SSS5.11 | Biogeochemical processes controlling carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur cycling in the soil-plant system
EDI
Biogeochemical processes controlling carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur cycling in the soil-plant system
Convener: Anna GuninaECSECS | Co-conveners: Boris Jansen, Tonu TonutareECSECS, Viia Lepane
Orals
| Mon, 24 Apr, 16:15–17:45 (CEST)
 
Room K2
Posters on site
| Attendance Mon, 24 Apr, 14:00–15:45 (CEST)
 
Hall X3
Posters virtual
| Attendance Mon, 24 Apr, 14:00–15:45 (CEST)
 
vHall SSS
Orals |
Mon, 16:15
Mon, 14:00
Mon, 14:00
Regulation of the cycles of carbon (C) and nutrients (N, P, S) in soils and ensuring their linkage and retention are recognized as major challenges, especially under shifts in environmental factors (warming, drought, N deposition, overfertilization, salinization, alterations of landscapes, biodiversity loss, invasion of species and intensification of land use). The processes underlying C and nutrient cycling in soils are difficult to evaluate and separate, since multiple factors can shift process rates and directions, as well as determine pool sizes. Factors also frequently have an interactive effect. Estimation of the magnitude of C and nutrient pool response and the temporal scale of reactions to land use change or shifts of environmental factors remains a major challenge. Thus, this session invites contributions focused on the evaluation of the soil C, N, P, and S pools and process responses under global change scenarios at the local as well as larger scales. Studies that combine short-term laboratory observation focused on process rate estimation with long-term field experiments and evaluation of pools are highly welcome. Studies that focus on the effect of soil chemistry, including an application of isotopes to investigate the process rates, mineralogy, as well as the transition from conventional to organic agriculture/land restoration, are also highly relevant.

Orals: Mon, 24 Apr | Room K2

Chairpersons: Anna Gunina, Tonu Tonutare, Boris Jansen
Introduction
16:15–16:35
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EGU23-7993
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SSS5.11
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solicited
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Highlight
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On-site presentation
Yakov Kuzyakov, Junxi Hu, Congde Huang, and Shixing Zhou

The carbon use efficiency (CUE) of soil microorganisms is a critical parameter for the first step of organic carbon (C) transformation by and incorporation into microbial biomass and shapes C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. As C and nitrogen (N) cycles interact closely and N availability affects microbial metabolism, N addition to soil may shift the microbial CUE. We conducted a meta-analysis (100 data pairs) to generalize information about the microbial CUE response to N addition in soil based on the two most common CUE estimation approaches: (i) 13C-labelled substrate addition (13C-substrate) and (ii) 18O-labelled water addition (18O-H2O).

The mean microbial CUE in soils across all biomes and approaches was 0.37. The effects of N addition on CUE, however, were depended on the approach: CUE decreased by 12% if measured by the 13C-substrate approach, while CUE increased by 11% if measured by the 18O-H2O approach. These differences in the microbial CUE response depending on the estimation approach are explained by the divergent reactions of microbial growth to N addition: N addition decreases the 13C incorporation into microbial biomass (this parameter is in the numerator by CUE calculation based on the 13C-substrate approach). In contrast, N addition slightly increases (although statistically insignificant) the microbial growth rate (in the numerator of the CUE calculation when assessed by the 18O-H2O approach), significantly raising the CUE. We explained these N addition effects based on CUE regulation mechanisms at the metabolic, cell, community, and ecosystem levels. Consequently, the differences in the microbial responses (microbial growth, respiration, C incorporation, community composition, and dormant or active states) between the 13C-substrate and 18O-H2O approaches need to be considered. Thus, these two CUE estimation approaches should be compared to understand microbially mediated C and nutrient dynamics under increasing anthropogenic N input and other global change effects.

Reference

Hu J, Huang C, Zhou S, Kuzyakov Y 2022. Nitrogen deposition affects microbial carbon use efficiency: Meta-analysis of similarities and differences in 18O and 13C approaches. Global Change Biology 28 (16), 4977-4988. http://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16226

How to cite: Kuzyakov, Y., Hu, J., Huang, C., and Zhou, S.: Microbial carbon use efficiency in soil under N deposition: Meta-analysis of 13C and 18O approaches, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-7993, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-7993, 2023.

16:35–16:55
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EGU23-5550
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SSS5.11
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Highlight
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On-site presentation
Anja Miltner, Karolina M. Nowak, Angelica Muskus, Tiantian Zheng, and Matthias Kästner

Microbial transformation of organic compounds is a key process in soil. Microorganisms are responsible for important soil functions such as degradation of organic pollutants, but also for the formation and transformation of soil organic matter (SOM). Research on both processes suffers from missing knowledge on the process details, but also on the controlling factors and transformation products formed. In case of organic pollutants, most studies relied on the use of radiolabelled compounds, as such studies are required for market approval of chemicals, e.g. for pesticides. Such studies regularly show formation of non-extractable residues (NER), even under optimal conditions for microbial activity. The characterization of NER is difficult, preventing adequate risk assessment. In contrast, SOM studies usually comprise general C balances, without focus on detailed microbial processes. We are now using considerations on general principles of microbial metabolism and a combination of knowledge on the degradation of natural organic compounds as well as organic pollutants to get more detailed insight into both processes. This includes better characterization of NER for improved environmental risk assessment, an improved framework describing SOM transformation and stabilization as well as the identification of controlling factors for both types of metabolic processes.

For heterotrophic organisms, each growth substrate is both a C- and an energy source. The allocation depends on the actual requirements of the organisms as well as on the chemical structure of the substrate. Therefore, each substrate will only partially be mineralized (catabolism), the other part will be used as C source for biomass synthesis (anabolism). As a consequence, microbial biomass will be formed, and its residues will contribute to SOM after cell death. We already showed in earlier studies on pesticide degradation in soils that biomass residues of the degraders (biogenic NER = bioNER) account for a substantial part of the NER found by isotope mass balances. The close link between mineralization and biomass formation suggests a relation between mineralization and formation of biomass and bioNER, which represents the carbon use efficiency (CUE). CUE may vary and controls the allocation of natural organic substrates to respiration vs. microbial biomass formation, which is a key prerequisite for necromass accumulation. However, CUE is strongly affected by microbial metabolism, which adapts to environmental conditions.

