Distribution patterns of vegetation biomass and nutrients bio-cycle in alpine tundra ecosystem on Changbai Mountains, Northeast China

Abstract

A study was conducted to test the correlation between biomass and elevation and the differences in concentration and storks of nutrients among five vegetation types (Felsenmeer alpine tundra vegetation-FA, Lithic alpine tundra vegetation-LA, Typical alpine tundra vegetation-TA, Meadow alpine tundra vegetation-MA, and Swamp alpine tundra vegetation-SA) on alpine tundra of Changbai Mountains, Jilin Province, China in growing seasons of 2003, 2004 and 2005. The biomass of 43 mono-species and soil nutrients in alpine tundra ecosystem were also investigated. Dominant species from Ericaceae (such as Rhododendron chrysanthum and Vaccinium jliginosum var. alpinum) were taken to analyze organ biomass distribution. Result showed that the biomass and elevation had a significant correlation (Biomass=−237.3 ln(Elevation) +494.36; R²=0.8092; P<0.05). No significant differences were found in phosphorus and sulphur concentrations of roots, stems and leaves among the five vegetation types. There were significant differences in nitrogen and phosphorus stocks of roots, stems and leaves and in sulphur stock of stems and leaves among TA, MA, and SA vegetation types (p<0.05). The nutrient stock of five vegetations was averagely 72.46 kg·hm⁻², of which N, P, S were 48.55, 10.33 and 13.61 kg·hm⁻², respectively. Soil N and S concentrations in meadow alpine tundra soil type was significantly higher than those in other four soil types (Cold desert alpine tundra soil, Lithic alpine tundra soil, Peat alpine tundra soil, and Gray alpine tundra soil). Phosphorous concentration in SA type was higher (p<0.05) than in other types. Soil nutrient stock (0–20cm) was averagely 39.59 t·hm⁻², of which N, P, S were 23.74, 5.86, 9.99 t·hm⁻², respectively.

Keywords

Nutrients bio-cycle / Stock / Vegetation type / Soil type / Vegetation biomass

References

[1] Aaron B.S., Robert L., Sanford Jr Soil nutrient differences between two krummholz-form tree species and adjacent alpine tundra Geoderma, 2001, 102: 205-217.

[2] Aerts R., Chapin F.S. The mineral nutrition of wild plants revisited: a re-evaluation of processes and patterns Adv. Ecol. Res, 2000, 30: 2-67.

[3] Anderson, J.M., Ingram, J.S.I. 1989. Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility: A handbook of methods CAB International, Wallingford, UK.

[4] Berger T.W., Neubauer C., Glatzel G. Factors controlling soil carbon and nitrogen stores in pure stands of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and mixed species stands in Austria. For. Ecol. Manage, 2002, 159: 3-14.

[5] Binkley D., Ryan M. G. Net primary production and nutrient cycling in replicated stands of Eucalyptus saligna and Albizia facaltaria. Forest ecology and management, 1998, 112: 79-85.

[6] Cattle H., Crossley J. Modelling arctic climate change Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond (A), 1995, 352: 201-213.

[7] Chapin F.S., Shaver G.R., Giblin A.E., Nadelhoffer K.J., Laundre J.A. Responses of arctic tundra to experimental and observed changes in climate Ecology, 1995, 76: 694-711.

[8] Chen X.W., Li B.L. Change in soil carbon and nutrient storage after human disturbance of a primary Korean pine forest in Northeast China Forest ecology and management, 2003, 186: 197-206.

[9] Claudine D., Marcel G., Bruno Baur. Effects of experimental small-scale habitat fragmentation on above-and below-ground plant biomass in calcareous grasslands Acta Oecologica, 2005, 27: 49-56.

[10] Cromack K., Miller R.E., Helgerson O.T. et al. Soil carbon and nutrients in a coastal Oregon Douglas-fir plantation with red alder Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J, 1999, 63: 232-239.

[11] Davidson E.A., Matson P.A., Vitousek P.M. Processed regulating soil emission of NO and N₂O in a seasonally dry tropical forest Ecology, 1993, 74: 130-139.

[12] De Camargo P. B., Trumbore S. E., Martinelli L.A. et al. Soil carbon dynamics in regrowing forest of eastern Amazonia Global Change Biology, 1999, 5: 693-702.

[13] Frossard E., Brossard M., Hedley M.J. Tiessen H. Reactions controlling the cycling of P in soils Phosphorus in the Global Environment: Transfers, Cycles and Management, 1995 New York: Ellis Horwood Chichester 23-27.

[14] Gang W., Jing W., Hongbing D. et al. Nutrient cycling in an Alpine tundra ecosystem on Changbai Mountain, Northeast China Applied soil Ecology, 2006, 32(2): 199-209.

[15] Gastine A., Roy J., Leadley P.W. Plant biomass production and soil nitrogen in mixtures and monocultures of old field Mediterranean annuals Acta Oecologica, 2003, 24: 65-75.

[16] Glazebrook H.S., Robertson A.I. The effects of flooding and flood timing on leaf litter breakdown rates and nutrient dynamics in a river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) forest Aust. J. Ecol., 1999, 24: 625-635.

[17] Gordon C., Wynn J.M., Woodin S.J. Impacts of increased nitrogen supply on high arctic health: the importance of bryophytes and phosphorus availability New Phytologist, 2001, 149: 461-471.

[18] Guo L.B., Gifford R.M. Soil carbon stocks and land use change: a meta analysis Global Change Biol, 2002, 8: 345-360.

[19] Holmer M., Storkholm P. Sulphate reduction and sulphur cycling in lake sediments: a review Freshwater Biol., 2001, 46(4): 431-451.

[20] Jiang P., Ye J., Deng H.B., Cui G.F. Variations of population structure and important value of the main edificators along the elevation gradient on the northern slope of Changbai Mountain Journal of Forestry Research, 2003, 14(2): 117-121.

[21] Joanna F.D., Mary C.S., Straker C.J. Nutrient cycling in a Pinus patula plantation in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa Applied soil ecology, 2002, 20: 211-226.

[22] Johannisson C., Myrold D.D., Högberg P. Retention of nitrogen by a nitrogen-loaded Scotch pine forest Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 1999, 63: 383-389.

[23] Jonasson S., Michelsen A. Nutrient cycling in subarctic and arctic ecosystems, with special reference to the Abisko and Torneträsk region Ecol. Bull., 1996, 45: 45-52.

[24] Laurance W.F., Fearnside P.M., Laurance S.G. Relationship between soils and Amazon forest biomass: a landscape-scale study Forest Ecology and Management, 1999, 118: 127-138.

[25] Marriott C. A., Bolton G. R., Fisher J. M. et al. Short-term changes in soil nutrients and vegetation biomass and nutrient content following the introduction of extensive management in upland sown swards in Scotland, UK Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 2005, 106(4): 331-344.

[26] Montes N., Ballini C., Bonin G. et al. A comparative study of aboveground biomass of three Mediterranean species in a post-fire succession Acta Oecologica, 2004, 25: 1-6.

[27] Nadelhoffer K.J., Johnson L., Laundre J. et al. Fine root production and nutrient stock in wet and moist arctic tundra as influenced by chronic fertilization Plant and Soil, 2002, 242: 107-113.

[28] Návar J., Nájera J., Jurado E. Preliminary estimates of biomass growth in the Tamaulipan thornscrub in north-eastern Mexico J. Arid Environ, 2001, 47: 281-290.

[29] Piatek K.B., Allen H.L. Nitrogen mineralisation in a pine plantation fifteen years after harvesting and site preparation Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 1999, 63: 990-998.

[30] Ranger J., Marques R., Colin-Belgrand M., Flammang N., Gelhaye D. The dynamics of biomass and nutrient accumulation in a Douglas-fir stand studied using a chronosequence approach Forest Ecology and Management, 1995, 72: 167-183.

[31] Schmidt I.K., Jonasson S., Michelsen A. Mineralization and microbial immobilization of N and P in arctic soils in relation to season, temperature and nutrient amendment Applied Soil Ecology, 1999, 11: 147-160.

[32] Shao G., Qian H., Liu Qi. Wang Z. The biomass of early spring herb in Korean pine-broadleaf forest in Changbai Mountain Forest Ecosystem Research, 1992 Beijing: China Forestry Press

[33] Shao G.F., Zhao G., Zhao S. et al. Forest cover types derived from landsat TM imagery for Changbai Mountain area of China Can. J. For. Res, 1996, 26: 206-216.

[34] Turner B.L., Baxter R., Mahieu N. et al. Phosphorus compounds in subarctic Fennoscandian soils at the mountain birch (Betula pubescens) tundra ecotone Soil Biol. Biochem, 2004, 36: 815-823.

[35] Wei J., Wu G., Deng Hongbing. Researches on nutrient return of litterfall in the alpine tundra ecosystem of Changbai Mountains Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2004, 24(10): 2211-2216.

[36] Wei J., Wu G., Deng H., Zhao J.Z. Spatial pattern of soil carbon and nutrient storage at the alpine tundra ecosystem of Changbai Mountain, China Journal of Forestry Research, 2004, 15(4): 249-254.

[37] Wei J., Wu G., Deng Hongbing. Vegetation biomass distribution characteristics of alpine tundra ecosystem in Changbai Mountains Chinese Journal of applied ecology, 2004, 15(11): 1999-2004.

[38] Wei J., Deng H., Wu G. et al. The distribution of soil carbon and nutrients in alpine tundra ecosystem on the northern slope of Changbai Mountains Chinese Journal of Soil Science, 2005, 36(6): 840-845.

[39] Wu G., Zhao J.Z., Shao G.F. Carbon cycling of alpine tundra ecosystem on Changbai Mountains and its comparison study with arctic tundra Science in China (D edition), 2002, 45(10): 903-910.

[40] Xu Z.A. A periodic summary of the research on forest ecosystems on Changbai Mountain Research on Forest Ecosystems, 1992, 6: 1-13.

[41] Zou X., Binkley D., Caldwell B.A. Effects of dinitrogen-fixing trees on phosphorus biogeochemical cycling in contrasting forests Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 1995, 59: 1452-1458.