Responses of exchangeable base cations to continuously increasing nitrogen addition in alpine steppe: A case study of Stipa purpurea steppe

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2017.0100

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Soil exchangeable base cations (BCs) play important roles in keeping soil nutrient and buffering soil acidification, which may be disturbed by anthropogenic nitrogen (N) input. Considering relatively limited evidence from alkaline soils, this study was designed to explore the effects of N addition on soil exchangeable BCs in a typical alpine steppe on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

Methods From May 2013, eight levels of N addition (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 g·m ^-2·a ^-1) in the form of NH₄NO₃ were added in the alpine steppe, where soil is alkaline. During the following three years (2014-2016), we collected soil samples in mid-August in each year. By measuring the concentrations of exchangeable BCs, we examined their changes along the N addition gradient. We also explored the relationships between BCs and other plant and soil properties.

Important findings Continuous N addition resulted in significant loss of exchangeable BCs, especially Mg ²⁺ in all three years and Na ⁺in two years. The concentrations of BCs were found to be negatively related to above-ground biomass and the concentration of soil inorganic N (p < 0.05). These results indicated that increase in N availability stimulated plant growth, which in turn led to more uptake of BCs by plants. Moreover, enhanced NO₃ ^- leaching resulted in the loss of BCs due to the charge balance in soil solution. In addition, increased NH₄ ⁺ displaced BCs binding to soil surface and made them easy to be leached out of soils. Different from acid soils, soil acidification caused by N deposition in alkaline soils is mainly buffered by calcium carbonate, having less effect on BCs. Our results suggest that N addition results in the loss of exchangeable BCs in alkaline soils, leading to poor buffering capacity and decreased plant productivity over long time period, which needs to be considered during grassland management in the future.

Key words: exchangeable base cations, nitrogen deposition, alkaline soil, plant uptake, buffering phase

QIN Shu-Qi, FANG Kai, WANG Guan-Qin, PENG Yun-Feng, ZHANG Dian-Ye, LI Fei, ZHOU Guo-Ying, YANG Yuan-He. Responses of exchangeable base cations to continuously increasing nitrogen addition in alpine steppe: A case study of Stipa purpurea steppe[J]. Chin J Plan Ecolo, 2018, 42(1): 95-104.

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Figures/Tables 9

Table 1 Soil and plant properties under different nitrogen rates (mean ± SE)

	年 Year	N0	N1	N2	N4	N8	N16	N24	N32
pH值 pH value	2014	8.9 ± 0.10^b	9.2 ± 0.06^a	9.2 ± 0.08^a	9.1 ± 0.07^ab	9.1 ± 0.08^ab	9.1 ± 0.07^ab	9.0 ± 0.03^ab	9.1 ± 0.10^ab
	2015	9.0 ± 0.07^bc	9.1 ± 0.06^a	9.0 ± 0.03^ab	9.0 ± 0.05^ab	8.9 ± 0.03^cd	9.0 ± 0.04^ab	8.8 ± 0.04^d	8.8 ± 0.05^d
	2016	8.5 ± 0.11^a	8.5 ± 0.05^a	8.5 ± 0.09^a	8.4 ± 0.07^ab	8.3 ± 0.07^bc	8.6 ± 0.02^a	8.2 ± 0.05^c	8.2 ± 0.05^c
TIN (mg·kg^-1)	2014	34.3 ± 2.6^cd	37.8 ± 3.1^bcd	35.9 ± 3.7^bcd	33.1 ± 0.9^d	52.6 ± 9.1^a	46.8 ± 3.4^ab	43.5 ± 1.8^abcd	45.5 ± 1.4^abc
	2015	9.5 ± 0.3^e	11.4 ± 1.5^e	11.8 ± 1.1^e	11.9 ± 0.7^e	22.4 ± 2.5^d	41.8 ± 2.5^c	56.7 ± 5.0^b	69.6 ± 7.1^a
	2016	32.0 ± 0.9^d	32.3 ± 1.5^cd	31.2 ± 2.0^d	32.9 ± 2.0^cd	37.4 ± 1.9^bc	41.4 ± 2.8^ab	43.2 ± 3.0^a	41.1 ± 2.1^ab
AGB (g·m^-2)	2014	126.9 ± 10.0^d	142.2 ± 17.8^d	152.4 ± 13.9^cd	186.7 ± 13.9^c	256.6 ± 14.3^ab	241.2 ± 21.4^b	271.7 ± 26.1^ab	284.9 ± 27.6^a
	2015	146.0 ± 11.6^c	146.8 ± 8.3^c	175.7 ± 14.7^c	180.4 ± 13.6^c	265.1 ± 23.5^b	287.5 ± 21.0^b	350.4 ± 13.3^a	373.0 ± 18.6^a
	2016	93.7 ± 9.3^e	117.0 ± 17.8^de	127.0 ± 19.3^cde	144.2 ± 9.3^bcd	181.2 ± 18.4^ab	161.9 ± 8.3^abc	190.2 ± 21.1^a	195.7 ± 7.1^a

Fig. 1 Effects of nitrogen addition on soil exchangeable base cations (mean ± SE). N0-N32, nitrogen addition 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 g·m-2·a-1, respectively. Different letters indicate significant differences among treatments (p < 0.05).

Fig. 2 Effects of nitrogen addition on soil exchangeable Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+ (mean ± SE)。A, Ca2+. B, Mg2+. C, K+. D, Na+. N0-N32, nitrogen addition 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 g·m-2·a-1, respectively. Different letters indicate significant differences among treatments (p < 0.05).

Fig. 3 Relationships of soil exchangeable base cations with above-ground biomass and soil total inorganic nitrogen in 2015. A, above-ground biomass (AGB). B, soil total inorganic nitrogen (TIN). The black lines represent the fitted curves and shades for 95% confidence intervals.

Fig. 4 Relationships of soil exchangeable Mg2+ with above-ground biomass and soil total inorganic nitrogen in different years. A, AGB in 2014. B, TIN in 2014. C, AGB in 2015. D, TIN in 2015. E, AGB in 2016. F, TIN in 2016. AGB, above-ground biomass, TIN, soil total inorganic nitrogen. The black lines represent the fitted curves and shades for 95% confidence intervals.

Fig. 5 Relationships of soil exchangeable Na+ with soil total inorganic nitrogen in different years. A, 2014. B, 2015. TIN, soil total inorganic nitrogen. The black lines represent the fitted curves and shades for 95% confidence intervals.

Appendix I Frequency distribution of pH values on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Data from 173 sampling sites along a grassland transect across Qinghai-Xizang alpine grasslands during 2013-2014, which were collected by members from Dr. Yuanhe Yang’s group

Appendix II Effects of nitrogen addition on Mg pool in aboveground plant (mean ± SE). A, 2014. B, 2015. C, 2016. N0-N32, nitrogen addition 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 g·m -2·a -1, respectively. Different letters indicate significant differences among treatments (p < 0.05)

Appendix III Effects of nitrogen addition on NO3 - leaching in top 0-10 cm soil in 2016 (mean ± SE). N0-N32, nitrogen addition 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 g·m -2·a -1, respectively. Different letters indicate significant differences among treatments (p < 0.05)

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