Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Labile organic C and N mineralization of soil aggregate size classes in semiarid grasslands as affected by grazing management

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biology and Fertility of Soils Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Soil labile organic carbon (C) oxidation drives the flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) between soils and the atmosphere. However, the impact of grazing management and the contribution soil aggregate size classes (ASCs) to labile organic C from grassland soils is unclear. We evaluated the effects of grazing intensity and soil ASC on the soil labile organic C, including CO2 production, microbial biomass C, and dissolved organic C and nitrogen (N) mineralization in topsoils (0–10 cm) in Inner Mongolia, Northern China. Soil samples were separated into ASCs of 0–630 μm [fine ASC (fASC)], 630–2000 μm [medium ASC (mASC)] and >2000 μm [coarse ASC (cASC)]. The results showed that heavy grazing (HG) and continuous grazing (CG) increased soil labile organic C significantly compared to an ungrazed site since 1999 (UG99) and an ungrazed site since 1979 (UG79). For winter grazing site (WG), no significant differences were found. CO2 production was highest in cASC, while lowest in fASC. Microbial biomass C and dissolved organic C showed the highest values in mASC and were significantly lower in fASC. Grazing increased N mineralization in bulk soils, while it exhibited complex effects in the three ASCs. The results suggest that the rate of C mineralization was related to the rate of N accumulation. To reduce CO2 emission and nutrient loss, and to improve soil quality and productivity, a grazing system with moderate intensity is suggested.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bardgett RD, Wardle DA (2003) Herbivore-mediated linkages between aboveground and belowground communities. Ecology 84:2258–2268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beare MH, Hendrix PF, Coleman DC (1994) Water-stable aggregates and organic-matter fractions in conventional-tillage and no-tillage soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 58:777–786

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biondini ME, Patton BD, Nyren PE (1998) Grazing intensity and ecosystem processes in a northern mixed-grass prairie, USA. Ecol Appl 8:469–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cambardella CA, Elliott ET (1993) Carbon and nitrogen distribution in aggregates from cultivated and native grassland soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 57:1071–1076

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cui X, Wang Y, Niu H, Wu J, Wang S, Schnug E, Rogasik J, Fleckenstein J, Tang Y (2005) Effect of long-term grazing on soil organic carbon content in semiarid steppes in Inner Mongolia. Ecol Res 20:519–527

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dannenmann M, Gasche R, Ledebuhr A, Papen H (2006) Effects of forest management on soil N cycling in beech forests stocking on calcareous soils. Plant Soil 287:279–300

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott ET (1986) Aggregate structure and carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in native and cultivated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 50:627–633

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groffman PM, Rice CW, Tiedje JM (1993) Denitrification in a tallgrass prairie landscape. Ecology 74:855–862

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han G, Hao X, Zhao M, Wang M, Ellert BH, Walter W, Wang M (2008) Effect of grazing intensity on carbon and nitrogen in soil and vegetation in a meadow steppe in Inner Mongolia. Agr Ecosyst Environ 125:21–32

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harison KG, Broecker WS, Bonani G (1993) The effect of changing land use of soil radiocarbon. Science 262:725–726

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He NP, Yu Q, Wu L, Wang YS, Han XG (2008) Carbon and nitrogen store and storage potential as affected by land-use in a Leymus chinensis grassland of northern China. Soil Biol Biochem 40:2952–2959

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He NP, Zhang YH, Yu Q, Chen QS, Pan QM, Zhang GM, Han XG (2011) Grazing intensity impacts soil carbon and nitrogen storage of continental steppe. Ecosphere 2:art8

  • Holst J, Liu C, Yao Z, Brueggemann N, Zheng X, Giese M, Butterbach-Bahl K (2008) Fluxes of nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide during freezing–thawing cycles in an Inner Mongolian steppe. Plant Soil 308:105–117

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holt JA (1997) Grazing pressure and soil carbon, microbial biomass and enzyme activities in semi-arid northeastern Australia. Appl Soil Ecol 5:143–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ingram LJ, Stahl PD, Schuman GE, Buyer JS, Vance GF, Ganjegunte GK, Welker JM, Derner JD (2008) Grazing impacts on soil carbon and microbial communities in a mixed-grass ecosystem. Soil Sci Soc Am J 72:939–948

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Janzen HH, Campbell CA, Brandt SA, Lafond GP, Townleysmith L (1992) Light-fraction organic-matter in soils from long-term crop rotations. Soil Sci Soc Am J 56:1799–1806

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jastrow JD, Amonette JE, Bailey VL (2007) Mechanisms controlling soil carbon turnover and their potential application for enhancing carbon sequestration. Clim Chang 80:5–23

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Knops JMH, Tilman D (2000) Dynamics of soil nitrogen and carbon accumulation for 61 years after agricultural abandonment. Ecology 81:88–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Le Roux X, Bardy M, Loiseau P, Louault F (2003) Stimulation of soil nitrification and denitrification by grazing in grasslands: do changes in plant species composition matter? Oecologia 137:417–425

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lützow MV, Kögel-Knabner I, Ekschmitt K, Matzner E, Guggenberger G, Marschner B, Flessa H (2006) Stabilization of organic matter in temperate soils: mechanisms and their relevance under different soil conditions — a review. Eur J Soil Sci 57:426–445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milchunas DG, Lauenroth WK (1993) Quantitative effects of grazing on vegetation and soils over a global range of environments. Ecol Monogr 63:327–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parton WJ, Schimel DS, Cole CV, Ojima DS (1987) Analysis of factors controlling soil organic-matter levels in great-plains grasslands. Soil Sci Soc Am J 51:1173–1179

