Agricultural land use decouples soil nutrient cycles in a subtropical riparian wetland in China
Wang, Weiqi (Fujian shi fan da xue. Institute of Geography)
Wang, Chun (Fujian shi fan da xue. Institute of Geography)
Sardans i Galobart, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Min, Qingwen (Zhongguo ke xue yuan. Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research)
Zeng, Congsheng (Fujian shi fan da xue. Institute of Geography)
Tong, Chuan (Fujian shi fan da xue. Institute of Geography)
Peñuelas, Josep (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)

Date:	2015
Abstract:	We examined the impact of human changes in land use on the concentrations and stoichiometric relationships among soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in a Phragmites australis riparian wetland (Minjiang River estuary, China). We compared a natural (unaltered) wetland with five altered land uses: intertidal mudflat culture and vegetable, flower, fruit and rice cultivations. All these land uses decreased C, N and K soil concentrations relative to those in the P. australis wetland. The close relationship between total soil C and N concentrations, under all land uses, suggested that N was the most limiting nutrient in these wetlands. The lower N concentrations, despite the use of N fertilizers, indicated the difficulty of avoiding N limitation in the agricultural land. Croplands, except rice cultivation, had lower soil N:P ratios than the original P. australis wetland, consistent with the tendency of favoring species adapted to high rates of growth (low N:P ratio). The release of soil C was less and the soil C:N and C:P ratios higher in the natural P. australis riparian wetland than in the croplands, whereas C storage was more similar. The levels of soil C storage were generally opposite to those of C release, indicating that C release by respiration was the most important factor controlling C storage. Cropland soil management promotes faster nutrient and C cycles and changes in soil nutrient stoichiometry. These impacts can further hinder the regeneration of natural vegetation by nutrient imbalances and increase C-cycling and C emissions.
Grants:	European Commission 610028 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2009/SGR-458 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CGL2010-17172/BOS
Note:	Altres ajuts rebuts per a dur a terme el treball: Grant from the National Science Foundation of China (31000209)
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Nitrogen ; Phosphorus ; N:P ; Land-use change ; Decoupling of nutrient ; Stoichiometry
Published in:	Catena, Vol. 133 (October 2015), p. 171-178, ISSN 1872-6887

DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2015.05.003

Post-print 34 p, 706.4 KB

Supplementary information 13 p, 260.7 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) > Imbalance-P
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