Mass balances for a number of pesticides including bioNER formation were performed under different conditions, by manipulating pH and TOC concentrations of a study soil and incubating at different temperatures or in different soils. In particular, incubation temperature had a strong effect on the total degradation efficiency, but also on CUE during pollutant degradation and therefore on the contribution of bioNER to total NER. We can expect similar effects for the turnover of natural organic compounds and thus SOM formation. If supported by modelling of microbial biomass formation, this information can significantly improve the risk assessment in the framework of market approval of chemicals and advance our knowledge on factors controlling organic compound turnover and SOM formation under climate change.

How to cite: Miltner, A., Nowak, K. M., Muskus, A., Zheng, T., and Kästner, M.: Combining results on organic pollutant degradation and on soil organic matter turnover gives indications for the control of key microbial transformation processes in soils under global change, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-5550, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-5550, 2023.

16:55–17:05
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EGU23-3156
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SSS5.11
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ECS
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On-site presentation
Li Wan, Haofeng Lv, Longlong Xia, Shan Lin, and Klaus Butterbach-Bahl

Conventional overfertilization combined with flooding irrigation is common practice in solar greenhouse vegetable production systems in Eastern China. However, how these practices may affect soil nutrient concentrations remains understudied. Here we report on a regional soil sampling study in Shouguang county, which is the major and pioneer area of greenhouse vegetable production in China. In our study, we measured soil nutrient concentrations (mineral N, Olsen-P, and available K) as well as soil physico-chemical parameters (e.g. pH, SOC) down to 3 m soil depth in 60 greenhouses differing in years since establishment (5, 10, and 20 years) and compared those to nutrient concentrations in 20 adjacent arable fields. We found that in greenhouse soils compared to soils of adjacent arable fields: (1) soil nutrients were significantly elevated in the topsoil (0-30 cm), while nutrient concentrations in the subsoil were much lower and differences between greenhouse and arable soils diminished; (2) N:P:K ratios were imbalanced towards P and K as these elements are not easily leached as N; (3) the soil pH is decreased. After about 20 years of continuous greenhouse vegetable production, the topsoil pH was lowered by 0.92 ± 0.07 units. Our study shows that overfertilization combined with flooding irrigation has serious impacts on soil chemistry and soil nutrient concentrations. The observed nutrient imbalances are dramatic and indicate that e.g. P and K fertilization may not be needed for years to come. Also the observed decline of the significant decrease in the soil pH of calcareous soil indicates, that the soil pH carbonate buffer system is at the edge to break down, with unknown consequences for soil fertility. These facts strongly suggest that unnecessary excessive fertilizer and irrigation water applications for producing vegetables in solar greenhouse systems should be stopped and replaced with more sustainable production methods, e.g. drip fertigation with reduced fertilizer application.

How to cite: Wan, L., Lv, H., Xia, L., Lin, S., and Butterbach-Bahl, K.: Overfertilization combined with flooding irrigation contributes to soil nutrient accumulation and pH decline in greenhouse vegetable production systems, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3156, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3156, 2023.

17:05–17:15
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EGU23-4899
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SSS5.11
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ECS
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On-site presentation
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Hyo-Ryeon Kim, Jae-Hyun Lim, Hae-Kun Jung, Seo-Young Kim, and Il-Nam Kim

Marine nitrogen (N) cycle plays important roles in controlling marine ecosystem and biogeochemistry, as it is well known as a limiting element for marine productivity and significantly influences on the carbon and phosphorus cycles in the marine environment. Also, nitrous oxide (N₂O) production via marine N cycling is regarding as climate interaction with a big concern owing to its significant warming potential in the atmosphere. The East Sea (ES) is a semi-enclosed marginal sea, but frequently referred to as a miniature ocean as it shows multiple ocean dynamic processes. Recently, a number of studies reported that the ES is rapidly changing due to anthropogenic perturbations. Given that understanding of the ES’s biogeochemical cycles under such a condition is apparently urgent, we have little knowledge about particularly N cycling and N₂O production mechanisms to date. At present, the application of metagenomics approaches is widely used for understanding marine N cycle as an important means. Here, using the information of bacterial functional genes, we for the first time investigate (1) N cycling processes and (2) N2O production pathways during June and October 2021 at three different depths (0m, 150m, and 750m) of the ES.

How to cite: Kim, H.-R., Lim, J.-H., Jung, H.-K., Kim, S.-Y., and Kim, I.-N.: Estimation of N and N₂O cycling processes using the information of bacterial functional genes in the East Sea, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4899, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4899, 2023.

17:15–17:25
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EGU23-4261
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SSS5.11
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ECS
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On-site presentation
Zixiao Wang, Makoto Shibata, Jinsen Zheng, Keitaro Fukushima, Jiajie Du, and Shinya Funakawa

Soil inorganic nitrogen (N), i.e., NH4+ and NO3-, are essential resources for tree growth in forest ecosystems. Input of these inorganic resources are regulated by ammonification and nitrification and output are consumed either by abiotic or biotic (soil microbes, tree fine roots) processes. To the best of our knowledge, although previous studies have discussed net uptake rates of fine roots among different soil groups or vegetation types, variations within a local scale (same soil group and vegetation) remain an enigma. Moreover, since widely-used experiment set-ups in soil N transformation studies exclude live fine roots, uptake strategy of trees and their competition for inorganic nutrients with microbes are unknown. Therefore, this study aims to clarify 1) net uptake rates of fine roots; and 2) uptake strategy of the same tree species and the ratio of microbial/plant assimilation along a hillslope.

An in situ incubation combining 15N tracing method with virtual soil cores was performed in Chamaecyparis obtusa (Japanese cypress) forests at up and down sites of a hillslope. 15N-labeled moieties (2.2 mg 15NH4NO3 g-1 soil and 0.2 mg NH415NO3g-1 soil, both are 98+ atom% 15N) were injected evenly through the cores located around the trees with five replicates. A-horizon soil was sampled after 0.25 h and 24 h. Soil and fine roots were sent for further analyses after sieving. The soil-environmental factors were determined.

Differences in the soil-environmental variables were observed at up and down slopes, including soil pH, NH4+, NO3-, total dissolved N, microbial biomass carbon (C) and N, total C and C/N ratio. Fine root biomass was higher at up slope (1.5 kg m-3) than down slope (0.8 kg m-3) while net uptake rates of fine roots in both 15NH4NO3 (11 and 20 μg 15N g-1 roots d.w. d-1) and NH415NO3 (4.7 and 8.3 μg 15N g-1 roots d.w. d-1 at up and down slope, respectively) were higher at down slope. Ammonification and nitrification rates were also higher at down slope (0.6 and 3.2 mg N kg-1 d-1 for ammonification and 0.1 and 1.1 mg N kg-1 d-1 for nitrification at up and down slope, respectively), where soil pH was higher and C/N ratio was lower. However, net uptake amount per core did not demonstrate any trend at both slopes. Such results suggest that fine roots may try to ensure the supply of nutrients to trees by increasing their biomass when less soil inorganic N can be produced. Soil pH and C/N ratio could play a key role in determining uptake strategy of trees through affecting soil N transformation rates.

In addition, the ratio of microbial/plant assimilation of N was higher at up slope for 15NH4+ and for 15NO3- to a lesser extent. Since soil moisture content was higher at down slope, such results might suggest a higher mass transfer of N nutrients induced by a higher mass flow of water. Therefore, higher N concentration could be maintained onto root surfaces at down slope, decreasing acquisition rates by microbes and increasing net uptake rates by fine roots.

 

How to cite: Wang, Z., Shibata, M., Zheng, J., Fukushima, K., Du, J., and Funakawa, S.: Effects of spatial variations on soil nitrogen transformations in Chamaecyparis obtusa forest through in situ 15N tracing method, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4261, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4261, 2023.

17:25–17:35
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EGU23-11858
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SSS5.11
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Highlight
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On-site presentation
Marion Schrumpf and Ingo Schöning

Forest ecosystems in central Europe are currently experiencing various environmental changes like ongoing nitrogen deposition, rising CO2 levels and more frequent summer droughts, with potential impacts on biogeochemical processes in soils. Monitoring of soil properties, especially sensitive indicators like the activities of extracellular enzymes, enables studying the net effect of different simultaneously ongoing global changes on soil processes. Therefore, we measured the potential activities of four extracellular enzymes related to the C, N, P and S cycle (beta-glucosidase, N-actetyl-glucosaminidase, acid phosphatase and sulfatase)  of topsoils (0-10 cm of the mineral soil) from 150 forest plots under different management in three German regions as part of the Biodiversity Exploratories (https://www.biodiversity-exploratories.de/en/) project (Swabian Alb in the South, Hainich-Dün in the center and Schorfheide Chorin in the North of Germany) in May of 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2021. Analyzed soil samples were mixed samples composed of 14 soil cores (5 cm diameter) per plot, taken along two 40 m transects, sieved to < 2mm, and stored frozen before analyses.  Additional information on soil C, N and pH was obtained for the same samples.
Results revealed that the interannual variation of enzyme activities was about twice as high as that of soil organic carbon contents. Organic carbon, total nitrogen contents or soil pH showed no consistent trend over time across the regions. The same was true for the enzymes beta-glucosidase, N-acetyl-glucosaminidase and sulfates while acid phosphatase activity increased in all regions from 2011 to 2021 with the smallest absolute increase from on average 1290 to 2753 nmol MUF g−1 dw h−1 in the sandy and most acidic region Schorfheide Chorin, and the largest one in the loess-dominated silt-clay soils of the Hainich-Dün region (from 3474 to 5570 nmol MUF g−1 dw h−1).  Accordingly, the ratio of carbon-to-phosphorus acquiring enzymes declined with time. Plots following Moorhead et al. (2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.10.01) indicated a consistent shift from N- to P-limitation across regions, independent of their total P contents and for both, coniferous and deciduous forests. Forest ecosystems seem to need to acquire more P from organic sources but given that both, plants and microorganisms can produce acid phosphatase, we are currently not able to say, if the increased phosphatase activity was a direct plant response or one (potentially mediated) by microorganisms. However, elevated CO2 and N-deposition can both potentially lead to nutrient imbalances and thus increasing forest P requirements, and also summer droughts might reduce plant nutrient uptake, so that the observed trend might be an additive effect of all, rather than being attributable to one alone. As next steps we will test if changes in enzyme activities go along with changes in soil microbial communities and with leaf litter P contents.

How to cite: Schrumpf, M. and Schöning, I.: Soil enzyme monitoring reveals increasing forest phosphorus demand in central Europe over the last decade, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-11858, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-11858, 2023.

17:35–17:45
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EGU23-16629
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SSS5.11
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ECS
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Highlight
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On-site presentation
Anna Muntwyler, Panos Panagos, Stephan Pfister, and Emanuele Lugato

Phosphorous (P) is an essential nutrient for all crops, yet excess P leads to the pollution of the environment. Additionally, the mineral P fertilizer production uses rock P, a non-renewable resource that is on the critical raw materials list of the European Commission. This context calls for action to find ways to increase P use efficiency and reduce the loss of P to the environment. To come up with effective solutions, process-based models, such as DayCent, can help depict and investigate the effects of scenarios on the P cycle. On top of the calibrated Nitrogen and Carbon submodels, the P submodel of the biogeochemical model DayCent has recently been calibrated and tested using European long-term experiments. DayCent has a detailed representation of soil biogeochemistry and can reproduce the major effects of climate and agricultural management on crop production. We exemplify the possibility of the model to represent the current European agricultural soil P budget, including changes in the P pools in space and time. For this task, the model is run with data-derived soil characteristics and complemented with state-of-the-art input data sets. Additionally, the model is used to project the influence of various agricultural management scenarios from 2019 until 2030 and 2050 compared with a baseline of current agricultural practices targeted at different European biogeochemical hotspot areas. Finally, the detailed model and scenario results showcase a promising tool for assessing biogeochemical cycles in agricultural soils, including their interconnections.

How to cite: Muntwyler, A., Panagos, P., Pfister, S., and Lugato, E.: Modelling the phosphorus cycle in European agricultural soils under current and different management scenarios, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-16629, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-16629, 2023.

