The nitrogen(N) biological cycle of the Suaeda salsa marsh ecosystem in the Yellow River estuary was studied during 2008 to 2009.Results showed that soil N had significant seasonal fluctuations and vertical distribution.The N/P ratio(15.73±1.77) of S.salsa was less than 16,indicating that plant growth was limited by both N and P.The N absorption coefficient of S.salsa was very low(0.007),while the N utilization and cycle coefficients were high(0.824 and 0.331,respectively).The N turnover among compartments of S.salsa marsh showed that N uptake from aboveground parts and roots were 2.539 and 0.622 g/m2,respectively.The N translocation from aboveground parts to roots and from roots to soil were 2.042 and 0.076 g/m2,respectively.The N translocation from aboveground living bodies to litter was 0.497 g/m2,the annual N return from litter to soil was far less than 0.368 g/m2,and the net N mineralization in topsoil during the growing season was 0.033 g/m2.N was an important limiting factor in S.salsa marsh,and the ecosystem was classified as unstable and vulnerable.S.salsa was seemingly well adapted to the low-nutrient status and vulnerable habitat,and the nutrient enrichment due to N import from the Yellow River estuary would be a potential threat to the S.salsa marsh.Excessive nutrient loading might favor invasive species and induce severe long-term degradation of the ecosystem if human intervention measures were not taken.The N quantitative relationships determined in our study might provide a scientific basis for the establishment of effective measures.
From April 2008 to November 2009,the nitrogen(N) cycle of plantsoil system in seepweed(Suaeda salsa) wetland in the intertidal zone of the Huanghe(Yellow) River estuary was studied.Results showed that soil N had sig-nificant seasonal fluctuations and vertical distribution,and the net N mineralization rates in topsoil were significantly different in growing season(p < 0.01).The N/P ratio(9.87 ± 1.23) of S.salsa was less than 14,indicating that plant growth was limited by N.The N accumulated in S.salsa litter at all times during decomposition,which was ascribed to the N immobilization by microbes from the environment.Soil organic N was the main N stock of plant-soil system,accounting for 97.35% of the total N stock.The N absorption and utilization coefficients of S.salsa were very low(0.0145 and 0.3844,respectively),while the N cycle coefficient was high(0.7108).The results of the N turnovers among compartments of S.salsa wetland showed that the N uptake amount of aboveground part and root were 7.764 g/m2and 4.332 g/m2,respectively.The N translocation amounts from aboveground part to root and from root to soil were 3.881 g/m2 and 0.626 g/m2,respectively.The N translocation amount from aboveground living body to litter was 3.883 g/m2,the annual N return amount from litter to soil was more than 0.125(-) g/m2(minus represented immobilization),and the net N mineralization amount in topsoil(0-15 cm) in growing season was 1.190 g/m2.The assessment of N biological cycle status of S.salsa wetland indicated that N was a very important limiting factor and the ecosystem was situated in unstable and vulnerable status.The S.salsa was seemingly well adapted to the low-nutrient status and vulnerable habitat,and the N quantitative relationships determined in the compartment model might provide scientific base for us to reveal the special adaptive strategy of S.salsa to the vulnerable habitat in the following studies.
SUN ZhigaoMOU XiaojieSUN JingkuanSONG HongliYU XiangWANG LinglingJIANG HuanhuanSUN WanlongSUN Wenguang
