Effluxes of nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide and their responses to increasing nitrogen deposition in the Gurbantünggüt Desert of Xinjiang, China

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2016.0258

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Desert soils play an important role in the exchange of major greenhouse gas (GHG) between atmosphere and soil. However, many uncertainties existed in understanding of desert soil role, especially in efflux evaluation under a changing environment. Methods We conducted plot-based field study in center of the Gurbantünggüt Desert, Xinjiang, and applied six rates of simulated nitrogen (N) deposition on the plots, i.e. 0 (N0), 0.5 (N0.5), 1.0 (N1), 3.0 (N3), 6.0 (N6) and 24.0 (N24) g·m^-2·a^-1. The exchange rates of N₂O, CH₄ and CO₂ during two growing seasons were measured for two years after N applications. Important findings The average efflux of two growing seasons from control plots (N0) were 4.8 μg·m^-2·h^-1, -30.5 μg·m^-2·h^-1 and 46.7 mg·m^-2·h^-1 for N₂O, CH₄and CO_2,respectively. The effluxes varied significantly among seasons. N0, N0.5 and N1 showed similar exchange of N₂O in spring and summer, which was relatively higher than in autumn, while the rates of N₂O in N6 and N24 were controled by time points of N applications. The uptake of CH₄ was relatively higher in both spring and summer, and lower in autumn. Emission of CO₂ changed minor from spring to summer, and greatly decreased in autumn in the first measured year. In the second year, the emission patterns were changed by rates of N added. N additions generally stimulated the emission of N₂O, while the effects varied in different seasons and years. In addition, no obvious trends were found in the emission factor of N₂O. The uptake of CH₄ was not significantly affected by N additions. N additions did not change CO₂ emissions in the first year, while high N significantly reduced the CO₂ emissions in spring and summer of the second year, without affected in autumn. Structure equation model analysis on the factors suggested that N₂O, CH₄ and CO₂ were dominantly affected by the N application rates, soil temperature or moisture and plant density, respectively. Over the growing seasons, both the net efflux and the global warming potential caused by N additions were small.

http://jtp.cnki.net/bilingual/detail/html/ZWSB201703002

Key words: nitrogen deposition, N₂O, CH₄, CO₂, biomass, structural equation model

Xiao-Bing ZHOU, Yuan-Ming ZHANG, Ye TAO, Lin WU. Effluxes of nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide and their responses to increasing nitrogen deposition in the Gurbantünggüt Desert of Xinjiang, China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2017, 41(3): 290-300.

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2016.0258

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2017/V41/I3/290

Figures/Tables 10

Fig. 1 Changes in air temperature and precipitation of the study area for 2010 and 2011.

Fig. 2 Changes in soil temperature and moisture at different nitrogen (N) treatments on the gas collected day in 2010 and 2011. N0, N0.5, N1, N3, N6 and N24 indicate 0, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 6.0 and 24.0 g·m-2 ·a-1 of simulated N deposition on the studied plots, respectively.

Table 1 Results of repeated measures ANOVAS for the gas efflux on the effects of seasons, nitrogen (N) treatments and their interactions

	自由度 Degree of freedom	N₂O	CH₄	CO₂
季节 Season	9	13.41^**	12.40^**	63.09^**
N	5	53.19^**	1.84	1.55
季节× N Season × N	45	5.07^**	0.55	2.42^**

Fig. 3 Seasonal changes in N2O (A), CH4 (B) and CO2 (C) effluxes in 2010 and 2011. N0, N0.5, N1, N3, N6 and N24 indicate 0, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 6.0 and 24.0 g·m-2·a-1 of simulated nitrogen (N) deposition on the studied plots, respectively.

Fig. 4 N2O effluxes under different concentration nitrogen (N) treatments (mean ± SE). A, May. B, August. C, October. * indicates significant differences between two years. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences among treatments in the same year. N0, N0.5, N1, N3, N6 and N24 indicate 0, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 6.0 and 24.0 g·m-2 ·a-1 of simulated N deposition on the studied plots, respectively.

Fig. 5 CH4 effluxes under different nitrogen (N) treatments (mean± SE). A, May. B, August. C, October. * indicates significant differences between two years. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences among treatments in the same year. N0, N0.5, N1, N3, N6 and N24 indicate 0, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 6.0 and 24.0 g·m-2·a-1 of simulated N deposition on the plots, respectively.

Table 2 Emission factor of N2O in different nitrogen (N)-added treatments

年 Year	N0.5	N1	N3	N6	N24
2010	0.05	0.11	0.09	0.16	0.11
2011	-0.33	0	0.03	0.04	0.03

Fig. 6 CO2 effluxes under different nitrogen (N) treatments (mean ± SE). A, May. B, August. C, October. * indicates significant differences between two years. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences among treatments in the same year. N0, N0.5, N1, N3, N6 and N24 indicate 0, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 6.0 and 24.0 g·m-2·a-1 of simulated N deposition on the plots, respectively.

Table 3 The ratios of greenhouse gas effluxes and global warming potentials of nitrogen (N) added plots (N0.5, N1, N3, N6, N24) to controls (N0) during growing seasons

氮处理 N treatment	2010				2011
氮处理 N treatment	N₂O	CH₄	CO₂	增温潜力 GWP	N₂O	CH₄	CO₂	增温潜力 GWP
N0.5	1.02	0.92	0.98	0.99	0.89	0.89	0.91	0.91
N1	1.08	0.98	1.04	1.04	1.00	1.06	1.03	1.03
N3	1.19	0.88	1.14	1.15	1.07	0.86	0.91	0.94
N6	1.67	1.03	1.27	1.29	1.15	1.13	0.72	1.06
N24	2.81	0.90	1.06	1.12	1.48	1.00	0.55	0.92

Fig. 7 Final fitted structural equation models depicting relative effects of biotic and abiotic variables on the effulxes of greenhouse gas. A, N2O (χ2 = 0.00, p = 0.988; RMSEA = 0.000, p = 0.989). B, CH4 (χ2 = 0.00, p = 0.988; RMSEA = 0.000, p = 0.989). C, CO2 (χ2 = 5.12, p = 0.402; RMSEA = 0.020, p = 0.487). Continuous and dashed arrows indicate positve and negative relationships, respectively. Arrow width is scaled to be proportional to path coefficients which appear adjacent to arrows. RMSEA, root mean square error of approximation. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01.

