In Eastern China, wetlands are common in the lower reaches of catchments or in coastal zones. Wetlands are at risk from eutrophication because of the large quantities of phosphorus (P) they receive from rivers. They are also decreasing in size. In this contribution, we present information about the composition of P in wetland soils, obtained using the Standards, Measurements, and Testing (SMT) protocol and (31)P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Average P concentrations varied in the different wetland soils and, in four of the five wetlands sampled, exceeded 500 mg∙kg(-1). HCl-inorganic P (Pi) was the main Pi fraction in wetland soils. The percentage contribution of Pi (89.7 %) to total P was the highest in the Yangtze River estuary wetland. Six P components were detected by (31)P-NMR analysis. Mono-P was the main organic P (Po) in wetland soils. Orthophosphate (Ortho-P) was positively and negatively related to NaOH-Pi (R (2) = 0.957, p < 0.001) and HCl-Pi (R (2) = -0.689, p < 0.001), respectively. Orthophosphate monoesters (Mono-P) were positively related to Po (R (2) = 0.617, p < 0.001) and ortho-P (R (2) = 0.624, p < 0.001), respectively. The main Po component was Mono-P, and it may be mineralized to ortho-P under the frequently changing redox conditions in wetland soils. The information from this study will support the development of robust scientific and effective policy for P management in wetlands.
Keywords: Organic phosphorus; P-NMR; Phosphorus; SMT; Soil; Wetland.