Kinetic and thermodynamic studies on removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions using soil nanoclays.

Soil clays (< 2,000 nm) (SC) and soil nanoclays (< 100 nm) (SNC) were used as adsorbents for removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution. The experiments were conducted with variables including pH, interaction time, concentration of Cu(II) and temperature. Four kinetic models have been employed to investigate adsorption mechanisms, and the experimental data more closely resemble a second-order process of the kinetic model. Adsorption studies on soil nanoclays have been shown to be highly effective in removing of Cu(II) from aqueous solution. This adsorbent is widely available as a natural material, is mechanically stable and, most importantly, it is environmentally appealing. The maximum Cu(II) adsorption capacity of soil nanoclays (31.7 mg/g) is more than three times higher than natural soil clays (10.2 mg/g). Our study demonstrates that soil nanoclays can be used effectively for removal of Cu(II) from aqueous systems to achieve environmental cleaning purposes.

Some selected heavy metal concentrations in water, sediment, and oysters in the Er-Ren estuary, Taiwan: chemical fractions and the implications for biomonitoring.

Studies of heavy metal contamination and ecological risk in estuaries are an important emerging area of environmental science. However, there have been few detailed studies of heavy metal contamination that concern the spatial variation of heavy metal levels in water, sediment, and oyster tissue. Because of the effective uptake of heavy metals, cultured oysters are a cheap and effective subject for study. This study, conducts an experiment in the Er-Ren river to examine the biological uptake of heavy metals in farmed, cultured oysters. The distribution of copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, and arsenic concentrations in water, sediment, and oysters from the Er-Ren river is also evaluated. By sequential extraction of the sediments, the following order of mobilities is found for heavy metals Pb > Cd > As > Zn > Cu. The highest percentages of heavy metals are found in the residual phase. The mean uptake rates for young oysters are 7.24 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for Cu and 94.52 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for Zn, but that for adult oyster is 10.79 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for Cu and 137.24 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for Zn. With good policies and management, the establishment of cultured oyster frames in these contaminated tributaries and near shore environments is a potential method for removing Cu and Zn and protecting the coast.

Phosphorus availability regulates nitrogen fixation rate through a key diazotrophic assembly: Evidence from a subtropical Moso bamboo forest subjected to nitrogen application.

Biological N fixation (BNF) is an important N input process for terrestrial ecosystems. Long-term N application increases the availability of N, but may also lead to phosphorus (P) deficiency or an imbalance between N and P. Here, we performed a 5-year N application experiment in a subtropical Phyllostachys heterocycla forest in site and a P application experiment in vitro to investigate the effect of N application on the BNF rate and its regulatory factor. The BNF rate, nifH gene, free-living diazotrophic community composition and plant properties were measured. We found that N application suppressed the BNF rate and nifH gene abundance, whereas the BNF rate in soils with added P was significantly higher overall than that in soils without added P. Moreover, we identified a key diazotrophic assembly (Mod#2), primarily comprising Bradyrhizobium, Geobacter, Desulfovibrio, Anaeromyxobacter, and Pseudodesulfovibrio, which explained 77 % of the BNF rate variation. There was a significant positive correlation between the Mod#2 abundance and soil available P, and the random forest results showed that soil available P is the most important factor affecting the Mod#2 abundance. Our findings highlight the importance of soil P availability in regulating the activities of key diazotrophs, and thus increasing P supply may help to promote N accumulation and primary productivity through facilitating the BNF process in forest ecosystems.

Phosphorus limitation induced by nitrogen addition changed soil microbial community structure in a subtropical Pinus taiwanensis forest.