Discussion

Posters on site: Mon, 24 Apr, 14:00–15:45 | Hall X3

Chairpersons: Viia Lepane, Tonu Tonutare, Boris Jansen
X3.86
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EGU23-1623
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SSS5.11
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ECS
Effect of invasive alien plant species on chir pine forest understory vegetation composition, diversity and soil properties in the central Himalaya, India
(withdrawn)
Mukesh Kumar, Lala Saha, Shailendra Kumar, Rajendra Kumar Joshi, Abhishek K. Verma, and Satish Chandra Garkoti
X3.87
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EGU23-11961
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SSS5.11
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Rebecca Hood-Nowotny, Celia Fernández-Balado, Katharina Schott, Anna Wawra, Matthias Konzett, Maria Heiling, and Gerd Dercon

Use of cover crops, mulches and other soil management practices have been widely promoted within the EU, as measures to draw down carbon dioxide and increase soil organic carbon in the fight against climate change. These approaches are being investigated in a number of programs and projects EU-wide, for example the EJP-SOIL program.

We used a long-term fully replicated maize based field trial with different crop and soil management practices, namely residue incorporation and/or inclusion of a cover crop, to explore carbon sequestration potential. We used natural abundance stable isotope approaches to follow the fate and residence time of mulched residues and to determine the most stable organic matter pools in these systems. We measured isotope signatures in particulate organic matter (POM), mineral associated organic matter (MOAM), stable aggregate bound organic matter (IA-POM) and soil microbial biomass (Mi-BIO) to characterize the impact of the soil fraction, on the fate and stability of the carbon pool and to test a number of emerging paradigms in soil science. We hypothesized that the residence time of the POM fraction and MOAM fractions would be lower under higher nitrogen inputs and that it would be possibly to detect these shifts using a stable isotope approach. Moreover, we used handheld and unmanned aerial vehicle UAV-captured multispectral data to investigate impacts of management on a plot scale.

Preliminary results show that even at low mulch rates (<3 t plant material ha-1) mulching significantly increased soil carbon storage in the long term, albeit at lower rates than predicted. This increase was due to increases in SOM in the top-soil. As hypothesized mulch with lower C:N ratios contributed less to overall soil carbon storage, but whether this was due to differences in carbon accumulation in the short-term POM pool or long-term MOAM pool remains to be revealed by on-going isotope analysis. The high replication and detailed investigation of this long term field trial should allow us to tease out a number of processes in the carbon and nitrogen cycle and allow us recommend suitable management practices for increasing soil organic carbon stocks. 

How to cite: Hood-Nowotny, R., Fernández-Balado, C., Schott, K., Wawra, A., Konzett, M., Heiling, M., and Dercon, G.: Cover crop C inputs; Multiple aerial and isotope insights from a long-term field trial., EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-11961, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-11961, 2023.

X3.88
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EGU23-5437
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SSS5.11
Tibor Filep, Dóra Zacháry, Marianna Ringer, Gergely Jakab, and Zoltán Szalai

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) fraction of four soils with different vegetation types (grassland, spruce, oak, agricultural) were incubated at 15 °C and the chemical changes of organic matter were monitored by synchronous fluorescence and 2D-correlation spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that at the beginning of incubation, on day 3, the proportion of low molecular weight readily biodegradable compounds increases, and from day 8 onwards, the initiated microbial degradation generates a large number of medium molecular weight molecules. At further samplings (days 21, 35 and 60), the proportion of compounds of microbial origin decreases systematically, due to a decrease in microbial activity caused by the lack of substrate. In 2D correlation measurements, we found that the temporal change in spectral ranges was as follows: 250 → 290 → 360 nm. This provides spectroscopic evidence that microorganisms start to consume low molecular weight peptide or sugar-like substances and then release organic matter into the environment through their death and metabolism. At a later stage of incubation, they start to break down the higher molecular weight fulvic acid-like molecules.

We concluded that (i) similar patterns emerged in the spectral features of degradation for the four different soils: the dynamics of organic molecules with different size ranges were the same, (ii) a general scheme was found during the decomposition: microorganisms begin to break down the low-molecular-weight organic substances, and then, through their death and metabolism, release organic substances into their environment; finally, in the later stages of mineralization, the higher molecular weight, fulvic acid-like molecules are degraded and (iii) 2D-correlation spectroscopy has proven to be an effective tool for monitoring chemical changes in dissolved organic matter, revealing both simultaneous and sequential chemical events.

This work was supported by the Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary [grant No. NKFIH 132191].

How to cite: Filep, T., Zacháry, D., Ringer, M., Jakab, G., and Szalai, Z.: Investigation of the decay of DOM fraction in soils with different vegetation types by fluorescence and 2D-correlation spectroscopy, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-5437, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-5437, 2023.

X3.89
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EGU23-6965
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SSS5.11
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ECS
Dóra Zacháry, Tibor Filep, Áron Sziklai, Csilla Király, Gergely Jakab, Marianna Ringer, and Zoltán Szalai

The different environmental conditions (temperature, oxygen and water availabilities), microbial composition, availability of fresh organic inputs and textural and mineralogical properties of soil layers with the depth result differences between the origin, composition, C/N ratio and stability of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) of topsoils and subsoils.

This research examines the content and chemical composition of the DOM of topsoil and subsoil layers of a silty Luvisol and a sandy Arenosol. Both soils are derived from oak forests from Hungary. The soils were collected as composite samples (10 random subsamples within a 20 m × 20 m area) from the 0–20 and 30–50 cm layers.

The DOM was extracted with ultrapure water for 12 h at room temperature with a tumbling shaker. The sample was centrifuged for 35 min (1400 × g) and the supernatant was decanted and passed through a 250 µm-sieve. The fraction that passed through the sieve was filtrated through a 0.45 μm membrane filter to obtain the DOM samples. The filtered samples were acidified to pH 2 with HCl, passed through a solid phase extraction cartridge using a styrene divinyl benzene polymer sorbent (Agilent Mega Bond Elut PPL), eluted with methanol and dried.

The dried DOM samples were analyzed with a Bruker Vertex 70 FT-IR spectrometer. For each sample a spectral range of 4000–400 cm1, a resolution of 4 cm1, 128 scans, and three replicates were recorded. Relative absorbances were calculated for six peaks (2920, 2850, 1730, 1640, 1515, or 1420 cm1) representing characteristic organic matter compounds.

