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Volume 13
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10.3390/f13040597
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Article

Response of Soil Net Nitrogen Mineralization to a Litter in Three Subalpine Forests

by
Li Zhang
1,2,†,
Yulian Yang
1,†,
Zebin Jiao
2,†,
Zihao Chen
3,
Ya Shen
2,
Yao Liu
2,
Linhui Zhang
2,
Lixia Wang
2,
Sining Liu
2,
Qinggui Wu
1 and
Han Li
2,*
1
Ecological Security and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Mianyang Normal University, Mianyang 621006, China
2
Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province & National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology & Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
3
Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Ecogeographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350108, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Forests 2022, 13(4), 597; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040597
Submission received: 16 March 2022 / Revised: 1 April 2022 / Accepted: 7 April 2022 / Published: 11 April 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Debris Decomposition and Soil Organic Matter Formation)
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Abstract

Forest litter accumulation can regulate the soil microclimate and alter nutrient distribution, but the effects of litter quality and seasonal differences on soil nitrogen (N) mineralization are still uncertain. The effects of litter change on the rates of net N mineralization, nitrification, and ammonification were studied through in situ incubation experiments in coniferous, mixed, and broad-leaved forests in the eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Two litter treatments were established, one to allow the litter to enter the soil normally (remain litter) and the other to prevent the litter from entering the soil (remove litter). Soil samples were collected at the freezing (FS), thawing (TS), early growing (EGS), late growing (LGS), and early freezing (EFS) seasons during the 1.5-year incubation period. Compared to coniferous forests, the effects of litter removal on the net ammonification, nitrification, and N mineralization rates were more pronounced in broad-leaved forests, mainly during the growing and thawing seasons. Structural equation modeling indicated that microbial biomass N (MBN) was a common factor affecting the net ammonification, nitrification, and N mineralization rates in the three forest soils. The coniferous forest microbial biomass carbon (MBC), mixed forest soil moisture, broad-leaved forest soil N concentration, and C:N ratio were the unique influencing factors of the different forest types. The results showed that the effect of litter distribution on the soil net N mineralization mainly depended on forest type and season, suggesting that the litter composition and productivity in different seasons and forest types may alter the soil N cycling processes in subalpine forest ecosystems.
Keywords: litter; net ammonification; net nitrification; net N mineralization; subalpine forest litter; net ammonification; net nitrification; net N mineralization; subalpine forest

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, L.; Yang, Y.; Jiao, Z.; Chen, Z.; Shen, Y.; Liu, Y.; Zhang, L.; Wang, L.; Liu, S.; Wu, Q.; et al. Response of Soil Net Nitrogen Mineralization to a Litter in Three Subalpine Forests. Forests 2022, 13, 597. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040597

AMA Style

Zhang L, Yang Y, Jiao Z, Chen Z, Shen Y, Liu Y, Zhang L, Wang L, Liu S, Wu Q, et al. Response of Soil Net Nitrogen Mineralization to a Litter in Three Subalpine Forests. Forests. 2022; 13(4):597. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040597

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Li, Yulian Yang, Zebin Jiao, Zihao Chen, Ya Shen, Yao Liu, Linhui Zhang, Lixia Wang, Sining Liu, Qinggui Wu, and et al. 2022. "Response of Soil Net Nitrogen Mineralization to a Litter in Three Subalpine Forests" Forests 13, no. 4: 597. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040597

APA Style

Zhang, L., Yang, Y., Jiao, Z., Chen, Z., Shen, Y., Liu, Y., Zhang, L., Wang, L., Liu, S., Wu, Q., & Li, H. (2022). Response of Soil Net Nitrogen Mineralization to a Litter in Three Subalpine Forests. Forests, 13(4), 597. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040597

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