Abstract
Yak (Bos grunniens) and Tibetan sheep urine deposited onto the alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is an important pathway for nutrient return, and it is closely related to soil fertility and alpine grassland productivity. However, hitherto, few studies have reported the effects of yak and Tibetan sheep urine deposition on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations and the possible functional mechanisms under field conditions in alpine grasslands. To explore the status of soil C and N responding to the immediate N addition from livestock urine, we conducted a 28-d field experiment with three treatments, which include the application of yak urine (YU) and Tibetan sheep urine (TSU) application, and the control (CK, no application of urine). The results showed that YU treatment increased the soil moisture content and pH at 0–10 cm across the 28-day experimental period. Urine application resulted in the fluctuation of soil organic C (SOC) and increased topsoil SOC concentration during the middle and later periods of the experiment. Application of YU evidently increased the soil total N (TN) concentration in the 0–10 cm layer, while it did not affect the SOC concentrations in the 10–20 and 20–30 cm layers. Compared with the control, YU treatment significantly (P<0.05) increased the 0–10 and 10–20 cm soil ammonium-N (NH4+−N) concentration throughout the 28 days, while the TSU treatment significantly (P<0.05) increased the 0–10 and 10–20 cm soil nitrate-N (NO3−−N) concentration. Urine N input changed soil physicochemical properties, nitrification, denitrification, and N leaching processes, and therefore affected the availability of N accumulation and consumption in soil. Under these conditions, the trade-off between soil NH4+−N and NO3−− N under the influence of yak and Tibetan sheep urine application would change the form and concentration of available N, thereby altering the plant N uptake and utilization strategy of alpine grassland. The conclusions of this study could provide theoretical references for exploring the change characteristics of soil nutrient under the deposition of urine and optimizing the management strategies of livestock urine in the alpine grassland ecosystem.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant NO. 41807109), the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (Grant NO. 2019QZKK0404), the doctoral research launch fund project and National general cultivation project of China West Normal University (Grant NO. 17E042, 18B016).
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Du, Zy., Wang, Xd. & Cai, Yj. Short-term effects of yak and Tibetan sheep urine deposition on soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations in an alpine steppe of the northern Tibetan Plateau, China. J. Mt. Sci. 19, 1156–1167 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-021-7026-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-021-7026-6