Mechanisms for the retention of inorganic N in acidic forest soils of southern China

The mechanisms underlying the retention of inorganic N in acidic forest soils in southern China are not well understood. Here, we simultaneously quantified the gross N transformation rates of various subtropical acidic forest soils located in southern China (southern soil) and those of temperate for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2013-08, Vol.3 (1), p.2342-2342, Article 2342
Main Authors: Zhang, Jin-bo, Cai, Zu-cong, Zhu, Tong-bin, Yang, Wen-yan, Müller, Christoph
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acidic soils
China
Denitrification
Forest soils
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Immobilization
Inorganic Chemicals - chemistry
Leaching
Mineralization
Nitrification
Nitrogen Compounds - chemistry
pH effects
Runoff
Soil - chemistry
Soil pH
Trees - chemistry
Tropical forests
Volatilization
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Summary:The mechanisms underlying the retention of inorganic N in acidic forest soils in southern China are not well understood. Here, we simultaneously quantified the gross N transformation rates of various subtropical acidic forest soils located in southern China (southern soil) and those of temperate forest soils located in northern China (northern soil). We found that acidic southern soils had significantly higher gross rates of N mineralization and significantly higher turnover rates but a much greater capacity for retaining inorganic N than northern soils. The rates of autotrophic nitrification and NH3 volatilization in acidic southern soils were significantly lower due to low soil pH. Meanwhile, the relatively higher rates of NO3(-) immobilization into organic N in southern soils can counteract the effects of leaching, runoff, and denitrification. Taken together, these processes are responsible for the N enrichment of the humid subtropical forest soils in southern China.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep02342