Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 15, 2026

A CO2 Concentration Gradient Facility for Testing CO2 Enrichment and Soil Effects on Grassland Ecosystem Function
Published on: November 21, 2015
Divergent Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Soil Respiration in a Semiarid Grassland
Cheng Zhu1,2, Yiping Ma2, Honghui Wu3,4
1Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.
Abstract:
Nitrogen (N) deposition has been steadily increasing for decades, with consequences for soil respiration. However, we have a limited understanding of how soil respiration responds to N availability. Here, we investigated the soil respiration responses to low and high levels of N addition (0.4 mol N m(-2) yr(-1) vs 1.6 mol N m(-2) yr(-1)) over a two-year period in a semiarid Leymus chinensis grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. Our results show that low-level N addition increased soil respiration, plant belowground biomass and soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), while high-level N additions decreased them. Soil respiration was positively correlated with plant belowground biomass, MBC, soil temperature and soil moisture. Together plant belowground biomass and MBC explained 99.4% of variation in mean soil respiration, with plant belowground biomass explaining 63.4% of the variation and soil MBC explaining the remaining 36%. Finally, the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration was not influenced by N additions. Overall, our results suggest that low levels of N deposition may stimulate soil respiration, but large increases in N availability may decrease soil respiration, and that these responses are driven by the dissimilar responses of both plant belowground biomass and soil MBC.
More Related Videos
10:31Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments
Published on: July 24, 2018
10:16Design and Operation of a Continuous 13C and 15N Labeling Chamber for Uniform or Differential, Metabolic and Structural, Plant Isotope Labeling
Published on: January 16, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Chemical Factors Affecting Respiration Centers
CO2 has a potent influence on respiration and is strictly regulated....
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss