Short-term Low Nitrogen Addition Alters the Molecular Composition and Stability of Soil Dissolved Organic Matter in a Pinus taiwanensis Forest
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1.College of Tourism, Wuyi University, Wuyishan;2.School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University;3.Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Resources and Environment, Fujian Normal University

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Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32201532 and 32371846) and the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province, China (Nos. 2020J01397 and 2020J01142)

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    Abstract:

    【Objective】Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is highly sensitive to environmental changes, and its dynamic changes are crucial for understanding regional/global carbon cycling under global change scenarios. However, it is not yet clear how the characteristics of soil DOM molecules change under nitrogen deposition. This study aimed to investigate the response of DOM molecular composition and stability to nitrogen addition. 【Method】In this study, three nitrogen addition levels (0, 40, and 80 kg?hm-2?a-1) were conducted in a Pinus taiwanensis forest by using urea addition to simulate nitrogen deposition in the field. The effect of short-term (three years) nitrogen addition on the molecular composition of DOM and its stability was investigated using high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). 【Result】The results of FT-ICR MS analysis revealed that DOM molecules were mainly concentrated in 250-400 Da, and CHO compounds accounted for more than 50% of all compounds. Of the eight types of DOM molecules, lignin-like molecules dominated all soil DOM molecules, followed by tannins and condensed aromatics, with the relative abundance of readily decomposable small molecules (including lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates) being low. There was no statistically significant change in the content and optical properties of DOM under nitrogen addition, but significant changes occurred in the properties and composition of DOM molecules. Compared to high nitrogen treatment, low nitrogen treatment significantly reduced the relative abundance of carbohydrate molecules in DOM by 73.33%. This may be largely attributed to the increase in microbial biomass and hydrolytic enzyme activities. Nitrogen addition did not change the nitrogen-containing compounds in DOM molecules, but reduced the sulfur-containing compounds. Furthermore, the average molecular weight and ratio of double bond equivalent to carbon atom number (DBE/C), modified aromaticity index (AImod), and aromaticity equivalent (Xc) of DOM molecule did not show significant changes under nitrogen addition. However, a significant increase in DBE values was observed under low nitrogen addition, indicating an improvement in the molecular stability of DOM. The improvement of DOM molecular stability may have a potential impact on soil carbon pool stability. Pearson""s correlation analysis revealed that DBE values were significantly negatively correlated with small molecule compounds such as carbohydrates and proteins/amino sugars, while the correlation with large molecules such as lignin and condensed aromatics was not significant. Besides, nitrogen addition did not significantly change the difficult-to-decompose molecules such as lignin and condensed aromatic compounds in DOM. This suggests that the molecular stability of DOM under short-term nitrogen addition may depend on the removal of readily decomposable small molecules, such as carbohydrates, rather than the increment of refractory molecules.【Conclusion】Collectively, this study provides a new perspective at the molecular level for understanding the behavior of soil DOM under nitrogen deposition, and a reference for understanding the potential relationship between DOM molecules and soil carbon stability.

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History
  • Received:November 16,2023
  • Revised:March 25,2024
  • Adopted:June 18,2024
  • Online: June 21,2024
  • Published: