soil continuum.f

Results and discussion

R. pseudoacacia forest had higher C and N content in plant tissues as compared to other types of forests. P. tabulaeformis forest had the lowest plant nutrients and the highest C/N ratio. Across all forests, plant-associated C and N dynamics were inconsistent, and C and N contents decreased with time in R. pseudoacacia forest. In all soil aggregates (> 2000 μm, 250–2000 μm, 53–250 μm, and < 53 μm), the C and N content increased with the age sequence with R. pseudoacacia forest observed to have the highest C and N content in large-size aggregates. Leaf δ15N also increased with the age sequences, indicating the openness of the ecosystem increased along the successive generation of plant. The fractionation characteristics of 13C and 15N showed that the C transferred from plants to soil. Within soil aggregates, the C traveled from large-size aggregates (> 2000 μm and 250–2000 μm) to the smaller-size (53–250 μm and < 53 μm). The N content in the leaves was found to have a positive correlation with leaf δ15N and a negative correlation with leaf δ13C.

Conclusions

C and N stoichiometry varied among reclaimed forests and natural isotopes reflected the time-integrated C and N cycling between plants and soil. R. pseudoacacia forest facilitated the accumulation of soil C and N, but its plant-associated C and N content decreased with the reclamation ages. A trade-off between the long-term plant community succession and the promotion of degraded reclaimed mine soil (RMS) quality should be considered as a criterion when selecting pioneer tree species in land reclamation projects.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources for their help in determining the soil and vegetation C and N stable isotopes.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 41907408) and the Scientific and Technological Innovation Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi (grant number 2019L0496).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Land Resource Management, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Taiyuan, 030006, China

    Ye Yuan, Zhengwei Zhou, Shuaihang Zhang, Yifang Zhao, Yuan Gao & Fen Hou

  2. Land Reclamation Center for Mining Area, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Taiyuan, 030006, China

    Ye Yuan, Zhengwei Zhou, Shuaihang Zhang, Yifang Zhao, Yuan Gao & Fen Hou

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  1. Ye Yuan
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  2. Zhengwei Zhou
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  3. Shuaihang Zhang
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  4. Yifang Zhao
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  5. Yuan Gao
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  6. Fen Hou
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Contributions

Ye Yuan: data curation, writing—original draft, and software. Zhengwei Zhou: methodology, investigation, and supervision. Shuaihang Zhang: investigation. Yifnag Zhao: investigation. Yuan Gao: methodology and investigation. Fen Hou: methodology.

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Correspondence to Ye Yuan.

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Yuan, Y., Zhou, Z., Zhang, S. et al. Increasing reclamation ages drive shifts in carbon and nitrogen stoichiometry and natural isotopes from leaf-litter-root-soil continuum in a reclamation ecosystem, North China. J Soils Sediments 23, 1806–1819 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-023-03449-3

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