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reeder JD, Schuman GE (2002) Influence of livestock grazing on C sequestration in semi-arid mixed-grass and short-grass rangelands. Environ Pollut 116:457–463

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sainju UM, Caesar-TonThat T, Jabro JD (2009) Carbon and nitrogen fractions in dryland soil aggregates affected by long-term tillage and cropping sequence. Soil Sci Soc Am J 73:1488–1495

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schimel DS, Coleman DC, Horton KA (1985) Soil organic matter dynamics in paired rangeland and cropland toposequences in North Dakota. Geoderma 36:201–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schuman GE, Reeder JD, Manley JT, Hart RH, Manley WA (1999) Impact of grazing management on the carbon and nitrogen balance of a mixed-grass rangeland. Ecol Appl 9:65–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Six J, Paustian K, Elliott ET, Combrink C (2000) Soil structure and organic matter: I. Distribution of aggregate-size classes and aggregate-associated carbon. Soil Sci Soc Am J 64:681–689

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Six J, Bossuyt H, Degryze S, Denef K (2004) A history of research on the link between (micro)aggregates, soil biota, and soil organic matter dynamics. Soil Till Res 79:7–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steffens M, Kolbl A, Totsche KU, Kogel-Knabner I (2008) Grazing effects on soil chemical and physical properties in a semiarid steppe of Inner Mongolia (PR China). Geoderma 143:63–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steffens M, Kolbl A, Kögel-Knabner I (2009) Alteration of soil organic matter pools and aggregation in semi-arid steppe topsoils as driven by organic matter input. Eur J Soil Sci 60:198–212

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tong C, Xi F, Yang J, Yong W (2003) Remote sensing monitoring on degraded steppe and determination of reasonable grazing intensity for the restoration of steppe in middle reach of Xilin river basin. Acta Prataculturae Sinica 12:78–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Vance ED, Brookes PC, Jenkinson DS (1987) An extraction method for measuring soil microbial biomass C. Soil Biol Biochem 19:703–707

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Whalen JK, Bottomley PJ, Myrold DD (2000) Carbon and nitrogen mineralization from light- and heavy-fraction additions to soil. Soil Biol Biochem 32:1345–1352

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wiesmeier M, Steffens M, Kölbl A, Kögel-Knabner I (2009) Degradation and small-scale spatial homogenization of topsoils in intensively grazed steppes of Northern China. Soil Till Res 104:299–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiesmeier M, Barthold FK, Blank FB, Kögel-Knabner I (2011) Digital mapping of soil organic matter stocks using Random Forest modeling in a semi-arid steppe ecosystem. Plant Soil 340:7–24

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu H, Dannenmann M, Fanselow N, Wolf B, Yao Z, Wu X, Brüggemann N, Zheng X, Han X, Dittert K, Butterbach-Bahl K (2011a) Feedback of grazing on gross rates of N mineralization and inorganic N partitioning in steppe soils of Inner Mongolia. Plant Soil 340:127–139

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu H, Dannenmann M, Wolf MB, Han X, Zheng X, Butterbach-Bahl K (2011b) Seasonality of soil microbial nitrogen turnover in continental steppe soils of Inner Mongolia — insights from a full year dataset of gross and net nitrogen turnover. Ecosphere in press

  • Zhou X, Wang J, Hao Y, Wang Y (2010) Intermediate grazing intensities by sheep increase soil bacterial diversities in an Inner Mingolia steppe. Biol Fertil Soils 46:817–824

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zibilske M (1994) Carbon mineralization. In: Angle S, Weaver RW, Bottomley P, Bezdicek D, Smith S, Tabatabai A, Wollum A (eds) Methods of soil analysis microbiological and biochemical properties. Part 2, SSSA Book Series: 5, Madison, WI, pp 835–859

  • Zou XM, Ruan HH, Fu Y, Yang XD, Sha LQ (2005) Estimating soil labile organic carbon and potential turnover rates using a sequential fumigation–incubation procedure. Soil Biol Biochem 37:1923–1928

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Yueqin Cheng (ISC-CAS), Angelika Kölbl, Greetje Pronk, and Olivia Kreyling (TU München) for laboratory work, Tabea Dietz and Sigrid Hiesch (CAU TU München) for determination of NH +4 and NO -3 concentration. This study was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) within the MAGIM project (Forschergruppe 536 MAGIM — Matter fluxes in grasslands of Inner Mongolia as influenced by stocking rate).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China

    Honghui Wu & Xinguo Han

  2. Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, Department für Ökologie und Ökosystemmanagement, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan für Ernährung, Landnutzung und Umwelt, Technische Universität München, D-85350, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany

    Honghui Wu, Martin Wiesmeier, Markus Steffens & Ingrid Kögel-Knabner

  3. State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Qiang Yu & Xinguo Han

  4. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Honghui Wu

Authors
  1. Honghui Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Martin Wiesmeier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Qiang Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Markus Steffens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xinguo Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ingrid Kögel-Knabner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin Wiesmeier.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wu, H., Wiesmeier, M., Yu, Q. et al. Labile organic C and N mineralization of soil aggregate size classes in semiarid grasslands as affected by grazing management. Biol Fertil Soils 48, 305–313 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-011-0627-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-011-0627-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation