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Soil-nitrogen net mineralization increased after nearly six years of continuous nitrogen additions in a subtropical bamboo ecosystem

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Abstract

In order to understand the effects of increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on the subtropical bamboo ecosystem, a nearly six-year field experiment was conducted in a Pleioblastus amarus plantation in the rainy region of SW China, near the western edge of Sichuan Basin. Four N treatment levels—control (no N added), low-N (50 kg N ha−1 a−1), medium-N (150 kg N ha−1 a−1), and high-N (300 kg N ha−1 a−1)—were applied monthly in the P. amarus plantation starting in November 2007. In June 2012, we collected intact soil cores in the bamboo plantation and conducted a 30-day laboratory incubation experiment. The results showed that the soil N net mineralization rate was 0.96 ± 0.10 mg N kg−1 day−1, under control treatment. N additions stimulated the soil N net mineralization, and the high-N treatment significantly increased the soil N net mineralization rate compared with the control. Moreover, the soil N net mineralization rate was significantly and positively correlated with the fine root biomass, the soil microbial biomass nitrogen content and the soil initial inorganic N content, respectively, whereas it was negatively correlated with the soil pH value. There were no significant relationships between the soil N net mineralization rate and the soil total nitrogen (TN) content and the soil total organic carbon content and the soil C/N ratio and the soil microbial biomass carbon content, respectively. These results suggest that N additions would improve the mineral N availability in the topsoil of the P. amarus plantation through the effects of N additions on soil chemical and physical characteristics and fine-root biomass.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the National Science Foundation of China (No. 31300522) and Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (No. 20125103120018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China

    Yin-long Xiao, Li-hua Tu, Gang Chen, Yong Peng, Hong-ling Hu & Ting-xing Hu

  2. Personnel Department, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an, 625014, Sichuan, China

    Li Liu

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  1. Yin-long Xiao
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  2. Li-hua Tu
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  3. Gang Chen
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  4. Yong Peng
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Correspondence to Li-hua Tu.

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Project funding: This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31300522) and Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (No. 20125103120018).

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Corresponding editor: Chai Ruihai

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Xiao, Yl., Tu, Lh., Chen, G. et al. Soil-nitrogen net mineralization increased after nearly six years of continuous nitrogen additions in a subtropical bamboo ecosystem. J. For. Res. 26, 949–956 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-015-0124-y

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