Soil nitrogen transformations varied with plant community under Nanchang urban forests in mid-subtropical zone of China

Abstract

Soil N transformations using the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) closed-top tube in situ incubation method were studied in Nanchang urban forests of the mid-subtropical region of China in different months of 2007. Four plots of 20 m × 20 m were established in four different plant communities that represented typical successional stages of forest development including shrubs, coniferous forest, mixed forest and broadleaved forest. Average concentrations of soil NH4+-N from January to December were not different among the four plant communities. The concentrations of soil NO3−-N and mineral N, and the annual rates of ammonification, nitrification and net N-mineralization under the early successional shrub community and coniferous forest were generally lower than that of the late successional mixed and broad-leaved forests (p<0.05). Similar differences among the plant communities were also shown in the relative nitrification index (NH4+-N/NO3−-N) and relative nitrification intensity (nitrification rate/net N-mineralization rate). The annual net N-mineralization rate was increased from younger to older plant communities, from 15.1 and 41.4 kg·ha−1·a−1 under the shrubs and coniferous forest communities to 98.0 and 112.9 kg·ha−1·a−1 under the mixed and broad-leaved forests, respectively. Moreover, the high annual nitrification rates (50–70 kg·ha−1·a−1) and its end product, NO3−-N (2.4–3.8 mg·kg−1), under older plant communities could increase the potential risk of N loss. Additionally, the temporal patterns of the different soil N variables mentioned above varied with different plant community due to the combined affects of natural biological processes associated with forest maturation and urbanization. Our results indicated that urban forests are moving towards a state of “N saturation” (extremely nitrification rate and NO3−-N content) as they mature.