Soil microorganisms play an important role in the biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems. How-ever, it is still unclear how the amount and duration of nitrogen (N) addition affect soil microbial community structure and whether there is a correlation between the changes in microbial community structure and their nutrient limi-tation status. In this study, we conducted an N addition experiment in a subtropical Pinus taiwanensis forest to simulate N deposition with three treatments: control (CK, 0 kg N·hm-2·a-1), low N (LN, 40 kg N·hm-2·a-1), and high N (HN, 80 kg N·hm-2·a-1). Basic soil physicochemical properties, phospholipid fatty acids content, and carbon (C), N and phosphorus (P) acquisition enzyme activities were measured after one and three years of N addition. The relative nutrient limitation status of soil microorganisms was analyzed using ecological enzyme stoichiometry. The results showed that one-year N addition did not affect soil microbial community structure. Three-year LN treatment significantly increased the contents of Gram-positive bacteria (G+), Gram-negative bacteria (G-), actinomycetes (ACT), and total phospholipid fatty acids (TPLFA), whereas three-year HN treatment did not significantly affect soil microbial community, indicating that bacteria and ACT might be more sensitive to N addition. Nitrogen addition exacerbated soil C and P limitation. Phosphorus limitation was the optimal explanatory factor for the changes in soil microbial community structure. It suggested that P limitation induced by N addition might be more beneficial for the growth of certain oligotrophic bacteria (e.g. G+) and the microorganisms participating in the P cycling (e.g. ACT), with consequences on soil microbial community structure of subtropical Pinus taiwanensis forest.

[Responses of soil microbial carbon use efficiency to short-term nitrogen addition in Castanopsis fabri forest]. / ç½—æµ®æ ²æž—åœŸå£¤å¾®ç”Ÿç‰©ç¢³åˆ©ç”¨æ•ˆçŽ‡å¯¹çŸ­æœŸæ°®æ·»åŠ çš„å“åº”.

As an important parameter regulating soil carbon mineralization, microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is essential for the understanding of carbon (C) cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. Three nitrogen supplemental levels, including control (0 kg N·hm-2·a-1), low nitrogen (40 kg N·hm-2·a-1), and high nitrogen (80 kg N·hm-2·a-1), were set up in a Castanopsis fabri forest in the Daiyun Mountain. The basic physical and chemical properties, organic carbon fractions, microbial biomass, and enzyme activities of the soil surface layer (0-10 cm) were measured. To examine the effects of increasing N deposition on microbial CUE and its influencing factors, soil microbial CUE was measured by the 18O-labelled-water approach. The results showed that short-term N addition significantly reduced microbial respiration rate and the activities of C and N acquisition enzymes, but significantly increased soil microbial CUE. ß-N-acetyl amino acid glucosidase (NAG)/microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial respiration rate, ß-glucosidase (BG)/MBC, cellulose hydrolase (CBH)/MBC, and soil organic carbon content were the main factors affecting CUE. Moreover, CUE significantly and negatively correlated with NAG/MBC, microbial respiration rate, BG/MBC, and CBH/MBC, but significantly and positively correlated with soil organic carbon. In summary, short-term N addition reduced the cost of soil microbial acquisition of C and N and microbial respiration, and thus increased soil microbial CUE, which would increase soil carbon sequestration potential of the C. fabri forest.

[Effects of nitrogen addition on the kinetic parameters of soil acid phosphomonoesterase in a Moso bamboo forest]. / æ°®æ·»åŠ å¯¹æ¯›ç«¹æž—åœŸå£¤é ¸æ€§ç£·é ¸å•é ¯é ¶åŠ¨åŠ›å­¦å‚æ•°çš„å½±å“.

Soil phosphatases are important in the mineralization of organophosphates and in the phosphorus (P) cycle. The kinetic mechanisms of phosphatases in response to nitrogen (N) deposition remain unclear. We carried out a field experiment with four different concentrations of N: 0 g N·hm-2·a-1(control), 20 g N·hm-2·a-1(low N), 40 g N·hm-2·a-1(medium N), and 80 g N·hm-2·a-1(high N) in a subtropical Moso bamboo forest. Soil samples were then collected from 0 to 15 cm depth, after 3, 5 and 7 years of N addition. We analyzed soil chemical properties and microbial biomass. Acid phosphatase (ACP) was investigated on the basis of maximum reaction velocity (Vm), Michaelis constant (Km), and catalytic efficiency (Ka). Results showed that N addition significantly decreased soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), available phosphorus, and organophosphate content, but significantly increased soil ammonium, nitrate-N content, and Vm. There was a significant relationship between Vm and the concentrations of available phosphorus, organophosphate, and soil DOC. In general, N addition substantially increased Ka, but did not affect Km. The Km value in the high N treatment group was higher than that in the control group after five years of N addition. Km was significantly negatively associated with both available phosphorus and organophosphate. Medium and high N treatments had stronger effects on the kinetic parameters of ACP than low N treatment. Results of variation partition analysis showed that changes in soil chemical properties, rather than microbial biomass, dominated changes in Vm(47%) and Km(33%). In summary, N addition significantly affected substrate availability in Moso bamboo forest soil and modulated soil P cycle by regulating ACP kinetic parameters (especially Vm). The study would improve the understanding of the mechanisms underlying soil microorganisms-regulated soil P cycle under N enrichment. These mechanisms would identify the important parameters for improving soil P cycling models under global change scenarios.

