Freezing Effects on Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Northern Hardwood Forest Soils

Nielsen, Caroline; Groffman, Peter M.; Hamburg, Steven P.; Driscoll, Charles T.; Fahey, Timothy J.; Hardy, Janet P.

doi:10.2136/sssaj2001.1723

Cited by 127 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Also, no significant difference was observed between the three time points. In fact, an increasing number of reports have indicated that no effect on microbial biomass could be observed after this process (12,22). Although the microbial biomass remained unaffected, changes in microbial community structure could be observed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the previous work has concentrated on gas and soil analysis. A couple of studies reported no change in the microbial biomass with the progress of single freeze-thaw in soil (12,22). Schimel and Mikan (30) showed that in Arctic soils, microbes showed a shift in metabolism as soils cooled from 2 to 0.5°C with differences in substrate use patterns on thawing.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Influence of Freeze-Thaw Stress on the Structure and Function of Microbial Communities and Denitrifying Populations in Soil

Sharma

Szele

Schilling

et al. 2006

Appl Environ Microbiol

248

143

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Microbial N 2 O release during the course of thawing of soil was investigated in model experiment focusing on denitrification, since freeze-thaw has been shown to cause significant physical and biological changes in soil, including a surge of N 2 O and CO 2 . The origin of these is still controversially discussed. The increase in denitrification after thawing may be attributed to the diffusion of organic substrates newly available to denitrifiers from disrupted soil aggregates, leading to an increase in microbial activity. Laboratory experiments with upper soil layer of a grassland were conducted in microcosms for real-time gas measurements during the entire phase of freeze and thaw. Shifts in microbial communities were evident on resolution of 16S and 18S rRNA genes and transcripts by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Microbial expression profiles were compared by RNA-arbitrarily primed PCR technique and subsequent resolution of amplified products on acrylamide gels. Differences in expression levels of periplasmic nitrate reductase gene (napA) and cytochrome cd 1 nitrite reductase (nirS) were observed by most-probable-number-reverse transcription-PCR, with higher levels of expression occurring just after thawing began, followed by a decrease. napA and nirS DGGE profiles showed no change in banding patterns with fingerprints derived from DNA, whereas those derived from cDNA showed a clear succession of denitrifying bacteria, with the most complex pattern being observed at the end of the N 2 O surge. This study provides insight into the structural community changes and expression dynamics of denitrifiers as a result of freeze-thaw stress. Also, the results presented here support the belief that the gas fluxes observed during thawing is a result of freezing initiated high microbial activity.The main process that forms the trace gas nitrous oxide (N 2 O) in agricultural soils is denitrification. It contributes significantly to the greenhouse effect. The concentration of N 2 O in the troposphere has increased from 270 ppb in 1750 to concentration of 316 ppb in the year 2000 and continues to rise (15). Moreover, it is involved in the destruction of stratospheric ozone. Therefore, identifying sources of N 2 O has been a subject of research over the last two decades. Several field studies in the temperate regions have indicated that N 2 O emissions in winter and spring, due to freezing and thawing of agricultural soils, can reach between 20 and 70% of the annual budget (28,35).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Freeze-Thaw Stress on the Structure and Function of Microbial Communities and Denitrifying Populations in Soil

Sharma

Szele

Schilling

et al. 2006

Appl Environ Microbiol

248

143

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“…In our previous report (Yanai et al 2003), however, four successive soil freeze-thaw cycles led to a 10 to 20% decrease in the amounts of soil microbial biomass C and N, while nitrification was not inhibited by the soil freeze-thaw cycles and there were no significant decreases in the numbers of ammoniumoxidizers and nitrite-oxidizers, enumerated by the most probable number method. Neilsen et al (2001) also observed that nitrification was not inhibited by the soil freeze-thaw cycles. These results suggest that extensive studies on the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on the nitrification potential should be carried out.…”

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confidence: 82%

Effects of successive soil freeze-thaw cycles on nitrification potential of soils

Yanai

Toyota

Okazaki

2004

Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

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“…Some studies showed no response or small increased CO 2 fluxes following rewetting or thawing events and did not substantially affect annual flux rates (Coxson and Parkinson, 1987;Schimel and Clein, 1996;Neilsen et al, 2001;Muhr et al, 2010). Other studies showed reduced CO 2 fluxes during drying periods, but the abruptly increased fluxes following rewetting did not compensate for the reduced rates during the dry period at the seasonal scale Joos et al, 2010).…”

Section: Carbon Dioxidementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of soil rewetting and thawing on soil gas fluxes: a review of current literature and suggestions for future research

et al. 2012

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Abstract. The rewetting of dry soils and the thawing of frozen soils are short-term, transitional phenomena in terms of hydrology and the thermodynamics of soil systems. The impact of these short-term phenomena on larger scale ecosystem fluxes is increasingly recognized, and a growing number of studies show that these events affect fluxes of soil gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3) and nitric oxide (NO). Global climate models predict that future climatic change is likely to alter the frequency and intensity of drying-rewetting events and thawing of frozen soils. These future scenarios highlight the importance of understanding how rewetting and thawing will influence dynamics of these soil gases. This study summarizes findings using a new database containing 338 studies conducted from 1956 to 2011, and highlights open research questions. The database revealed conflicting results following rewetting and thawing in various terrestrial ecosystems and among soil gases, ranging from large increases in fluxes to non-significant changes. Studies reporting lower gas fluxes before rewetting tended to find higher post-rewetting fluxes for CO2, N2O and NO; in addition, increases in N2O flux following thawing were greater in warmer climate regions. We discuss possible mechanisms and controls that regulate flux responses, and recommend that a high temporal resolution of flux measurements is critical to capture rapid changes in gas fluxes after these soil perturbations. Finally, we propose that future studies should investigate the interactions between biological (i.e., microbial community and gas production) and physical (i.e., porosity, diffusivity, dissolution) changes in soil gas fluxes, apply techniques to capture rapid changes (i.e., automated measurements), and explore synergistic experimental and modelling approaches.

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Freezing Effects on Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Northern Hardwood Forest Soils

Cited by 127 publications

References 42 publications

Influence of Freeze-Thaw Stress on the Structure and Function of Microbial Communities and Denitrifying Populations in Soil

Influence of Freeze-Thaw Stress on the Structure and Function of Microbial Communities and Denitrifying Populations in Soil

Effects of successive soil freeze-thaw cycles on nitrification potential of soils

Effects of soil rewetting and thawing on soil gas fluxes: a review of current literature and suggestions for future research

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