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Nitrogen Mineralization and Leaching in the Early Stages of a Subtropical Reforestation in Southern China
Author(s) -
Wang Faming,
Zhu Weixing,
Xia Hanping,
Fu Shenglei,
Li Zhian
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
restoration ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1526-100X
pISSN - 1061-2971
DOI - 10.1111/j.1526-100x.2009.00642.x
Subject(s) - monoculture , agronomy , environmental science , nitrification , reforestation , mineralization (soil science) , nitrogen cycle , leaching (pedology) , sowing , agroforestry , nitrogen , soil water , biology , chemistry , soil science , organic chemistry
Nitrogen cycling is a critical component in plantations, yet the spatial and temporal variations of N transformations in different stages of reforestation are often poorly known. Here we report the seasonal variation of soil in situ net N mineralization, net nitrification and N leaching in five young plantations (two monocultures of exotic species: Eucalyptus urophylla and Acacia crassicarpa ; a native species monoculture; a 10‐species mixture and a 30‐species mixture) and a shrubland (without experimental planting) in subtropical southern China. Our results show that net N mineralization and nitrification rates in the E. urophylla monoculture (13.5 and 9.98 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , respectively) were the lowest among six planting treatments, less than 1/3 of those in the 10‐species and 30‐species mixtures. Two exotic fast‐growing monocultures had 10–60% lower soil extractable nitrate concentrations than the native plantations and shrubland and had the lowest nitrogen leaching losses. The leguminous A. crassicarpa monoculture did not have higher soil N availability in comparison with non‐leguminous species. Both N mineralization and nitrification varied seasonally; soil moisture seemed to be important in controlling these temporal variations. This study highlights that in the early stages of reforestaion, a better understanding of plant species effects on soil N cycling would be beneficial to forest management decisions and could provide a critical foundation for advancing restoration practices.