Seasonal Dynamics of Soil Labile Organic Carbon and Enzyme Activities in Relation to Vegetation Types in Hangzhou Bay Tidal Flat Wetland

PLoS One. 2015 Nov 11;10(11):e0142677. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142677. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Soil labile organic carbon and soil enzymes play important roles in the carbon cycle of coastal wetlands that have high organic carbon accumulation rates. Soils under three vegetations (Phragmites australis, Spartina alterniflora, and Scirpusm mariqueter) as well as bare mudflat in Hangzhou Bay wetland of China were collected seasonally. Seasonal dynamics and correlations of soil labile organic carbon fractions and soil enzyme activities were analyzed. The results showed that there were significant differences among vegetation types in the contents of soil organic carbon (SOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), excepting for that of microbial biomass carbon (MBC). The P. australis soil was with the highest content of both SOC (7.86 g kg-1) and DOC (306 mg kg-1), while the S. mariqueter soil was with the lowest content of SOC (6.83 g kg-1), and the bare mudflat was with the lowest content of DOC (270 mg kg-1). Soil enzyme activities were significantly different among vegetation types except for urease. The P. australis had the highest annual average activity of alkaline phosphomonoesterase (21.4 mg kg-1 h-1), and the S. alterniflora had the highest annual average activities of β-glycosidase (4.10 mg kg-1 h-1) and invertase (9.81 mg g-1 24h-1); however, the bare mudflat had the lowest activities of alkaline phosphomonoesterase (16.2 mg kg-1 h-1), β-glycosidase (2.87 mg kg-1 h-1), and invertase (8.02 mg g-1 24h-1). Analysis also showed that the soil labile organic carbon fractions and soil enzyme activities had distinct seasonal dynamics. In addition, the soil MBC content was significantly correlated with the activities of urease and β-glucosidase. The DOC content was significantly correlated with the activities of urease, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, and invertase. The results indicated that vegetation type is an important factor influencing the spatial-temporal variation of soil enzyme activities and labile organic carbon in coastal wetlands.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bays
  • Biomass
  • Carbon / chemistry*
  • Carbon Cycle
  • China
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Geography
  • Glycoside Hydrolases / analysis
  • Nitrogen / chemistry
  • Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / analysis
  • Phosphorus / chemistry
  • Seasons
  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants / chemistry*
  • Wetlands*
  • beta-Fructofuranosidase / analysis

Substances

  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants
  • Phosphorus
  • Carbon
  • Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases
  • Glycoside Hydrolases
  • beta-Fructofuranosidase
  • Nitrogen

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Non-profit Research Institution (CAFYBB2014MA002, RISFCAF61256) and Special Fund for Forest Scientific Research in the Public Welfare (201404210). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.