References 48

[1]	Adams MB (2003). Ecological issues related to N deposition to natural ecosystems: Research needs. Environment International, 29, 189-199.
[2]	Baez S, Fargione J, Moore DI, Collins SL, Gosz JR (2007). Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the northern Chihu¬ahuan desert: Temporal trends and potential consequences. Journal of Arid Environments, 68, 640-651.
[3]	Bai YF, Wu JG, Clark CM, Naeem S, Pan QM, Huang JH, Zhang LX, Han XG (2010). Tradeoffs and thresholds in the effects of nitrogen addition on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: Evidence from Inner Mongolia Grasslands. Global Change Biology, 16, 358-372.
[4]	Bellingrath-Kimura SD, Kishimoto-Mo AW, Oura N, Sekikawa S, Yonemura S, Sudo S, Hayakawa A, Minamikawa K, Takata Y, Hara H (2015). Differences in the spatial variability among CO2, CH4, and N2O gas fluxes from an urban forest soil in Japan. Ambio, 44, 55-66.
[5]	Bodelier PLE (2011). Interactions between nitrogenous fertil¬izers and methane cycling in wetland and upland soils. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 3, 379-388.
[6]	Canadell JG, Kirschbaum MUF, Kurz WA, Sanz MJ, Schlamadinger B, Yamagata Y (2007). Factoring out natural and indirect human effects on terrestrial carbon sources and sinks. Environmental Science & Policy, 10, 370-384.
[7]	Castro MS, Steudler PA, Melillo JM, Aber JD, Bowden RD (1995). Factors controlling atmospheric methane consum¬ption by temperate forest soils. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 9, 1-10.
[8]	Chen W, Zheng X, Chen Q, Wolf B, Butterbach-Bahl K, Brueggemann N, Lin S (2013). Effects of increasing precipitation and nitrogen deposition on CH4 and N2O fluxes and ecosystem respiration in a degraded steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. Geoderma, 192, 335-340.
[9]	Clark CM, Tilman D (2008). Loss of plant species after chronic low level nitrogen deposition to prairie grasslands. Nature, 451, 712-715.
[10]	Denman KL, Brasseur GP, Chidthaisong A, Ciais P, Cox PM, Dickinson RE, Hauglustaine DA, Heinze C, Holland EA, Jacob DJ, Lohmann U, Ramachandran S, Leite da Silva Dias P, Wofsy SC, Zhang X, Steffen W (2007). Couplings between changes in the climate system and biogeoche¬mistry. In: Solomon S, Qin D, Manning M, Chen Z, Mar¬quis M eds. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 501-564.
[11]	Emmerton CA, St Louis VL, Lehnherr I, Humphreys ER, Rydz E, Kosolofski HR (2014). The net exchange of methane with high Arctic landscapes during the summer growing season. Biogeosciences, 11, 3095-3106.
[12]	Forster P, Ramaswamy V, Artaxo P, Berntsen T, Betts R, Fahey DW, Haywood J, Lean J, Lowe DC, Myhre G, Nganga J, Prinn R, Raga G, Schulz M, van Dorland R (2007). Cha¬nges in Atmospheric Constituents and in Radiative For¬cing Chapter 2. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
[13]	Galbally IE, Kirstine WV, Meyer CP, Wang YP (2008). Soil-atmosphere trace gas exchange in semiarid and arid zones. Journal of Environmental Quality, 37, 599-607.
[14]	Grace JB (2006). Structural Equation Modeling and Natural Systems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 10.
[15]	He CE, Liu XJ, Fangmeier A, Zhang FS (2007). Quantifying the total airborne nitrogen input into agroecosystems in the North China Plain. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 121, 395-400.
[16]	Horváth L, Grosz B, Machon A, Tuba Z, Nagy Z, Czóbel SZ, Balogh J, Péli E, Fóti SZ, Weidinger T, Pintér K, Führer E (2010). Estimation of nitrous oxide emission from Hungarian semi-arid sandy and loess grasslands: Effect of soil parameters, grazing, irrigation and use of fertilizer. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 139, 255-263.
[17]	Inclán R, Uribe C, Sánchez L, Sánchez DM, Clavero Á, Fernández AM, Morante R, Blanco A, Jandl R (2012). N2O and CH4 fluxes in undisturbed and burned holm oak, scots pine and pyrenean oak forests in central Spain. Biogeochemistry, 107, 19-41.
[18]	IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (1996). Contribution of working group I to the second assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. In: Houghton JJ, Meiro Filho LG, Callander BA, Harris N, Kattenberg A, Maskell K eds. Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, New York.
[19]	Jassal RS, Black TA, Roy R, Ethier G (2011). Effect of nitrogen fertilization on soil CH4 and N2O fluxes, and soil and bole respiration. Geoderma, 162, 182-186.
[20]	Jiang CM, Yu GR, Fang HJ, Cao GM, Li YN (2010). Short-term effect of increasing nitrogen deposition on CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, China. Atmospheric Environment, 44, 2920-2926.
[21]	Konda R, Ohta S, Ishizuka S, Heriyanto J, Wicaksono A (2010). Seasonal changes in the spatial structures of N2O, CO2, and CH4 fluxes from Acacia mangium plantation soils in Indonesia. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 42, 1512-1522.
[22]	Li KH, Gong YM, Song W, He GX, Hu YK, Tian CY, Liu XJ (2012). Responses of CH4, CO2 and N2O fluxes to increasing nitrogen deposition in alpine grassland of the Tianshan Mountains. Chemosphere, 88, 140-143.
[23]	Li XY, Cheng SL, Fang HJ, Yu GR, Dang XS, Xu MJ, Wang L, Si GY, Geng J, He S (2015a). The contrasting effects of deposited NH4+ and NO3- on soil CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes in a subtropical plantation, southern China. Ecological Eng¬ineering, 85, 317-327.
[24]	Li YY, Dong SK, Liu SL, Zhou HK, Gao QZ, Cao GM, Wang XX, Su XK, Zhang Y, Tang L, Zhao HD, Wu XY (2015b). Seasonal changes of CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes in different types of alpine grassland in the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau of China. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 80, 306-314.
[25]	Liu L, Greaver TL (2009). A review of nitrogen enrichment effects on three biogenic GHGs: The CO2 sink may be largely offset by stimulated N2O and CH4 emission. Ecology Letters, 12, 1103-1117.
[26]	Maris SC, Teira Esmatges MR, Arbones A, Rufat J (2015). Effect of irrigation, nitrogen application, and a nitrification inhibitor on nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methane emissions from an olive (Olea europaea L.) orchard. Science of the Total Environment, 538, 966-978.
[27]	Mo JM, Fang YT, Lin ED, Li YE (2006). Soil N2O emission and its response to simulated N deposition in the main forests of Dinghushan in subtropical China. Journal of Plant Ecology (Chinese Version), 30, 901-910. (in Chinese with English abstract)[莫江明, 方运霆, 林而达, 李玉娥 (2006). 鼎湖山主要森林土壤N2O排放及其对模拟N沉降的响应. 植物生态学报, 30, 901-910.]
[28]	Schaeffer SM, Evans RD (2005). Pulse additions of soil carbon and nitrogen affect soil nitrogen dynamics in an arid Colorado Plateau shrubland. Oecologia, 145, 425-433.
[29]	Schoenbach P, Wolf B, Dickhoefer U, Wiesmeier M, Chen WW, Wan HW, Gierus M, Butterbach Bahl K, Koegel Knabner I, Susenbeth A, Zheng XH, Taube F (2012). Grazing effects on the greenhouse gas balance of a temperate steppe ecosystem. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 93, 357-371.
[30]	Stewart KJ, Brummell ME, Farrell RE, Siciliano SD (2012). N2O flux from plant soil systems in polar deserts switch between sources and sinks under different light conditions. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 48, 69-77.
[31]	Striegl RG, Mcconnaughey TA, Thorstenson DC, Weeks EP, Woodward JC (1992). Consumption of atmospheric methane by desert soils. Nature, 357, 145-147.
[32]	Vourlitis GL, Pasquini S, Zorba G (2007). Plant and soil N response of southern californian semi arid shrublands after 1 year of experimental N deposition. Ecosystems, 10, 263-279.
[33]	Wang YF, Chen H, Zhu QA, Peng CH, Wu N, Yang G, Zhu D, Tian JQ, Tian LX, Kang XM, He YX, Gao YH, Zhao XQ (2014). Soil methane uptake by grasslands and forests in China. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 74, 70-81.
[34]	Wang ZW, Hao XY, Shan D, Han GD, Zhao ML, Willms WD, Wang Z, Han X (2011). Influence of increasing temperature and nitrogen input on greenhouse gas emissions from a desert steppe soil in Inner Mongolia. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 57, 508-518.
[35]	Wohlfahrt G, Fenstermaker LF, Arnone Iii JA (2008). Large annual net ecosystem CO2 uptake of a Mojave Desert ecosystem. Global Change Biology, 14, 1475-1487.
[36]	Xu BX, Hu YG, Zhang ZS, Chen YL, Zhang P, Li G (2014). Effects of experimental warming on CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes of biological soil crust and soil system in a desert region. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 38, 809-820. (in Chinese with English abstract)[徐冰鑫, 胡宜刚, 张志山, 陈永乐, 张鹏, 李刚 (2014). 模拟增温对荒漠生物土壤结皮-土壤系统CO2、CH4和N2O通量的影响. 植物生态学报, 38, 809-820.]
[37]	Xu R, Wang M, Wang Y (2003a). Using a modified DNDC model to estimate N2O fluxes from semi arid grassland in China. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 35, 615-620.
[38]	Xu R, Wang YS, Zheng XH, Ji BM, Wang MX (2003b). A comparison between measured and modeled N2O emissions from Inner Mongolian semi-arid grassland. Plant and Soil, 255, 513-528.
[39]	Yan JH, Zhang W, Wang KY, Qin F, Wang WT, Dai HT, Li PX (2014). Responses of CO2, N2O and CH4 fluxes between atmosphere and forest soil to changes in multiple environmental conditions. Global Change Biology, 20, 300-312.
[40]	Zaady E, Groffman PM, Standing D, Shachak M (2013). High N2O emissions in dry ecosystems. European Journal of Soil Biology, 59, 1-7.
[41]	Zhang C, Niu D, Hall SJ, Wen H, Li X, Fu H, Wan C, Elser JJ (2014). Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on soil respiration components and their temperature sensitivities in a semiarid grassland. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 75, 113-123.
[42]	Zhang JB, Cai ZC, Cheng Y, Zhu TB (2009). Denitrification and total nitrogen gas production from forest soils of Eastern China. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 41, 2551-2557.
[43]	Zhang W, Liu XJ, Hu YK, Li KH, Shen JL, Luo XS, Song W (2011). Analysis on input of atmospheric nitrogen dry deposition in Ürümqi. Arid Zone Research, 28, 771-716. (in Chinese with English abstract)[张伟, 刘学军, 胡玉昆, 李凯辉, 沈健林, 骆晓声, 宋韦 (2011). 乌鲁木齐市区大气N素干沉降的输入性分析. 干旱区研究, 28, 771-716.]
[44]	Zhang Y, Zheng LX, Liu XJ, Jickells T, Cape JN, Goulding K, Fangmeier A, Zhang FS (2008). Evidence for organic N deposition and its anthropogenic sources in China. Atmospheric Environment, 42, 1035-1041.
[45]	Zhou F, Shang ZY, Ciais P, Tao S, Piao SL, Raymond P, He CF, Li BG, Wang RH, Wang XH, Peng SS, Zeng ZZ, Chen H, Ying N, Hou XK, Xu P (2014). A new high-resolution N2O emission inventory for China in 2008. Environmental Science & Technology, 48, 8538-8547.
[46]	Zhou XB, Zhang YM (2014). Seasonal pattern of soil respiration and gradual changing effects of nitrogen addition in a soil of the Gurbantünggüt Desert, northwestern China. Atmospheric Environment, 85, 187-194.
[47]	Zhou XB, Zhang YM, Downing A (2012). Non linear response of microbial activity across a gradient of nitrogen addition to a soil from the Gurbantünggüt Desert, northwestern China. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 47, 67-77.
[48]	Zhuang QL, Chen M, Xu K, Tang JY, Saikawa E, Lu YY, Melillo JM, Prinn RG, McGuire AD (2013). Response of global soil consumption of atmospheric methane to changes in atmospheric climate and nitrogen deposition. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 27, 650-663.