The dried DOM samples were dissolved in 0.05 M NaHCO3 solution in order to determine the C and N content and the fluorescence and UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopical properties. The total organic carbon and nitrogen content of the DOM samples were analysed using a TOC/TN analyser (Shimadzu TOC-L). The chemical composition of the DOM samples was determined using fluorescence (Shimadzu RF6000) and UV-VIS-NIR (Shimadzu UV3600) spectrometry. Excitation-emission matrices were obtained by measuring fluorescence intensity excitation wavelengths ranging from 230–450 nm and emission wavelengths ranging from 260–600 nm with 2 nm increments. Fluorescence, humification and biological indices were determined from the fluorescence spectra in order to determine the sources, structural complexity and humification degree of the DOM samples. Synchronous fluorescence spectra were recorded with a fixed wavelength difference (Δλ=18) to separate SOM components with different molecular weights. Specific UV absorption (SUVA254 and SUVA280, L mg-1 m-1) was calculated by dividing the absorption at 254 and 280 nm by the DOC concentration.

The study aimed to assess the differences between the sources and the structural and chemical variability of the DOM samples from varying soil depths with different textural properties.

This work was supported by the Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary [grant No. NKFIH 142936] and the Eötvös Loránd Research Network [grant No. SA41/2021].

How to cite: Zacháry, D., Filep, T., Sziklai, Á., Király, C., Jakab, G., Ringer, M., and Szalai, Z.: Origin and chemical composition of DOM fractions from topsoil and subsoil layers of a silty and a sandy forest soil using FT-IR and fluorescence spectroscopy, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-6965, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-6965, 2023.

X3.90
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EGU23-3208
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SSS5.11
Magdalena Sut-Lohmann, Mark Grimm, Martina Heinrich, Sawdha Baig, and Thomas Raab

Agriculture is a massive production with intensive practices, like large variety of agro-chemicals, heavy machinery etc., that support food security. However, recently more and more attention is given to food safety in relation to human, environment and soil health. An alternative strategy is organic agriculture that avoids the use of synthetic chemicals and maintain the sustainable food production. But organic farming cannot completely support the worlds foods demand, so adaptation is needed to reach a sustainable productivity while protecting the environment.

Soil nitrogen (N) pool consists of inorganic and organic fractions. Inorganic and a part of labile organic N is a primary nutrient source for plants and microbes. Different nitrogen fractions play various roles in soil ecosystems and can be strongly influenced by the site management. Soil nitrogen transformations are directly relatable to plant health, thus strongly influence healthy functioning of soil ecosystem. Knowledge about the soil nitrogen pools is necessary to assess the proper and sustainable fertilization approaches under various management practices. To evaluate various N fractions, fresh soil samples were sampled (20 cm depth, row and near tree) at 8 conventional and 8 organic apple farms (Germany: states of Brandenburg, Saxsony and Saxony-Anhalt), with various age, locations and management practices. Soil samples were analyzed using CNS, Kjeldhal digestion, spectrophotometer and chloroform fumigation. The aim of this study is to compare the total and labile (particulate organic, microbial biomass and water extractable organic) N fractions in soil samples considering various site management approaches, topography and climate.

 

How to cite: Sut-Lohmann, M., Grimm, M., Heinrich, M., Baig, S., and Raab, T.: Soil nitrogen pool and its fractions in German apple orchards under organic vs conventional management, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3208, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3208, 2023.

X3.91
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EGU23-9903
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SSS5.11
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ECS
Aikaterina (Katerina) Bouzaki, Lars Elsgaard, George Menexes, George Zanakis, and Georgios Giannopoulos

In the framework of the EU Green Deal, the reduction of chemical fertilization is promoted to enhance sustainable agriculture. An ecological option is to utilize the potential of soil microorganisms to improve plant growth and secure crop production. Past studies focused mainly on Rhizobia and their specific plant-growth promoting effects on target plant hosts (N-fixing). Recently, Lactobacilli (Firmicutes) gained increasing appreciation as soil nutrient regulators, besides their known plant protecting properties, for a broad range of plant hosts.

In this pot experiment, we studied the short-term effects of a Lactobacillus soil inoculant (LB) on tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L. var. extasi) and nitrogen kinetics, in two different soils (sandy (S), loamy (L)), with chemical (U; urea; 460 N mg/kg) and organic (DC; digestate compost; 22 g/kg) treatment. An unfertilized control (C) treatment for each soil was also included. The experiment lasted 115 days and two experimental setups run in parallel; soil containers a) without and b) with plants. During the experiment soil concentrations of NH4+, NO3-, NO2-, CO2 and N2O were measured. At the end of the experiment, additional agronomic traits (total biomass, total N) and soil N mineralization potential (AMN) were measured. 

The addition of LB in C and DC treatments increased soil NH4+ that ranged 1.5 – 28% relative to the treatments without LB, for both soils. When LB was added in the U treatment we observed a negative effect, -3% and -54% for L and S soil, respectively. A contradicting pattern was observed for soil NO3-, when LB was added in all treatments, soil NO3- increased and decreased in L and S soil, respectively. Soil NO2-, CO2 and N2O emissions increased in DC and U treatments for both soils, relative to C. Interestingly, when LB was added we observed a consistent decrease in soil NO2- and N2O emissions but a consistent increase in CO2 emissions for both soils was observed, relative to those treatments without LB. The addition of LB had a positive effect on plant biomass and total plant N for all treatments and for both soils, except U+LB treatment in S soil. As for AMN rates, there was not a consistent pattern.

In conclusion, our preliminary results indicate a positive effect of non-N-fixing lactobacilli inoculant on plant attributes for soils amended with compost. Furthermore, we documented a microbial approach to mitigate potential N2O emissions from organic amendments for the first time.

The BSc research work by Katerina Bouzaki was partly supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) under the 2nd Call for H.F.R.I. Postdoctoral Research Projects (#1053) awarded to Principal Investigator Dr. Georgios Giannopoulos.

This project was co-implemented with industrial partner Corteva Agriscience Hellas SA.     

How to cite: Bouzaki, A. (., Elsgaard, L., Menexes, G., Zanakis, G., and Giannopoulos, G.: Effects of Lactobacilli inoculum on tomato plants, soil nitrogen transformations and greenhouse gass emissions., EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-9903, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-9903, 2023.

