Do freeze-thaw events enhance C and N losses from soils of different ecosystems? A review

被引:407
作者
Matzner, E. [1 ]
Borken, W. [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany
关键词
D O I
10.1111/j.1365-2389.2007.00992.x
中图分类号
S15 [土壤学];
学科分类号
0903 ; 090301 ;
摘要
Freezing and thawing of soils may affect the turnover of soil organic matter and thus the losses of C and N from soils. Here we review the literature with special focus on: (i) the mechanisms involved, (ii) the effects of freezing temperature and frequency, (iii) the differences between arable soils and soils under natural vegetation, and (iv) the hypothesis that freeze-thaw events lead to significant C and N losses from soils at the annual scale. Changes in microbial biomass and populations, root turnover and soil structure might explain increased gaseous and solute fluxes of C and N following freeze-thaw events, but these mechanisms have seldom been addressed in detail. Effects of freeze-thaw events appear to increase with colder frost temperatures below 0 degrees C, but a threshold value for specific soils and processes cannot be defined. The pool of C and N susceptible to freeze-thaw events is rather limited, as indicated by decreasing losses with short-term repeated events. Elevated nitrate losses from soils under alpine and/or arctic and forest vegetation occurred only in the year following exceptional soil frost, with greatest reported losses of about 13 kg N ha(-1). Nitrate losses are more likely caused by reduced root uptake rather than by increased N net mineralization. N2O emissions from forest soils often increased after thawing, but this lasted only for a relatively short time (days to 1-2 months), with the greatest reported cumulative N2O emissions of about 2 kg N2O-N ha(-1). The emissions of N2O after freeze-thaw events were in some cases substantially greater from arable soils than from forest soils. Thus, freeze-thaw events might induce gaseous and/or solute losses of N from soils that are relevant at the annual time scale. While a burst of CO2 after thawing of frozen soils is often found, there is strong evidence that, at the annual time scale, freeze-thaw cycles either have little effect or will even reduce soil C losses as compared with unfrozen conditions. On the contrary, a milder winter climate with fewer periods of soil frost may result in greater losses of C from soils that are presently influenced by extended frost periods.
引用
收藏
页码:274 / 284
页数:11
相关论文
共 72 条
[1]   INCREASED SOIL NITRATE LOSSES UNDER MATURE SUGAR MAPLE TREES AFFECTED BY EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED DEEP FROST [J].
BOUTIN, R ;
ROBITAILLE, G .
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH, 1995, 25 (04) :588-602
[2]   Inorganic nitrogen and microbial biomass dynamics before and during spring snowmelt [J].
Brooks, PD ;
Williams, MW ;
Schmidt, SK .
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, 1998, 43 (01) :1-15
[3]   Exchange of trace gases between soils and the atmosphere in Scots pine forest ecosystems of the northeastern German lowlands 1.: Fluxes of N2O, NO/NO2 and CH4 at forest sites with different N-deposition [J].
Butterbach-Bahl, K ;
Breuer, L ;
Gasche, R ;
Willibald, G ;
Papen, H .
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 2002, 167 (1-3) :123-134
[4]   Long-term development of nitrogen fluxes in a coniferous ecosystem: Does soil freezing trigger nitrate leaching? [J].
Callesen, Ingeborg ;
Borken, Werner ;
Kalbitz, Karsten ;
Matzner, Egbert .
JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, 2007, 170 (02) :189-196
[5]  
Campbell JL, 2005, FRONT ECOL ENVIRON, V3, P314, DOI 10.1890/1540-9295(2005)003[0314:WINNAA]2.0.CO
[6]  
2
[7]   BRIEF AND VIGOROUS N2O PRODUCTION BY SOIL AT SPRING THAW [J].
CHRISTENSEN, S ;
TIEDJE, JM .
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, 1990, 41 (01) :1-4
[8]   WINTER RESPIRATORY ACTIVITY IN ASPEN WOODLAND FOREST FLOOR LITTER AND SOILS [J].
COXSON, DS ;
PARKINSON, D .
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY, 1987, 19 (01) :49-59
[9]   Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change [J].
Davidson, EA ;
Janssens, IA .
NATURE, 2006, 440 (7081) :165-173
[10]  
Davidson EA, 2000, BIOSCIENCE, V50, P667, DOI 10.1641/0006-3568(2000)050[0667:TACMOS]2.0.CO