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Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment
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Nitrogen species specific phosphorus mineralization in temperate floodplain soils
1Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
Scientific Reports
|September 1, 2021
Summary
Higher nitrogen availability, particularly ammonium, boosts phosphatase activity and phosphorus mineralization in forest soils. This suggests ammonium can increase soil phosphorus fertility and reduce its capacity to sequester added phosphorus.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Soil Science
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Nitrogen (N) availability influences soil enzyme activity and nutrient cycling.
- Phosphatase enzymes are crucial for phosphate (P) bioavailability.
- Agricultural runoff can increase N input into forest ecosystems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of inorganic N species (ammonium and nitrate) and amendment rates on P mineralization in temperate floodplain soils.
- To understand how N availability affects phosphatase activity and P dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Incubation of temperate floodplain soil amended with varying rates of ammonium and nitrate.
- Monitoring of P dynamics and phosphatase activity over 40 days.
- Analysis using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Ammonium addition significantly increased acid and alkaline phosphatase activity.
- Increased ammonium amendment rates correlated positively with enhanced phosphatase activity.
- Ammonium promoted P mineralization, while nitrate had a lesser effect and did not boost phosphatase activity.
- 31P NMR spectroscopy indicated a reduction in organic orthophosphate diesters with ammonium treatment.
Conclusions:
- High inorganic N availability, especially ammonium, can enhance P mineralization in floodplain soils.
- Ammonium boosts phosphatase activity, increasing P bioavailability.
- This N-driven P mineralization may increase soil P fertility and decrease P sequestration potential in floodplain soils.
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