Nitrogen addition inhibits total monoterpene emissions in subtropical forest floor of South China

Highlights

• Effects of N addition on MT fluxes from forest floor were first investigated.

• N addition inhibited MT emissions from forest floors, while increased for litter.

• MT emissions from the PF floor was significantly higher than those from the BF floor.

Abstract

Monoterpenes (MTs) play crucial roles not only in atmospheric chemistry and global climate change but also in soil processes and soil ecology. Elevated nitrogen (N) deposition can influence soil microbial community and litter decomposition, and consequently alters MT fluxes from forest floors and litter. Yet, the responses of soil and litter MT to increased N deposition remain poorly understood and the influences of N addition are sometimes contradictory. In the present study, static chambers were placed in masson pine forest (PF) and in monsoon evergreen broad-leaf forest (BF) at Dinghushan, subtropical China. The preconcentrator-GC–MS was used to analyze the effect of N addition on MT fluxes from the forest floors and litter. The results showed that under control treatment (without N addition), the total MT emission rates were 279.90±137.17 and 102.70±45.36 pmol m⁻² s⁻¹ in the PF and BF floors, respectively, with α-pinene being the largest MT species in the PF and limonene in the BF. α-pinene and β-pinene emission rates decreased significantly in both forest floors after N addition, whereas a diverse trend was found for limonene and camphene in the PF floor. Furthermore, some MT fluxes showed significant negative correlations with soil respiration and soil temperature. Litter was important in MT fluxes from forest floors and its emission rates were enhanced by N addition. Moreover, different MT response to elevated N was found between the forest floor and litter. This study indicated that the elevated N deposition in the future would inhibit the MT emissions from the subtropical forest floor.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Biogenic volatile organic compounds / Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve / Forest floor / Little / monoterpene / Nitrogen deposition

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41877326 and 41473083). We gratefully acknowledge the support from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, CSA and Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve.

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2020 Higher Education Press