Effects of inorganic nitrogen and litters of Masson Pine on soil organic carbon decomposition

PLoS One. 2019 Sep 26;14(9):e0222973. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222973. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization represents one of the largest fluxes in the global carbon cycle. Numerous studies have shown that soil organic carbon decomposition was largely changed owing to the addition of litter, however very few studies have focused on the role of plant organs in the priming effects (PEs). Here, we studied the effects of different Pinus massoniana organs (fresh leaf, leaf litter, twigs, absorptive fine roots, and transport fine roots) on C4 soil respiration by applying the 13C isotopic natural abundance method. Results showed that the effects of plant organs on PEs were significantly different at the end of 210 days incubation, which can be ascribed to contrasting organs traits especially non-structural carbohydrates and water-soluble compounds. Transport fine roots and fresh leaf induced positive PE, whereas absorptive fine roots induced negative PE. Leaf litter did not change the native SOC decomposition. Plant organ addition can change the microbial community and result in the reduction of bacteria-to-fungi ratio. Our results suggest that with regard to determining the PE of the entire ecosystem, using fresh leaf to represent leaf litter and aboveground to represent underground is implausible.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / metabolism
  • Biomineralization
  • Carbon / analysis
  • Carbon / metabolism*
  • Carbon Cycle*
  • Forests
  • Fungi / metabolism
  • Microbiota
  • Nitrogen / metabolism
  • Pinus / chemistry*
  • Pinus / microbiology
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry
  • Plant Leaves / microbiology
  • Plant Roots / chemistry
  • Plant Roots / microbiology
  • Soil / chemistry*
  • Soil Microbiology*

Substances

  • Soil
  • Carbon
  • Nitrogen

Grants and funding

This work received support from: National Natural Science Foundation of China U1805243; key research program of Frontier Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,Key Laboratory of Drug Research (CN) QYZDBSSW- DQC002-03; Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences 2017239 Weidong Zhang; National Key Research and Development Program of China 2016YFA060080203 Weidong Zhang.