X3.93
|
EGU23-4095
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SSS5.11
|
ECS
Zhenggang Du and Xuhui Zhou

Nitrogen (N) availability is one of the critical limiting factors regulating plant growth, microbial activity, and the interactions between plants and soil microorganisms. The competition between plants and microorganisms, represented by the ratio of microbial N immobilization and plant N uptake (measured as Nim: PNU ratio), generally reflects the degree of N limitation in a terrestrial ecosystem. However, the key factors driving the pattern of Nim: PNU ratio across global ecosystems remain little understood. Here, using a global data set of 1022 observations from 184 studies, we examined the relative importance of mycorrhizal associations, N availability, climate, plant, and soil properties on the Nim: PNU ratio. Our results show that mycorrhizal fungi type (arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) vs. ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi) in combination with soil N availability explain the variation in the Nim: PNU across terrestrial ecosystems. In AM fungi-associated ecosystems, the relation between Nim and PNU displayed a weaker negative correlation (r =-0.06, p < 0.001), whereas there was a stronger positive correlation (r = 0.25, p < 0.001) in EM fungi-associated ecosystems. Those results indicated that the AM-associated plants display a weak interaction with soil microorganisms for N absorption, while EM-associated plants cooperate with soil microorganisms. Further, we found that the Nim: PNU ratio for both AM- and EM-associated ecosystems gradually converge at a stable value (14.7 vs. 13.5, p > 0.05) with greater N availability. Our study thus highlights that plant-microbial interaction for N absorption both equalize and stabilize at increased N supply, and both these mechanisms primarily depend on the mycorrhizal association of plants in terrestrial ecosystems.

How to cite: Du, Z. and Zhou, X.: Plant-microbial interactions for nitrogen absorption converge between arbuscular- and ectomycorrhizal-dominated ecosystems at high nitrogen availability, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4095, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4095, 2023.

X3.94
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EGU23-10043
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SSS5.11
|
ECS
Tõnis Tõnutare, Tõnu Tõnutare, Raimo Kõlli, Kadri Krebstein, and Kersti Vennik

Phosphorus (P) is limiting plant nutrient in natural and agriculturally used soils. P is presented in soil composition of various inorganic (mineral) and organic compounds.  Organic P compounds are very strongly adsorbed on the mineral surfaces and are therefore not available to the plants. Desorption of P from mineral surfaces into soil solution would be more limited for organic P compounds compared to inorganic P compounds. It is suggested that organic P availability is limited mainly by the solubility of organic P compounds. Due to very few works on soil organic P there is not enough information about potential contribution to P availability in the soil–plant system.
The goal of this research was to investigate the correlation between soil organic phosphorus and fraction of organic phosphorus extracted by Mehlich 3 method. Also the impact of soil pH, organic carbon content and texture to this correlation is under interest. 

How to cite: Tõnutare, T., Tõnutare, T., Kõlli, R., Krebstein, K., and Vennik, K.: Organic P in soil and its extraction by Mehlich 3 method., EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-10043, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-10043, 2023.

X3.96
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EGU23-4568
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SSS5.11
Tonu Tonutare, Tõnis Tõnutare, Raimo Kõlli, Kadri Krebstein, and Kersti Vennik

During the last century multiple methods have been developed for the determination of the amount of plant available nutrient elements in the soil. One of the critical nutrient elements in soil is phosphorus. Most of the phosphorus exists in soil in the form of insoluble inorganic and organic compounds. Therefore the amount of plant available P is limited as soluble P. The goal in the development of methods is to find an extraction solution, which can extract the nutrients from soil in a similar amount as plant roots. Due to large variations in soil properties and plants abilities it is a very complicated task. 
Several methods for determination of plant available P in soils are P specific (Bray P1, Olsen, CAL). Many methods are developed using the same extractant for two (DL, Joret-Hebert) and three (AL, AAC-EDTA) element extraction simultaneously. To minimize the time of analysis and laboratory costs the focus of the research is directed to the development of multielement methods, which is usable for macro and micro nutrients analysis from the same extract.
One widely used multielement method is Mehlich 3, developed in 1983. This method is useful for determination of macro elements (P, K, Ca, Mg) and microelements (Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, B) in soil. As used extractant (0,2M CH3COOH, 0,25M NH4NO3, 0,015M NH4F, 0,013M HNO3, 0,001M EDTA) consists of nitrate (NO3-) ions, this method can not be  used to determine nitrate in soil. The modified multielement method was proposed by Yanai et al. in 2000, where the composition of the extraction solution is: 0,2M CH3COOH, 0,25M NH4Cl, 0,005M citric acid, and 0,05M HCl. As there are no nitrate ions in the composition of the solution, it could be used beside macro and micro nutrient elements also for nitrate content determination in soils. 
In our research soil sample sets with different pH, texture and carbon content were analyzed by Mehlich 3 and modified Mehlich 3 method. Correlations of analyzed P contents between methods and impact of soil properties to the correlations were investigated. 

How to cite: Tonutare, T., Tõnutare, T., Kõlli, R., Krebstein, K., and Vennik, K.: Soil phosphorus content determined by Mehlich 3 and modified Mehlich 3 methods, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4568, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4568, 2023.

X3.97
|
EGU23-2731
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SSS5.11
|
ECS
Shuang Liu, Xinyu Zhang, Huimin Wang, Junxiao Pan, Yuqian Tang, and Fusheng Chen

The regulation of N and P input on microbial communities is related to the bottom-up effects of soil resources (i.e., nutrients), and the top-down effects of predators (i.e., protists). However, it is not clear how exogenous N, P, and NP inputs effect on the bottom-up (pH, soil nutrients, and eco-stoichiometry ratio of C: N: P), and top-down (abundance and diversity of protist community) factors to estimate soil microbial community involved in C-, N-, and P- mineralization. In this study, we explored the effects of a 7-years N, P, and NP inputs on the bottom-up and top-down controls on the abundance and diversity of functional microbial communities in the subtropical Chinese fir plantations using metagenomic sequencing. The results showed that N and NP inputs decreased soil pH and soil acidifying cause a reduction in the alpha diversity of microbial function. Exacerbated soil microbial C limitation under N, P, and NP inputs was negatively correlated with the alpha diversity of metagenomic function. The alpha diversity of bacteria was negatively correlated with the ratios of soil total and available N: P, due to increasing available P content. Regarding top-down effects of protists on the abundance and diversity of microbial C-, N-, and P- mineralization community, P and NP inputs increased alpha diversity of protist, thus, selectively increased the relative abundances of Calditrichaeota involved in C-mineralization, and decreased the relative abundances of Elusimicrobia and Marinimicrobia involved in N-mineralization. Although protozoa feed on both bacteria and fungi, changes in protists under N, P, and NP inputs mainly affected bacterial diversity and abundance, with no significant changes in fungi. Overall, the present results provide important knowledge on bottom-up (pH, soil nutrients, and eco-stoichiometry ratio of C: N: P), and top-down (abundance and diversity of protist community) factors of the abundance and diversity of the microbial community involved in C, N and P mineralization in the context of elevated N and P input.

How to cite: Liu, S., Zhang, X., Wang, H., Pan, J., Tang, Y., and Chen, F.: Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus inputs on the diversity of carbon-, nitrogen-, and phosphorus- mineralization microbial communities in subtropical Chinese fir plantations, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-2731, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-2731, 2023.

X3.98
|
EGU23-1544
|
SSS5.11
|
ECS
Kaiyu Lei, Franziska Bucka, Sigrid van Grinsven, Jörg Völkel, and Ingrid Kögel-Knabner

The impacts of land use on organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) in different ecosystems have been widely studied. However, less attention has been paid to its influence on the change of total phosphorus (Pt) and its two fractions, inorganic P (Pi) and organic P (Po), along slopes. In addition, since N and P are the main factors causing the eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems, it is essential to link the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Two slope-floodplain-creek catenas were chosen in the low mountain region of the eastern Bavarian Forest. The slopes of the two catenas have been extensively managed for grassland and cropland use, respectively. The floodplain was under grassland use. They were fertilized with sludge, occasionally with farmyard manure, under the same regime. Additional carbonic magnesium lime was applied annually at the cropland. Soil profiles at the top, middle and bottom slope, as well as the floodplain area, were sampled according to their horizons and replicated with three soil cores in each catena. Liquid-nitrogen freeze-cores of the aquatic sediments were sampled to extend each catena into the below-slope creek.

We found the grassland slope had higher OC and N content in the topsoil (0-10 cm) and higher Pt and Po content in both the topsoil (0-40 cm) and subsoil (40-60 cm). The P content in the topsoil (0-40cm) of the grassland slope was dominated by Po, while the cropland slope was Pi -dominated. The OC and N stocks on the grassland slope were significantly higher than at the corresponding position on the cropland slope. Except for the lowest P stock found on the top slope of grassland, the Pt stock in topsoil (0-20 cm) was not land-use affected while the Po stock was significantly higher on the grassland slope. An accumulation of OC, N and Po in topsoil (0-20 cm) from top to bottom of the slope was observed. In the floodplain, upslope cropland use decreased the OC, N, Pt content and stocks, but reversely for Po. The upslope land use effect on OC, N and P content in the creek sediment was limited.

In conclusion, this study provides a field-based observation on the change of OC, N and P (Pt and Po) under different land use upslope from terrestrial to aquatic systems through two slope-floodplain-creek catenas.

How to cite: Lei, K., Bucka, F., van Grinsven, S., Völkel, J., and Kögel-Knabner, I.: Changes in soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus along two temperate slope-floodplain-creek catenas under different land use - A case study in Southeast Germany, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-1544, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-1544, 2023.

Posters virtual: Mon, 24 Apr, 14:00–15:45 | vHall SSS

Chairpersons: Anna Gunina, Boris Jansen, Viia Lepane
vSSS.1
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EGU23-4294
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SSS5.11
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ECS
|
solicited
Zengming Chen, Ye Li, and Weixin Ding

Dissolved organic matter (DOM), the most active functional component of soil organic matter (SOM), plays a vital role in regulating soil biogeochemical processes and accumulation and decomposition of SOM and their responses to global change. Although the quantity and fluxes of soil DOM has been inventoried across diverse spatio-temporal scales, the underlying mechanisms accounting for the variability in DOM dynamics remain unclear especially in upland ecosystems.

Mollisols is famous for its high fertility and is vital for global crop production. Northeast China is one of the three Mollisols regions in the world, contributing to 1/4 of Chinese grain production. However, a loss of SOM has occurred in this area over the past decades, both in its content and activity. Understanding the processes involved in DOM transformations is of critical importance for SOM management. Here, a gradient of SOM storage across twelve Mollisols uplands with various cultivation years in northeast China were used to understand links between DOM dynamics, microbial metabolism, and abiotic conditions. We assessed the composition, biodegradability and key biodegradable components of DOM. In addition, SOM and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) composition, soil enzyme activities, oxygen availability, soil texture, and iron (Fe), Fe-bound organic matter and nutrient concentrations were quantified to clarify the drivers of DOM quality.

Changes in concentrations of DOM and SOM were tightly coupled across various croplands. The proportion of biodegradable DOM increased exponentially with decreasing DOM concentration. Spectral analyses showed that larger fractions of small-molecular phenols and proteinaceous components mainly contributed to the greater biodegradability of DOM. Unexpectedly, the composition of DOM was decoupled from that of SOM or MAOM, but significantly related to enzymatic properties. Further analyses indicated that soil oxygen availability exhibited a dominant role in DOM generation. As DOM concentration declined, increased soil oxygen availability regulated DOM composition and enhanced its biodegradability mainly through three ways: 1) stimulated oxidase-catalyzed depolymerization of humic substances into small aromatic molecules; 2) promoted production of protein-like DOM components due to lower enzymatic C/N acquisition ratio; and 3) oxygen-induced oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) removed complex DOM compounds with large molecular weight. Therefore, along with aggregates fragmentation during the decline of SOM in Mollisols with longer cultivation history, the increased oxygen availability improved the biodegradability of DOM and accelerated the turnover and loss of active SOM pool.

Overall, this study demonstrated the cascading effects of oxygen on soil Fe oxidation-reduction, microbial metabolism and the dynamics of DOM, which would help understand the processes of labile SOM transformations and interactions among various drivers and improve the SOM managements in upland ecosystems and the predictions of responses of soil carbon to climate change.

How to cite: Chen, Z., Li, Y., and Ding, W.: Oxygen availability regulates the persistence of soil dissolved organic matter by mediating microbial metabolism and iron oxidation, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4294, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4294, 2023.

vSSS.2
|
EGU23-13173
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SSS5.11
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solicited
|
Olga Gavrichkova, Sofia Sushko, Lilit Ovsepyan, Ilya Yevdokimov, Alexandra Komarova, Anna Zhuravleva, Sergey Blagodatsky, and Kristina Ivashchenko

Mountains occupy almost a quarter of the land area and store significant pools of soil organic matter (SOM), which is a potential source of atmospheric CO2 under warming climate. However, carbon fluxes in mountain areas with high environmental heterogeneity remain poorly understood, in particular regarding the spatial variability of soil respiration (RS). The study was conducted on the northeastern slope of the Northwest Caucasus Mountains (1260-2480 m a.s.l.; Russia) that crossed five vegetation belts (i.e., mixed, fir and deciduous forests, subalpine and alpine meadows). RS was measured simultaneously (at 10 a.m. on 11 August 2018) across five vegetation belts (at 12 randomly distributed points per belt; totally n = 60) using the closed static chamber technique. As potential drivers of RS spatial variability, soil physico-chemical (temperature, moisture, total and dissolved C and N contents, C:N ratio, pH), soil microbial (microbial biomass C content, basal respiration, enzymatic activities: β-glucosidase, chitinase and leucine aminopeptidase) and vegetation properties (grasses projective cover, its species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, abundance of graminoids and forbs) were assessed. The RS rate ranged from 1.3-12.7 µmol CO2 m-1 s-1, with average values of 3.7 and 7.3 µmol CO2 m-1 s-1 for forests and grasslands respectively. Stepwise regression and subsequent path analysis showed that key driver of RS spatial variability in forests was temperature-sensitive soil chitinase activity (explained variance 50%), while in grasslands it was graminoid abundance (explained variance 27%). The forest soils are mostly limited in N, therefore RS variability depends largely on SOM-derived CO2 sources, i.e. activity of the N-acquiring enzyme. In the grasslands, extensive network of fine roots and the associated considerable contribution of root-derived respiration to Rs, makes the flux more sensitive to vegetation composition and associated phenology and C allocation patterns. Thus, soil N availability and differences in plant cover play a crucial role in regulation of RS spatial patterns in mountains ecosystems.

This study was financially supported by Russian Science Foundation, No 22-74-10124.

How to cite: Gavrichkova, O., Sushko, S., Ovsepyan, L., Yevdokimov, I., Komarova, A., Zhuravleva, A., Blagodatsky, S., and Ivashchenko, K.: Drivers of spatial variability of soil respiration along altitudinal gradient in Northwest Caucasus Mountains, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-13173, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-13173, 2023.

vSSS.3
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EGU23-17165
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SSS5.11
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solicited
Andrea Vitali, Federica Russo, Francesco Vidotto, Eleonora Francesca Miniotti, Luisella Celi, Marco Romani, and Daniel Said Pullicino

Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is considered as an effective water-saving practice for rice cultivation widely applied across the world. Although AWD can reduce global warming potential compared to continuous flooding (CF), it may have negative effects on N availability for crop by promoting N losses (nitrification-denitrification, leaching) and immobilization, due to the frequent soil redox cycling. By means of a growth chamber pot experiment and a 15N stable isotope approach we investigated the interactions between water, crop residue and fertilizer N management on the contribution of different N sources (i.e. fertilizer, rice straw, soil) to rice plant N uptake. We hypothesized that with respect to CF, AWD will decrease plant uptake of fertilizer (FDN), straw (StDN), and soil (SDN) derived N due to greater losses, greater microbial N immobilization during residue turnover under oxic conditions, and less N supply from soil organic matter (OM) desorbed under reducing conditions. Moreover, we hypothesized that the underlying processes will be influence by the timing of straw addition with respect to flooding and the temporal distribution of mineral N application.

Rice was grown for 60 d in a factorial setup including: (i) two water regimes: CF for 60 d vs. AWD (30 d of flooding followed by 30 d of alternating conditions involving 3 drain-flood cycles), and (ii) three straw and fertilizer managements that involved a combination of straw addition (10 Mg ha-1) 30 or 60 d before seeding (S30 and S60, respectively), and N fertilization (ammonium sulfate) split between pre-seeding and tillering in 60+60 or 80+40 kg N ha-1, such that treatments compared were S30-N60-N60, S30-N80-N40 and S60-N60‑N60. 15N-enriched fertilizer and straw were used in separate replicated setups to quantify the relative contribution of FDN, StDN and SDN to plant N uptake, as well as fertilizer use efficiency (FUE).

Plant N was mainly soil and fertilizer-derived (≈ 58 and 40%, respectively), while straw only contribute a minor amount (< 3%). Although AWD reduced total N uptake by about 10-13% with respect to CF, FDN and FUE were only slightly affected by water management, suggesting that differences in N nutrition did not depend exclusively on fertilizer N losses. SDN contributed more to plant nutrition in CF than in AWD, particularly when straw was incorporated in proximity to flooding. The combination of a fresh OM supply and reducing conditions under CF favoured the reductive dissolution of Fe oxides and desorption of soil OM that increase soil N supply via mineralization. StDN contributed less to plant nutrition in AWD than in CF albeit the higher mineralization rates we expected with more frequent oxic conditions. We attributed this to a higher microbial N demand under aerobic conditions that leads to a greater immobilization SDN during decomposition. The higher SDN and StDn for N60-N60 treatment with respect to N80-N40 suggested that an equilibrated splitting of N fertilizer between pre‑seeding and tillering stages could favor microbial activity under AWD improving straw degradation and soil N release.

This research was funded by the Lombardy Region through the project RISWAGEST

How to cite: Vitali, A., Russo, F., Vidotto, F., Miniotti, E. F., Celi, L., Romani, M., and Pullicino, D. S.: Interaction between water, crop residue and fertilization management on the source-differentiated nitrogen uptake by rice, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-17165, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-17165, 2023.