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Drivers of soil net nitrogen mineralization in the temperate grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China

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Abstract

Soil net nitrogen mineralization (NNM) of four grasslands across the elevation and precipitation gradients was studied in situ in the upper 0–10 cm soil layer using the resin-core technique in Xilin River basin, Inner Mongolia, China during the growing season of 2006. The primary objectives were to examine variations of NNM among grassland types and the main influencing factors. These grasslands included Stipa baicalensis (SB), Aneulolepidum Chinense (AC), Stipa grandis (SG), and Stipa krylovii (SK) grassland. The results showed that the seasonal variation patterns of NNM were similar among the four grasslands, the rates of NNM and nitrification were highest from June to August, and lowest in September and October during the growing season. The rates of NNM and nitrification were affected significantly by the incubation time, and they were positively correlated with soil organic carbon content, total soil nitrogen (TN) content, soil temperature, and soil water content, but the rates of NNM and nitrification were negatively correlated with available N, and weakly correlated with soil pH and C:N ratio. The sequences of the daily mean rates of NNM and nitrification in the four grasslands during the growing season were AC > SG > SB > SK, and TN content maybe the main affecting factors which can be attributed to the land use type.

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Abbreviations

AC:

Aneulolepidum Chinense

NNM:

Net N mineralization

SB:

Stipa baicalensis

SG:

Stipa grandis

SK:

Stipa krylovii

SOM:

Soil organic matter

SWC:

Soil water content

TN:

Total soil N

TOC:

Total soil organic C

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Acknowledgments

This research was jointly funded by the “Hundred Talents” Program, Knowledge Innovation Project (KZCX2-YW-432) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos: 40501072 and 40673067), and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2007BAC03A11).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network & Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China

    Xing-Ren Liu & Sheng-Gong Li

  2. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China

    Yun-She Dong

  3. Key Laboratory of Resources Remote-Sensing and Digital Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, 100081, Beijing, China

    Jian-Qiang Ren

  4. Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100081, Beijing, China

    Jian-Qiang Ren

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  1. Xing-Ren Liu
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  2. Yun-She Dong
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Correspondence to Sheng-Gong Li.

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Liu, XR., Dong, YS., Ren, JQ. et al. Drivers of soil net nitrogen mineralization in the temperate grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 87, 59–69 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-009-9312-5

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