Water and nitrogen availability define emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides from desert soil differently

Abstract

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and water, together and individually, limit soil biological processes in dryland ecosystems and therefore, the availability of each nutrient is a key determinant of ecosystem processes and functions. To assess the importance of each limiting factor for microbial activity in desert soil, we manipulated water, N, and P availability separately and combined. N, P, and NP were added at rates of 10 N or/and P g m−2 under two water regimes: one wetting event, and bi-weekly wetting–drying cycles in addition to natural rainfall. We measured soil respiration, nitrous (N2O) and nitric oxides (NOx) emissions in situ, and potential nitrification and mineralization in laboratory. Soil respiration increased by ∼30% with raised water availability but wasn't affected by nutrients availability. NOx and to a smaller extent N2O emissions, however, increased with nutrient availability but not with water. Average soil NOx flux increased up to ∼19 folds from 0.03 ± 0.01 μg N m−2 min−1 to 0.52 ± 0.10 μg N m−2 min−1 with the addition of N and N + P but only slightly with addition of P alone (p = 0.06). The removal of both water and NP limitation accelerated only NOx, but nor CO2 neither N2O emissions pointed on other than N and P limitation of soil heterotrophic processes in this alkali desert soil. The potential soil microbial activity was unaffected by the removal of neither water nor NP limitations. Our findings suggest that water primarily influences soil respiration and N availability soil NOx emissions while desert soil is a minor source of N2O. We conclude that heterotrophic and autotrophic microbial activities in desert soils are influenced differently by water and nutrients. Increasing precipitation would likely boost soil respiration and N mineralization rates, leading to decreased soil nutrient organic carbon stocks, while increased N deposition would accelerate gaseous N loss.