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Nitrogen
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The Role of Soil Nitrogen Cycling and Its Impacts in...
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The Role of Soil Nitrogen Cycling and Its Impacts in Managed Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Shift with Environmental Changes

A special issue of Nitrogen (ISSN 2504-3129).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 8583

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chengrong Chen

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Guest Editor
Environmental Bioheochemistry Research Lab, Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Sciences, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111, Australia
Interests: biogeochemical cycles; nitrogen availability; soil carbon sequestration; nitrification; denitrification
Dr. Johnvie Goloran

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
Interests: nitrogen dynamics; remediation; soil quality; nitrogen fertilizer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nitrogen (N) is one of the essential elements required in large quantities for plant growth and development. However, N is the most limited nutrient in the soil of most parts of the world. To meet the increasing demand for food from the growing population, the global application of nitrogen fertilizer has reached approximately 120 million metric tons each year. The low use efficiency of N fertilizer by plants is accompanied by a substantial loss of N from soil through leaching (mainly as nitrate) and runoff and denitrification processes as nitrous oxide gas (N2O)). This has greatly contributed to the offsite impacts in the associated watersheds (e.g., eutrophication) and an increase in the atmospheric N2O concentration and the global warming. The ongoing environmental changes induced by anthropogenic activities, such as land use change, forest fire, atmospheric N deposition, elevated carbon dioxide and global warming, have significantly modified the soil N cycling processes. A further understanding of the interactions of soil N dynamics and cycling processes, the below-ground microbial community and aboveground plant community, and environmental control will be critical for developing cost-effective measures and strategies to maximize N use and minimize N loss and environmental impacts. This Special Issue will be a collection of related review papers and original research articles to reflect the current progresses in processes, mechanisms, and governing factors involved in soil N availability and cycling in managed terrestrial ecosystems.

Prof. Dr. Chengrong Chen
Dr. Johnvie Goloran
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • soil nitrogen cycling
  • nitrogen availability
  • environmental changes
  • belowground and aboveground interaction
  • microbial community
  • nitrogen cycling genes
  • managed terrestrial ecosystems

