TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of soil origin and current microclimate conditions on nitrogen mineralization in forest soil on different slope aspects in Hokkaido, Japan
AU - Hishi, Takuo
AU - Urakawa, Rieko
AU - Shibata, Hideaki
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank the collaborators of the ReSIN project for their research collaboration and for discussion about this work. We would like to thank the technical staff of Ashoro Research Forest of Kyushu University (Sachiko Inoue, Keiichiro Cho, Kouhei Yamauchi, and Taketo Ogata) for their technical support. This study was supported by the JSPS KAKENHI Grant numbers 22248016, 25252026, and 25850111. We would like to thank Editage (http://www.editage.jp) for providing English language editing. These studies were conducted as part of the research project “ReSIN; Regional and comparative soil incubation study on nitrogen dynamics in forest ecosystems.”
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, The Ecological Society of Japan.
PY - 2017/9/1
Y1 - 2017/9/1
N2 - Climate change may alter the rate of soil N transformation. Therefore, it is important to investigate how climate conditions and soil properties affect soil N transformation. In the present study, soil transplantation experiments were performed using soils on a xeric south-facing slope and a mesic north-facing slope in cool-temperate broad-leaved natural forests. Soil N transformation rates and leaching between slopes were compared using the resin-core method to clarify whether soil history (soil origins) or current environmental condition (locations) is the most important factor affecting soil N dynamics. The annual N mineralization did not differ significantly among soil from different origins and locations. In both locations, the annual net ammonification in south-facing soils was higher than that in north-facing soils, whereas the annual nitrification of north-facing soil was higher than that of south-facing soil. N mineralization and nitrification in north-facing soil were significantly higher during the growing season. N mineralization in south-facing soil was not significantly different between seasons. The interaction effect among seasons, soil origin, and location on net ammonification was significant. Net ammonification was higher in south-facing than in north-facing soils, and on south-facing than on north-facing slopes during the dormant season, suggesting that environmental change during winter affected the ammonification of south-facing soil. During the dormant season, N mineralization and leaching were not enhanced in soil of either origin at the transplanted locations, compared with the original locations, suggesting that, in this region, snow regime changes might not enhance the risk of N loss from forest ecosystems.
AB - Climate change may alter the rate of soil N transformation. Therefore, it is important to investigate how climate conditions and soil properties affect soil N transformation. In the present study, soil transplantation experiments were performed using soils on a xeric south-facing slope and a mesic north-facing slope in cool-temperate broad-leaved natural forests. Soil N transformation rates and leaching between slopes were compared using the resin-core method to clarify whether soil history (soil origins) or current environmental condition (locations) is the most important factor affecting soil N dynamics. The annual N mineralization did not differ significantly among soil from different origins and locations. In both locations, the annual net ammonification in south-facing soils was higher than that in north-facing soils, whereas the annual nitrification of north-facing soil was higher than that of south-facing soil. N mineralization and nitrification in north-facing soil were significantly higher during the growing season. N mineralization in south-facing soil was not significantly different between seasons. The interaction effect among seasons, soil origin, and location on net ammonification was significant. Net ammonification was higher in south-facing than in north-facing soils, and on south-facing than on north-facing slopes during the dormant season, suggesting that environmental change during winter affected the ammonification of south-facing soil. During the dormant season, N mineralization and leaching were not enhanced in soil of either origin at the transplanted locations, compared with the original locations, suggesting that, in this region, snow regime changes might not enhance the risk of N loss from forest ecosystems.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85025837017&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85025837017&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11284-017-1487-7
DO - 10.1007/s11284-017-1487-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85025837017
SN - 0912-3814
VL - 32
SP - 725
EP - 733
JO - Ecological Research
JF - Ecological Research
IS - 5
ER -