[Effects of different carbon addition modes on the soil priming effect of a subtropical Phyllostachys edulis forest under nitrogen deposition]. / æ°®æ²‰é™ä¸‹ä¸åŒç¢³æ·»åŠ æ¨¡å¼å¯¹äºšçƒ­å¸¦æ¯›ç«¹æž—åœŸå£¤æ¿€å‘æ•ˆåº”çš„å½±å“.

Priming effect (PE) plays an important role in regulating terrestrial soil carbon (C) cycling, but the impact of different C addition modes on the PE in subtropical forest ecosystems with increasing nitrogen (N) deposition is unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of C addition patterns (single or repeated C addition) on soil PE by adding 13C-labeled glucose for 90 d in an incubation experiment with different levels of N application (0, 20, and 80 kg N·hm-2·a-1). The different patterns of glucose addition significantly increased soil organic C (SOC) mineralization and produced positive PE. Single glucose addition resulted in stronger PE than repeated addition. PE was significantly weakened with increasing N application levels, indicating that N deposition inhibited soil excitation in Phyllostachys edulis forests. The cumulative PE was significantly negatively correlated with ß-N-acetylaminoglucosidase (NAG) and peroxidase (PEO) activities, and was significantly positively correlated with microbial biomass P (MBP) and potential of hydrogen (pH). Our findings indicated that, when acting together on soil, N application and C addition could strongly affect soil C stocks by stimulating the mineralization of native soil organic matter in subtropical forests. The findings further indicated that single C addition model might overestimate the effect of exogenous readily decomposable organic C on PE and ignore the effect of N deposition on PE, which in turn would overestimate the mineralization loss of forest SOC.

Variations in Rainfall Affect the Responses of Foliar Chemical Properties of Cunninghamia lanceolata Seedlings to Soil Warming.

Climate warming is becoming an increasingly serious threat. Understanding plant stoichiometry changes under climate warming is crucial for predicting the effects of future warming on terrestrial ecosystem productivity. Nevertheless, how plant stoichiometry responds to warming when interannual rainfall variation is considered, remains poorly understood. We performed a field soil warming experiment (+5°C) using buried heating cables in subtropical areas of China from 2015 to 2018. Stoichiometric patterns of foliar C:N:P:K:Ca:Mg, non-structural carbohydrate, and stable isotope of Cunninghamia lanceolata seedlings were studied. Our results showed that soil warming decreased foliar P and K concentrations, C:Ca, P:Ca, and P:Mg ratios. However, soil warming increased foliar Ca concentration, δ15N value, C:P and N:P ratios. The response ratios of foliar N, C:N, and δ15N to soil warming were correlated with rainfall. Our findings indicate that there was non-homeostasis of N and C:N under warming conditions. Three possible reasons for this result are considered and include interannual variations in rainfall, increased loss of N, and N limitation in leaves. Piecewise structural equation models showed that stoichiometric non-homeostasis indirectly affected the growth of C. lanceolata seedlings in response to soil warming. Consequently, the growth of C. lanceolata seedlings remained unchanged under the warming treatment. Taken together, our results advance the understanding of how altered foliar stoichiometry relates to changes in plant growth in response to climate warming. Our results emphasize the importance of rainfall variations for modulating the responses of plant chemical properties to warming. This study provides a useful method for predicting the effects of climate warming on economically important timber species.

Removal of heavy metals from contaminated paddy soils using chemical reductants coupled with dissolved organic carbon solutions.

General acid washing is commonly used to treat heavy metal-contaminated soils, but it is sometimes difficult to achieve remediation aims in severely polluted soils. If we expose the surfaces of Fe oxide minerals to reductive dissolution during washing treatment, more of the metals initially adsorbed to these surfaces will be liberated, which may encourage the removal of heavy metals. Initially, the metal extraction capabilities of nine chemical reductants were compared in ten soil samples polluted by Cr, Cu, Zn, and Ni. Sodium dithionite (Na2S2O4) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) were screened for subsequent intensive research. In summary, the Na2S2O4 solutions had higher Cr, Cu, and Zn removal rates than either the FeSO4 or acid solution. Application of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) further increased the removal of heavy metals by complexation. About 15%, 86%, 32%, and 52% of the Cr, Cu, Zn, and Ni, respectively, were removed from the representative soil (M-2) by two-stage washing using 0.2 M Na2S2O4 coupled with 1,500 mg L-1 DOC solution at pH 2.0. Meanwhile, most soil fertility was preserved: ammonium nitrogen was increased 3.9 times; the increase in exchangeable potassium was 33%; and the reduction in available P was only 10%.

Enzyme stoichiometry evidence revealed that five years nitrogen addition exacerbated the carbon and phosphorus limitation of soil microorganisms in a Phyllostachys pubescens forest.

The activity and stoichiometry of soil extracellular enzyme can provide a good indication for changes in soil nutrient availability and microbial demands for nutrients. However, it remains unclear how would nitrogen (N) deposition affect nutrient limitation of microbes in subtropical forest soils. We conducted a 5 years N addition experiment in a subtropical Phyllostachys pubescens forest. The soil nutrients and enzyme activities associated with carbon (C), N, and phosphorus (P) cycles were measured. We also examined the nutrient distribution of microorganisms using enzyme stoichiometry and vector analysis. The results showed that N addition significantly decreased the contents of soil soluble organic C and available P and increased that of available N. Furthermore, N addition significantly decreased ß-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity and NAG/ microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and increased acid phosphatase (ACP) and ACP/MBC. The low and moderate N addition levels significantly increased enzyme C/P, vector length, and vector angle, but significantly decreased enzyme N/P. Results of redundancy analysis showed that the change in soil enzyme activity and enzymatic stoichiometry were mainly driven by soil available P content under N addition. In summary, N addition altered the microbial nutrient acquisition strategy, which increased nutrient allocation to P-acquiring enzyme production but reduced that to N-acquiring enzyme production. Moreover, N addition exacerbated the C and P limitation of soil microorganisms. Appropriate amount of P fertilizer could be applied to improve soil fertility of subtropical P. pubescens forest in the future.

Nutrient availability is a dominant predictor of soil bacterial and fungal community composition after nitrogen addition in subtropical acidic forests.

Nutrient addition to forest ecosystems significantly influences belowground microbial diversity, community structure, and ecosystem functioning. Nitrogen (N) addition in forests is common in China, especially in the southeast region. However, the influence of N addition on belowground soil microbial community diversity in subtropical forests remains unclear. In May 2018, we randomly selected 12 experimental plots in a Pinus taiwanensis forest within the Daiyun Mountain Nature Reserve, Fujian Province, China, and subjected them to N addition treatments for one year. We investigated the responses of the soil microbial communities and identified the major elements that influenced microbial community composition in the experimental plots. The present study included three N treatments, i.e., the control (CT), low N addition (LN, 40 kg N ha-1 yr-1), and high N addition (HN, 80 kg N ha-1 yr-1), and two depths, 0-10 cm (topsoil) and 10-20 cm (subsoil), which were all sampled in the growing season (May) of 2019. Soil microbial diversity and community composition in the topsoil and subsoil were investigated using high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rDNA genes and fungal internal transcribed spacer sequences. According to our results, 1) soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) significantly decreased after HN addition, and available nitrogen (AN) significantly declined after LN addition, 2) bacterial α-diversity in the subsoil significantly decreased with HN addition, which was affected significantly by the interaction between N addition and soil layer, and 3) soil DOC, rather than pH, was the dominant environmental factor influencing soil bacterial community composition, while AN and MBN were the best predictors of soil fungal community structure dynamics. Moreover, N addition influence both diversity and community composition of soil bacteria more than those of fungi in the subtropical forests. The results of the present study provide further evidence to support shifts in soil microbial community structure in acidic subtropical forests in response to increasing N deposition.

