Soil nitrogen dynamics and productivity of snowpack Sanguisorba sitchensis community in alpine tundra of Changbai Mountain, China

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1258.2011.00159

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Snowpack plant communities in alpine tundra are active in comparison with surrounding vegetation, despite the short growing season due to thick snow cover. Our objective was to understand the growth mechanism of snowpack communities.
Methods The nutrient dynamics and primary productivity of snowpack Sanguisorba sitchensis community in alpine tundra of Changbai Mountain was investigated in different seasons.
Important findings Soil temperature under snowpack during winter was warmer than snow-free areas, and the minimum temperature was significantly higher. Litter decomposition and nitrogen mineralization under snowpack were active even in winter, and nitrogen content was high with rapid mineralization. Annual net primary productivity was 4 046 kg·hm^-2·a^-1. The unique hydro-thermo conditions, nutrient cycling features and high leaf area index were key factors maintaining community structure and primary productivity.

Key words: community productivity, hydrolysable nitrogen, nutrient cycling, snow cover

XU Qian-Qian, LIU Qi-Jing, ZHANG Guo-Chun. Soil nitrogen dynamics and productivity of snowpack Sanguisorba sitchensis community in alpine tundra of Changbai Mountain, China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2011, 35(2): 159-166.

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1258.2011.00159

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2011/V35/I2/159

Figures/Tables 11

References 28

[1]	Aber JD, Magill AM, Boone R, Melillo JM, Steudler P (1993). Plant and soil responses to three years of chronic nitrogen additions at the Harvard forest, Massachusetts. Ecological Applications, 3, 156-166. DOI URL PMID
[2]	Binkley D, Hart SC (1989). The components of nitrogen availability assessment in forest soils. Advances in Soil Science, 10, 57-112.
[3]	Bremer E, Kuikman P (1997). Influence of competition for nitrogen in soil on net mineralization of nitrogen. Plant and Soil, 190, 119-126. DOI URL
[4]	Campbell JL, Mitchell MJ, Groffman PM, Christenson LM, Hardy JP (2005). Winter in northeastern North America: a critical period for ecological processes. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 3, 314-322.
[5]	Evans BM, Walker DA, Benson CS, Nordstrand EA, Petersen GW (1989). Spatial interrelationships between terrain, snow distribution and vegetation patterns at an arctic foothills site in Alaska. Holarctic Ecology, 12, 270-278.
[6]	Hao ZQ (郝占庆), Guo SH (郭水良) (2003). Canonical correspondence analysis on relationship of herbs with their environments on northern slope of Changbai Mountain. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 23, 2000-2008. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[7]	Hiltbrunner E, Schwikowski M, Korner C (2005). Inorganic nitrogen storage in alpine snow pack in the Central Alps (Switzerland). Atmospheric Environment, 39, 2249-2259.
[8]	Ju XT (巨晓棠), Li SX (李生秀) (1998). The effect of temperature and moisture on nitrogen mineralization in soils. Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer Science (植物营养与肥料学报), 4, 37-42. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[9]	Kitayama K (1996). Soil nitrogen dynamics along a gradient of long-term soil development in a Hawaiian wet montane rain forest. Plant and Soil, 183, 253-262.
[10]	Laternser M, Schneebeli M (2003). Long-term snow climate trends of the Swiss Alps (1931-99). International Journal of Climatology, 23, 733-750.
[11]	Leirós MC, Trasar-Cepeda C, Seoane S, Gill-Sotres F (1999). Dependence of mineralization of soil organic matter on temperature and moisture. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 31, 327-335. DOI URL
[12]	Li JM (李菊梅), Wang CH (王朝辉), Li SX (李生秀) (2003). Significance of soil organic matter, total N and mineralizable in reflecting soil N supplying capacity. Acta Pedologica Sinca (土壤学报), 40, 232-238. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[13]	Li ZY (李紫燕), Li SQ (李世清), Li SX (李生秀) (2008). Organic N mineralization in typical soils of the Loess Plateau. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 28, 4940-4950. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[14]	Liu QJ (刘琪璟), Xu QQ (徐倩倩), Zhang GC (张国春) (2009). Impact of alpine snowpacks on primary roductivity in Rhododendron aureum community in Changbai Mountain, China. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 29, 4035-4044.
[15]	Mote PW, Hamlet AF, Clark MP, Lettenmaier DP (2005). Declining mountain snowpack in western North America. American Meteorological Society, 86, 39-49.
[16]	Odland A, Munkejord HK (2008). Plants as indicators of snow layer duration in southern Norwegian mountains. Ecological Indicators, 8, 57-68.
[17]	Reich PB, Grigal DF, Aber JD, Gower ST (1997). Nitrogen mineralization and productivity in 50 hardwood and conifer stands on diverse soils. Ecology, 72, 335-347.
[18]	Sánchez LF, Garciamiragaya J, Chacón N (1997). Nitrogen mineralization in soil under trees in a protected Venezuelan savanna. Acta Oecologica, 18, 27-37.
[19]	Schimel JP, Bilbrough C, Welker JM (2004). Increased snow depth affects microbial activity and nitrogen mineralization in two Arctic tundra communities. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 36, 217-227.
[20]	Sturm M, Schimel J, Michaelson G, Welker JM, Oberbauer SF, Liston GE, Fahnestock J, Romanovsky VE (2005). Winter biological processes could help convert arctic tundra to shrubland. BioScience, 55, 17-26.
[21]	Vitousek PM, Gose JR, Grier CC, Melillo JM, Reiners WA (1982). A comparative analysis of potential nitrification and nitrate mobility in forest ecosystem. Ecological Monographs, 52, 155-177.
[22]	Walker DA, Halfpenny JC, Walker MD, Wessman CA (1993). Long-term studies of snow-vegetation interactions. BioScience, 43, 287-301. DOI URL
[23]	Wipf S, Stoeckli V, Bebi P (2009). Winter climate change in alpine tundra: plant responses to changes in snow depth and snowmelt timing. Climate Change, 94, 105-121. DOI URL
[24]	Wu JG (吴建国), Han M (韩梅), Chang W (苌伟), Ai L (艾丽), Chang XX (常学向) (2007). The mineralization of soil nitrogen and its influenced factors under alpine meadows in Qilian Mountains. Acta Prataculture Sinica (草业学报), 16(6), 39-46. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[25]	Zhou CP (周才平), Ouyang H (欧阳华) (2001a). Influence of temperature and moisture on soil nitrogen mineralization under two type of forest in Changbai Mountain. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 12, 505-508. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[26]	Zhou CP (周才平), Ouyang H (欧阳华) (2001b). Effect of temperature on nitrogen mineralization at optimum and saturated soil water content in two types of forest in Changbai Mountain. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 21, 1470-1474. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[27]	Zhou CP (周才平), Ouyang H (欧阳华), Song MH (宋明华) (2005). Relationships between net primary production and nitrogen cycling in Chinese forest ecosystems. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 16, 203-206. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[28]	Zuo XA (左小安), Zhao XY (赵学勇), Zhao HL (赵哈林), Li YQ (李玉强), Guo YR (郭轶瑞), ZhaoYP (赵玉萍) (2007). Changes of species diversity and productivity in relation to soil properties in Sandy Grassland in Horqin Sand Land. Environmental Science (环境科学), 28, 945-951. (in Chinese with English abstract)

