Chapter 11
Impacts of Nitrogen Deposition on China’s
Desert Ecosystems
Xiaobing Zhou, Ping Yue, Xiaoqing Cui, Ye Tao, Yuanming Zhang,
and Xuejun Liu
Abstract In desert ecosystems, nitrogen (N) deposition can alter the soil N pools
(soil available N or total N) or plant N uptake while rarely changing other nutrient
contents. In this chapter, we reviewed the effects of N deposition on China’s desert
ecosystems based on experimental results. Acidification of the soil and toxic effects
on the microbes often occur under high N addition. Soil enzyme activities in
response to N additions depended on the N applied rates and the specific enzyme
types, with oxidative enzymes more stable than hydrolytic enzymes. Soil microbial
biomass N was usually increased by N addition, while the responses of microbial
biomass carbon depended on shrub existence. The soil microbial community structure was generally not affected by N addition, although increased soil bacterial
phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and non-changes in soil fungal PLFAs were
observed. For the greenhouse gas emission, N addition cannot shift the soil respiration except under high moisture condition. Positive effects of N input on nitrous
oxide emission with no or negative methane uptake were found. The growth and
biomass allocation of vascular plants under N addition depended on life-forms/
X. Zhou (*) · Y. Tao · Y. Zhang
CAS Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of
Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
e-mail: zhouxb@ms.xjb.ac.cn
P. Yue
CAS Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of
Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and
Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
X. Cui
Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions of MOE, College of Resources and Environmental
Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Sino-France Institute of Earth Systems Science, Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College
of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
X. Liu
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing,
China
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
X. Liu, E. Du (eds.), Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in China,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8514-8_11
245
Impacts of Nitrogen Deposition on China’s
Desert Ecosystems
Xiaobing Zhou, Ping Yue, Xiaoqing Cui, Ye Tao, Yuanming Zhang,
and Xuejun Liu
Abstract In desert ecosystems, nitrogen (N) deposition can alter the soil N pools
(soil available N or total N) or plant N uptake while rarely changing other nutrient
contents. In this chapter, we reviewed the effects of N deposition on China’s desert
ecosystems based on experimental results. Acidification of the soil and toxic effects
on the microbes often occur under high N addition. Soil enzyme activities in
response to N additions depended on the N applied rates and the specific enzyme
types, with oxidative enzymes more stable than hydrolytic enzymes. Soil microbial
biomass N was usually increased by N addition, while the responses of microbial
biomass carbon depended on shrub existence. The soil microbial community structure was generally not affected by N addition, although increased soil bacterial
phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and non-changes in soil fungal PLFAs were
observed. For the greenhouse gas emission, N addition cannot shift the soil respiration except under high moisture condition. Positive effects of N input on nitrous
oxide emission with no or negative methane uptake were found. The growth and
biomass allocation of vascular plants under N addition depended on life-forms/
X. Zhou (*) · Y. Tao · Y. Zhang
CAS Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of
Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
e-mail: zhouxb@ms.xjb.ac.cn
P. Yue
CAS Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of
Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and
Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
X. Cui
Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions of MOE, College of Resources and Environmental
Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Sino-France Institute of Earth Systems Science, Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College
of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
X. Liu
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing,
China
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
X. Liu, E. Du (eds.), Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in China,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8514-8_11
245