Abstract:【Objective】Under the influence of root, rhizosphere soil has rich nutrients and active microbial biochemical activities, and its nitrogen (N) cycling process is significantly faster than that of non-rhizosphere soil. However, whether rhizospheric N transformation characteristics differ among root diameters, and whether their responses to N deposition are significant remain unclear. 【Method】This study focused on non-rhizosphere and rhizosphere soil with different root diameters of Pinus tabuliformis on the Loess Plateau of China (very fine root, 0-0.5 mm; medium fine root, >0.5-1.0 mm; coarse fine root, >1.0-2.0 mm). Additionally, long-term experimental plots were established with four simulated N deposition levels (N 0, 3, 6, 9 g·m-2·a-1). An indoor incubation experiment was carried out to determine changes in soil net N mineralization and nitrification rates of non-rhizosphere soil and rhizosphere soil with different root diameters, as well as their responses to N deposition. 【Result】The results showed that: 1) The net N transformation rates in rhizosphere soil varied significantly among different root diameters (P<0.05), and the highest rates were observed in rhizosphere soil of very fine root (2.16 mg·kg-1·d-1 for mean net N mineralization rate and 6.67 mg·kg-1·d-1 for mean net nitrification rate). 2) With the increase of N addition, net N mineralization and net nitrification rates decreased first and then increased, peaking at N 6 g·m-2·a-1 or 9 g·m-2·a-1 treatment. In contrast, the net N transformation rates of non-rhizosphere soil were significantly inhibited by N addition (P<0.05). Moreover, net N transformation rate of rhizosphere soil of very fine root was more sensitive to N addition than that of coarse root and non-rhizosphere soil. 3) Correlation analysis and structural equation model showed that low N addition inhibited net N transformation rates through its significant association with soil ammonium content, whereas high N addition enhanced rates via significant linkage to soil carbon-nitrogen ratio. 【Conclusion】N deposition significantly altered the N transformation process of rhizosphere soil, with distinct variations observed among different root diameters. Therefore, strengthening the study of N transformation process in plant rhizosphere soil is helpful to refine the rhizosphere effect and the assessment of forest soil N cycle.