Arid Zone Research ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (6): 984-997.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2024.06.08

• Plant Ecology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Response of soil nitrogen mineralization to temperature along the different successional stages in Xinglong Mountain, Gansu Province, China

TANG Weichun1(), LIU Xiao’e1, SU Shiping1(), TIAN Xiaojuan2, TANG Qingtong1, ZHANG Jing3   

  1. 1. College of Forestry, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    2. Management and Protection Center of Xinglong Mountain National Nature Reserve, Lanzhou 730100, Gansu, China
    3. College of Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
  • Received:2023-08-10 Revised:2024-01-16 Online:2024-06-15 Published:2024-07-03

Abstract:

Soil nitrogen mineralization is a crucial process of the soil nitrogen cycle, with temperature being one of the most important factors affecting soil nitrogen mineralization. Studying the effect of temperature on soil nitrogen mineralization characteristics in different successional stages is of great significance for understanding the soil nitrogen cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, the communities in different successional stages of Xinglong Mountain in Gansu Province were selected as the research objects. The indoor, constant temperature, aerobic culture method was used to study the soil nitrogen mineralization characteristics of five successional stages: grasslands, shrub forests, Betula platyphylla forests, Picea wilsonii-Betula platyphylla forests, and Picea wilsonii forests under temperatures of 15 ℃, 25 ℃, and 35 ℃. The results showed that (1) except for the soil at a depth of 0-20 cm in grasslands, the increase in the soil nitrogen mineralization rate of the other successional stages was directly proportional to the temperature, and the cumulative mineralization of soil nitrogen in the different successional stages showed a similar trend. (2) with the positive advancement of succession, the soil nitrogen mineralization rate and cumulative mineralization amount of different successional stages initially enhanced but then diminished. The soil nitrogen mineralization rate of B. platyphylla forests was the highest, which was 1.63-, 1.61-, 1.25-, and 1.47- times more than that of grasslands, shrub forests, P. wilsonii-B. platyphylla forests, and P. wilsonii forests, respectively. The soil nitrogen mineralization rate and cumulative mineralization amount of P. wilsonii-B. platyphylla forest were the highest, which were 0.68-, 0.72-, 0.84-, and 0.97-times greater than those of grasslands, shrub forests, B. platyphylla forests, and P. wilsonii forests, respectively. (3) the soil nitrogen mineralization rate and cumulative mineralization were inversely proportional to the soil depth, with the maximum detected at a depth of 0-20 cm. (4) the temperature sensitivity coefficient (Q10) at 15 ℃ and 25 ℃ in different successional stages varied markedly (P<0.05). The Q10 at first decreased and then increased in relation to the positive succession. The Q10 between the communities in different succession stages at 25 ℃ and 35 ℃ did not alter remarkably (P>0.05). The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for evaluating the evolution of soil quality and the dynamic changes in the soil nitrogen supply capacities in the community.

Key words: soil nitrogen mineralization, temperature, succession stage, Xinglong Mountain, Gansu