项目 Item	样点06 Sampling point 06	样点070601 Sampling point 070601	样点070603 Sampling point 070603
年平均温度 Yearly average temperature (℃)	2.5	3.9	-0.1
最冷月平均温度 Mean temperature of coldest month (℃)	-1.4	-1.0	-14.7
最热月平均温度 Mean temperature of warmest month (℃)	12.3	13.6	13.0
最低日平均温度 Minimum daily mean temperature (℃)	-1.5	-1.3	-16.9
最高日平均温度Maximum daily mean temperature (℃)	15.1	16.9	16.3
日极端最高温度 Extreme high mean temperature (℃)	20.5	19.3	21.8
日极端最低温度 Extreme low daily temperature (℃)	-1.5	-1.3	-17.8
温暖指数 Warmth index (℃)	15.6	25.4	21.2
寒冷指数 Coldness index (℃)	0.0	0.0	-22.9
平均温度>0 ℃日数 Number of days with daily temperature > 0 ℃	187	279	179
平均温度≥1 ℃日数 Number of days with daily temperature ≥1 ℃	109	142	151
平均温度[-0.99, 0.99 ℃]日数Number of days with daily temperature at [-0.99, 0.99 ℃]	178	193	74
平均温度≤-1 ℃日数 Number of days with daily temperature ≤-1 ℃	79	31	141
平均温度≤0 ℃日数 Number of days with daily temperature ≤0 ℃	179	87	187
极端最低温度≤0 ℃日数 Number of days with extreme low temperature ≤ 0 ℃	179	91	211

项目 Item	样点06 Sampling point 06	样点070601 Sampling point 070601	样点070603 Sampling point 070603
年平均温度 Yearly average temperature (℃)	2.5	3.9	-0.1
最冷月平均温度 Mean temperature of coldest month (℃)	-1.4	-1.0	-14.7
最热月平均温度 Mean temperature of warmest month (℃)	12.3	13.6	13.0
最低日平均温度 Minimum daily mean temperature (℃)	-1.5	-1.3	-16.9
最高日平均温度Maximum daily mean temperature (℃)	15.1	16.9	16.3
日极端最高温度 Extreme high mean temperature (℃)	20.5	19.3	21.8
日极端最低温度 Extreme low daily temperature (℃)	-1.5	-1.3	-17.8
温暖指数 Warmth index (℃)	15.6	25.4	21.2
寒冷指数 Coldness index (℃)	0.0	0.0	-22.9
平均温度>0 ℃日数 Number of days with daily temperature > 0 ℃	187	279	179
平均温度≥1 ℃日数 Number of days with daily temperature ≥1 ℃	109	142	151
平均温度[-0.99, 0.99 ℃]日数Number of days with daily temperature at [-0.99, 0.99 ℃]	178	193	74
平均温度≤-1 ℃日数 Number of days with daily temperature ≤-1 ℃	79	31	141
平均温度≤0 ℃日数 Number of days with daily temperature ≤0 ℃	179	87	187
极端最低温度≤0 ℃日数 Number of days with extreme low temperature ≤ 0 ℃	179	91	211

样点 Sampling point	状态 Status	培养时间 Incubation period	水解N含量 Hydrolyzable N content (kg·hm^-2)
06	原位 On site	2006-06-28- 2008-08-23	441
06	移位 Off site	2006-06-28- 2008-08-23	392
070601	原位 On site	2007-08-30- 2008-08-21	257
070601	移位 Off site	2007-08-30- 2008-08-21	237

样点 Sampling point	状态 Status	培养时间 Incubation period	水解N含量 Hydrolyzable N content (kg·hm^-2)
06	原位 On site	2006-06-28- 2008-08-23	441
06	移位 Off site	2006-06-28- 2008-08-23	392
070601	原位 On site	2007-08-30- 2008-08-21	257
070601	移位 Off site	2007-08-30- 2008-08-21	237

时期 Period	分解率 Decomposition ratio (%)
2008-08-24-2008-10-16	0.086
2008-08-24-2009-07-03	0.184
2008-08-24-2009-10-14	0.373