Impact of land-use types on soil nitrogen net mineralization in the sandstorm and water source area of Beijing, China

Changes of land-use type (LUT) can affect soil nutrient pools and cycling processes that relate long-term sustainability of ecosystem, and can also affect atmospheric CO2 concentrations and global warming through soil respiration. We conducted a comparative study to determine NH4+ and NO3− concentrations in soil profiles (0–200 cm) and examined the net nitrogen (N) mineralization and net nitrification in soil surface (0–20 cm) of adjacent naturally regenerated secondary forests (NSF), man-made forests (MMF), grasslands and cropland soils from the windy arid and semi-arid Hebei plateau, the sandstorm and water source area of Beijing, China. Cropland and grassland soils showed significantly higher inorganic N concentrations than forest soils. NO3−-N accounted for 50–90% of inorganic N in cropland and grassland soils, while NH4+-N was the main form of inorganic N in NSF and MMF soils. Average net N-mineralization rates (mg kg−1 d−1) were much higher in native ecosystems (1.51 for NSF soils and 1.24 for grassland soils) than in human disturbed LUT (0.15 for cropland soils and 0.85 for MMF soils). Net ammonification was low in all the LUT while net nitrification was the major process of net N mineralization. For more insight in urea transformation, the increase in NH4+ and, NO3− concentrations as well as C mineralization after urea addition was analyzed on whole soils. Urea application stimulated the net soil C mineralization and urea transformation pattern was consistent with net soil N mineralization, except that the rate was slightly slower. Land-use conversion from NSF to MMF, or from grassland to cropland decreased soil net N mineralization, but increased net nitrification after 40 years or 70 years, respectively. The observed higher rates of net nitrification suggested that land-use conversions in the Hebei plateau might lead to N losses in the form of nitrate.