『Abstract
This study investigated how nitrogen (N) fertilization with 200
kg urea N ha-1 of an intermediate-aged Pacific Northwest
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) stand influenced forest-floor
CO2 and N2O fluxes over
a period of two years. Forest-floor CO2 efflux
(Rs) measurements were made continuously
with an automated non-steady-state chamber system as well as at
2-4 weekly intervals with manual non-steady-state chambers. Soil
N2O flux was measured using the static chamber
technique. Soil CO2 efflux measurements were
made (a) in a completely-randomized design field experiment with
four replication of fertilization and trenching treatments, (b)
in soil columns in the laboratory, and (c) as a part of long-term
flux monitoring in the field, using an automated chamber, for
four years fertilization and two years post-fertilization. Another
field experiment compared the effect of regular urea and a slow-release-urea
(Environmentally Smart N (ESN)) on forest-floor CO2
and N2O fluxes. We also studied the effects
of N fertilization on decomposition of a standard substrate in
the field. Our field measurements showed that N fertilization
resulted in a significant short-term (over 3-4 months) increase
in Rs due to an increase in autotrophic (or
rhizospheric) soil respiration after which a small decrease in
heterotrophic soil respiration (Rh) was observed.
However, our laboratory measurements showed that N application
had no effect on Rh in mineral soil, but
a small but consistent increase for 10 weeks when the mineral
soil had an LFH (litter-fibric-humus) layer on the surface. Fertilization
resulted in significant N2O emissions in
the first year with its peak rate almost coinciding with peak
CO2 emissions. In the second year, however,
we found no N2O emissions, but rather a small
uptake in all treatments. The increase in Rs
with N addition generally continued until N2O
emissions began to decline, suggesting that most of the applied
urea-N was rendered unavailable within the first 4 months. The
results further suggest the lack of bioavailable C and hence insignificant
microbial immobilization of applied N, because otherwise the latter
would have resulted in an appreciable increase in Rh.
Keywords: Soil respiration; Soil CO2 efflux;
N2O emissions; Denitrification; Forest fertilization;
Greenhouse gases』
1. Introduction
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Site description and weather measurements
2.2. Measurement of soil respiration
2.2.1. Trenched-plot experiment
2.2.2. N source experiment
2.2.3. Long-term Rs monitoring
2.2.4. Laboratory column study
2.3. Measurement of soil N2O fluxes
2.4. An ancillary experiment
3. Results
3.1. Weather
3.2. Soil CO2 effluxes
3.3. Soil N2O emissions
4. Discussion
4.1. Effect of N fertilization on soil respiration
4.2. Effect of N fertilization on N2O emissions
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References