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Rapid positive response of young trees growth to warming reverses nitrogen loss from subtropical soil

Cite this dataset

Lyu, Maokui et al. (2024). Rapid positive response of young trees growth to warming reverses nitrogen loss from subtropical soil [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.g79cnp5xd

Abstract

  1. Global warming is widely expected to alter nitrogen (N) cycling in terrestrial ecosystems by accelerating N transformations in soils. However, it is unclear how warming will affect plant–soil N cycling in subtropical ecosystems.
  2. Here, we measured the N transformations including net ammoniation, nitrification, nitrous oxide emissions, and nitrate in soil solution throughout the plant–soil continuum with two years of experimental soil warming (+5 °C) in a young subtropical Chinese fir mesocosm. Seasonal variations of soil and plant (foliage and root) N concentrations and isotopes (δ15N), foliar water use efficiency, and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization rate were measured.
  3. Soil warming significantly increased net ammoniation and nitrification of the soil, together with the transient positive response observed in inorganic N of the soil. Warming increased nitrate N fluxes in soil solution and nitrous oxide emissions in the first year but not in the second year, suggesting N losses through leaching and gaseous in the initial period of warming. Warming primarily induced enrichment of 15N in foliage relative to the soil, which was attributed to the trade-offs of persistent increases in plant N uptake caused by enhanced tree growth and a decrease in N losses with continuous warming.
  4. Warming significantly increased arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and foliar water use efficiency throughout the warming period. These results suggest that young trees’ growth and N uptake can rapidly acclimate to warming by mechanisms including increases in plant water use efficiency and mycorrhizal colonization.
  5. Our findings highlight that warming accelerates the plant–soil N cycle and promotes young trees’ growth and N uptake, which in turn reduces soil N lost from this subtropical ecosystem. Therefore, our study suggests that the competition for N between plants and microbes governs whether subtropical forests are opened or closed N cycle systems under climate warming. We highlight that young trees can still maintain their high productivity in facing future climate warming since warming can improve plant N uptake and reduce N loss from subtropical ecosystems. 

README

  • File name:README_Dataset
  • Title of Dataset: Data from: Rapid positive response of young trees growth to warming reverses nitrogen loss from subtropical forest soils
  • Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.g79cnp5xd
  • Authors: Maokui Lyu
  • Email: 228lmk@163.com
  • Address: num. 32 in Qishan Road, Fujian Normal University, Minhou country, Fuzhou, 350007.
  • Other contributors: Shidong Chen, Qiufang Zhang, Zhijie Yang, Jinsheng Xie*, Chao Wang, Xiaohong Wang, Xiaofei Liu, Decheng Xiong, Chao Xu, Weisheng Lin, Guangshui Chen, Yuehmin Chen*, Yusheng Yang
  • Organization: Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University.
  • Date created: 2024-01-28

*Contributor ORCID IDs

  • Maokui Lyu: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9567-2170

  • Acknowledgements

    • Funding sources: The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31930071, 32192433, and 32001169)

Methodological Information

  • Methods of data collection/generation: see article for details
  • Geographic locations of data collection: Sanming, Fujian, China

Description of the data and file structure

  • This dataset has one EXCEL. xlsx file with 9 sheets supporting the figures in the article.
  • Description of the treatment There are two treatments in this dataset: Control, Warming treatment

*For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Figure 1a

Abbreviation Description Units
Average Temperature Daily averaged air temperature
Rainfall Daily rainfall mm

*For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Figure 1b

Abbreviation Description Units
Soil Temperature in control Daily averaged soil temperature in Control treatment
Soil Temperature in Warmed Daily averaged soil temperature in Warming treatment
△Temperature The temperature differences between Control and Warming

*For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Figure 1c

Abbreviation Description Units
Soil Moisture in control Daily averaged soil moisture in Control treatment %
Soil Moisture in Warmed Daily averaged soil moisture in Warming treatment %
△Moisture The moisture differences between Control and Warming %

*For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Figure 2

Abbreviation Description Units
Control Ambient temperature treatment unitless
Warmed Soil warming treatment unitless
se Standard Error of treatments unitless

Details: The units for Net ammoniation and nitrification is ug N g-1 resin d-1; the units for N2O emission is ug N m-2 h-1; the units for fluxes of NO3- in soil solution is mg.

*For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Figure 3

Abbreviation Description Units
Control Ambient temperature treatment unitless
Warmed Soil warming treatment unitless
se Standard Error of treatments unitless
NH4+-N ammonium nitrogen mg kg-1
NO3- nitrate mg kg-1
DON dissolved organic nitrogen mg kg-1
MBN microbial biomass nitrogen mg kg-1

Details: The units for all indexs are the same, that is mg kg-1.

*For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Figure 4

Abbreviation Description Units
Control Ambient temperature treatment unitless
Warmed Soil warming treatment unitless
Foliar N Foliar nitrogen content g kg-1
Foliar δ15N 15N abundance in leaf
Soil N Soil nitrogen content g kg-1
Soil δ15N 15N abundance in soil
Root N Root nitrogen content g kg-1
Root δ15N 15N abundance in root

*For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Figure 5

Abbreviation Description Units
NAG β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase nmol ug-1 microbial biomass carbon h-1
AMF Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi nmol g-1 soil
Mycorrihiza Colonation The colonation rate of arbuscular mycorrhizal in roots %
Control Ambient temperature treatment unitless
Warmed Soil warming treatment unitless
se Standard Error unitless

*For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Figure 6a

Abbreviation Description Units
Foliar iWUE foliar intrinsic water use efficiency umol mol-1
Control Ambient temperature treatment unitless
Warmed Soil warming treatment unitless
se Standard Error unitless

*For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Figure 6b

Abbreviation Description Units
Control Tree height in control treatment cm
Warmed Tree height in warming treatment cm
se Standard Error unitless

Details: The data is for each year after warming.

Description of the 'Sampling time' for each sheet
We sampled the gas samples every month, and sampled soil samples seasonally.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China, Award: 31930071

National Natural Science Foundation of China, Award: 32192433

National Natural Science Foundation of China, Award: 32001169