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1367 KiB  
Article
Agroecological Management and Increased Grain Legume Area Needed to Meet Nitrogen Reduction Targets for Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by Geoffrey R. Squire, Mark W. Young and Cathy Hawes
Nitrogen 2022, 3(3), 539-554; https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen3030035 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2079
Abstract
The nitrogen applied (N-input) to cropping systems supports a high yield but generates major environmental pollution in the form of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and losses to land and water (N-surplus). This paper examines the scope to meet both GHG emission targets and [...] Read more.
The nitrogen applied (N-input) to cropping systems supports a high yield but generates major environmental pollution in the form of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and losses to land and water (N-surplus). This paper examines the scope to meet both GHG emission targets and zero N-surplus in high-intensity, mainly cereal, cropping in a region of the Atlantic zone in Europe. A regional survey provides background to crops grown at an experimental farm platform over a run of 5 years. For three main cereal crops under standard management (mean N-input 154 kg ha−1), N-surplus remained well above zero (single year maximum 55% of N-input, five-year mean 27%), but was reduced to near zero by crop diversification (three cereals, one oilseed and one grain legume) and converted to a net nitrogen gain (+39 kg ha−1, 25 crop-years) by implementing low nitrification management in all fields. Up-scaling N-input to the agricultural region indicated the government GHG emissions target of 70% of the 1990 mean could only be met with a combination of low nitrification management and raising the proportion of grain legumes from the current 1–2% to at least 10% at the expense of high-input cereals. Major strategic change in the agri-food system of the region is therefore needed to meet GHG emissions targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Soil Nitrogen Cycling and Its Impacts in Managed Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Shift with Environmental Changes)
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12 pages, 1930 KiB  
Article
Nitrogen Rather Than Phosphorus Limits the Productivity of the Dominant Tree Species at Mine-Disturbed Ultramafic Areas in the Southern Philippines
by Honey B. Goloran, Archie A. Along, Christina Y. Loquere, Meljan T. Demetillo, Romell A. Seronay and Johnvie B. Goloran
Nitrogen 2022, 3(3), 502-513; https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen3030032 - 22 Aug 2022
Viewed by 2916
Abstract
Understanding the stoichiometry of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) plays a pivotal role in the ecological restoration of degraded landscapes. Here, the N and P limitation and stoichiometry of dominant tree species in mine-disturbed ultramafic areas in the Southern Philippines are reported. Field [...] Read more.
Understanding the stoichiometry of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) plays a pivotal role in the ecological restoration of degraded landscapes. Here, the N and P limitation and stoichiometry of dominant tree species in mine-disturbed ultramafic areas in the Southern Philippines are reported. Field surveys revealed that out of a total of 1491 trees/shrubs recorded from all quadrats, comprising 22 native and 9 non-native species, there were six tree species (native: Alstonia macrophylla Wallich., Buchanania arborescens Blume., Syzygium sp., and non-native: Casuarina equisetifolia L., Terminalia catappa L. and Acacia mangium Wild.) that were found dominant, having >10% relative abundance. Significant differences (p < 0.01) in the leaf N and leaf P content among these species were observed, where C.equisetifolia (due to N fixation ability) and T. catappa had the highest values, respectively. These did not, however, translate to statistical differences in the leaf N:P ratios either in individual species or when grouped by origin (native or non-native). Interestingly, all dominant tree species revealed very low leaf N:P ratios (<4), suggesting that N rather than P limits the productivity in mine-disturbed ultramafic areas, which is also confirmed by low levels of leaf N (<2.0%). Results further revealed a poor correlation between leaf N and leaf N:P ratios (r = 0.13; p = 0.60), while leaf P (r = 0.49; p < 0.05) revealed otherwise, reinforcing that P is not a limiting factor as also shown in high levels of leaf P (>0.20%). Despite the N-limitation, B. arborescens, C. equisetifolia, and T. catappa had the highest leaf N and P content, suggesting their higher suitability for revegetation of the sites. These findings warrant further verification taking into account the plant physiology, phenology, and soil nutrient availability in natural, degraded, and rehabilitated ultramafic environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Soil Nitrogen Cycling and Its Impacts in Managed Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Shift with Environmental Changes)
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20 pages, 1303 KiB  
Article
Role of Tree Species, the Herb Layer and Watershed Characteristics in Nitrate Assimilation in a Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest
by Sian E. Eisenhut, Ida Holásková and Kirsten Stephan
Nitrogen 2022, 3(2), 333-352; https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen3020022 - 3 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2416
Abstract
Forest plants that can assimilate nitrate may act as nitrate sink and, consequently, reduce nitrate losses from watershed ecosystems through leaching. This study, conducted at the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia, quantified via nitrogen reductase activity (NRA) the nitrate assimilation of two [...] Read more.
Forest plants that can assimilate nitrate may act as nitrate sink and, consequently, reduce nitrate losses from watershed ecosystems through leaching. This study, conducted at the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia, quantified via nitrogen reductase activity (NRA) the nitrate assimilation of two tree species, red maple and sugar maple, and surrounding common herb-layer species at the tissue (foliage, roots) and plot level. NRA measurements were conducted in summer and spring. Furthermore, NRA was quantified under varying levels of soil nitrate availability due to fertilization, different stages in secondary forest succession, and watershed aspect. This study confirmed that NRA of mature maples does not respond to varying levels of soil nitrate availability. However, some herb-layer species’ NRA did increase with nitrogen fertilization, and it may be greater in spring than in summer. Combined with biomass, the herb layer’s NRA at the plot-level (NRAA) comprised 9 to 41% of the total (tree + herb-layer) foliar NRAA during the growing season. This demonstrates that the herb layer contributes to nitrate assimilation disproportionally to its small biomass in the forest and may provide a vernal dam to nitrate loss not only by its early presence but also by increased spring NRA relative to summer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Soil Nitrogen Cycling and Its Impacts in Managed Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Shift with Environmental Changes)
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