Variability of soil N cycling and N2O emission in a mixed deciduous forest with different abundance of beech

Abstract

The mixture of other broadleaf species into beech forests in Central Europe leads to an increase of tree species diversity, which may alter soil biochemical processes. This study was aimed at 1) assessing differences in gross rates of soil N cycling among deciduous stands of different beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) abundance in a limestone area, 2) analyzing the relationships between gross rates of soil N cycling and forest stand N cycling, and 3) quantifying N2O emission and determining its relationship with gross rates of soil N cycling. We used N-15 pool dilution techniques for soil N transformation measurement and chamber method for N2O flux measurement. Gross rates of mineral N production in the 0-5 cm mineral soil increased across stands of decreasing beech abundance and increasing soil clay content. These rates were correlated with microbial biomass which, in turn, was influenced by substrate quantity, quality and soil fertility. Leaf litter-N, C:N ratio and base saturation in the mineral soil increased with decreasing beech abundance. Soil mineral N production and assimilation by microbes were tightly coupled, resulting in low N2O emissions. Annual N2O emissions were largely contributed by the freeze-thaw event emissions, which were correlated with the amount of soil microbial biomass. Our results suggest that soil N availability may increase through the mixture of broadleaf species into beech forests.