[Responses of soil phosphorus fractions and microorganisms to nitrogen application in a subtropical Phyllostachys pubescen forest]. / 亚热带毛竹林土壤磷组分和微生物对施氮的响应.

Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient for plant and microbial growth. Soil P availabi-lity is poor in subtropical areas. Long-term heavy nitrogen (N) deposition might further reduce P availability. The experiment was performed in a Phyllostachys pubescens forest in Daiyun Mountain. The effects of N application on soil basic physical and chemical properties, soil P fractions, microbial biomass, and acid phosphomonoesterase activity were analyzed after three years of N application. The results showed that N application significantly increased NO3--N content and thus soil N availability, while it significantly reduced the percentage of decomposable organic P to total P, with the ratio of carbon (C) to organic P being over 200. The soil microbial biomass C, microbial biomass P, acid phosphomonoesterase, and the ratio of microbial biomass N to microbial biomass P and microbial biomass C to microbial biomass P were increased as the N application rate increased. There was a significant negative correlation between the percentage of decomposable organic P to total P and microbial biomass P. Consequently, N application enhanced soil P limitation and increased microbial P demand.

Nitrogen along the Hydrological Gradient of Marsh Sediments in a Subtropical Estuary: Pools, Processes, and Fluxes.

Knowledge on the distribution of nitrogen (N) pools, processes, and fluxes along hydrological gradients provides a comprehensive perspective to understand the underlying causal mechanisms in intertidal flats, and thus improve predictions and climate adaptation strategies. We used a space-for-time substitution method to quantify N pools, processes, and fluxes along a hydrological gradient. Further, we linked N pools and processes and investigated not only surface but also subsurface sediments. Our results showed a gradual decrease in total N (TN) and mineralization rates (PNmin), but an increase in potential rates of nitrification (PNR) and denitrification (PDNR) under an elevated hydrological gradient, except for TN and PNmin in the subsurface sediment, which accumulated on the interaction zone between the high and middle tidal flats. Most sedimentary ammonium N (NH4+) and nitrate N (NO3-) concentrations were similar; however, NH4+ accumulated on the subsurface of the middle tidal flat. NO3- fluxes (from -0.54 to -0.35 mmol m-2 h-1) were uptake fluxes in the intertidal flats, but NH4+ fluxes (-2.48-3.54 mmol m-2 h-1) changed from uptake to efflux in the seaward direction. Structural equation modeling of the effects of inundation frequency, underground biomass, total carbon (TC), electrical conductivity (EC), and clay proportion on the N processes revealed that these accounted for 67%, 82%, and 17% of the variance of PDNR, PNmin, and PNR, respectively. Inundation frequency, underground biomass, TC, EC, and PNmin effects on N pools accounted for 53%, 69%, and 98% of the variance of NH4+, NO3-, and TN, respectively. This suggests that future sea level rise may decrease N storage due to increase in coupled nitrification-denitrification and decrease in N mineralization, and the NH4+ flux may change from sink to source in intertidal ecosystems.

Effects of short-term warming and nitrogen addition on the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter in a subtropical Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation.

Increasing temperature and nitrogen (N) deposition are two large-scale changes projected to occur over the coming decades. The effects of these changes on dissolved organic matter (DOM) are largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the effects of warming and N addition on the quantity and quality of DOM from a subtropical Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation. Between 2014 and 2016, soil solutions were collected from 0-15, 15-30, and 30-60 cm depths by using a negative pressure sampling method. The quantity and quality of DOM were measured under six different treatments. The spectra showed that the DOM of the forest soil solution mainly consisted of aromatic protein-like components, microbial degradation products, and negligible amounts of humic-like substances. Warming, N addition, and warming + N addition significantly inhibited the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the surface (0-15 cm) soil solution. Our results suggested that warming reduced the amount of DOM originating from microbes. The decrease in protein and carboxylic acid contents was mostly attributed to the reduction of DOC following N addition. The warming + N addition treatment showed an interactive effect rather than an additive effect. Thus, short-term warming and warming + N addition decreased the quantity of DOM and facilitated the migration of nutrients to deeper soils. Further, N addition increased the complexity of the DOM structure. Hence, the loss of soil nutrients and the rational application of N need to be considered in order to prevent the accumulation of N compounds in soil.