Nitrate dynamics in a forested catchment on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau: A study integrating natural-abundance isotopic, 15N pairing, and microbial molecular techniques

The nitrate (NO3-) dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau, one of the most climatic sensitive regions on Earth, has not yet been well understood. This study synthesized natural-abundance isotopes, N-15 pairing techniques, and microbial functional genes to systematically elucidate the NO3- cycling dynamics as well as their biotic and abiotic driving mechanisms in a pristine forested catchment on the Tibetan Plateau. The river's natural-abundance isotopes showed that mineralization-nitrification of soil organic nitrogen was the major source of NO3- in the river, while significant NO3- removal occurred in the catchment. The N-15 pairing experiments support the river's isotopes and quantitatively showed that nitrification was prevalent in soil, but more than half of the nitrification-derived NO3- was removed. In turn, the river isotopes verified the representativeness of the in-soil processes in the catchment. Structural equation models suggested nitrification and denitrification (the major NO3- removal pathway) were largely regulated by microbial functional gene abundances, which in turn were regulated by varying abiotic factors. In addition, the fluvial NO3- export rates in the sub-catchments were significantly correlated with the river runoff, highlighting the role of hydrological conditions and associated soil leaching in regulating fluvial NO3- fluxes. This study shows that combining multi-disciplinary techniques can achieve a more comprehensive understanding of NO3- dynamics at the catchment scale.

Automated summary

This study comprehensively explored the dynamics of nitrate (NO3-) cycling and its driving mechanisms in a pristine forested catchment on the Tibetan Plateau by using natural-abundance isotopes, N-15 pairing techniques, and microbial functional genes. It was found that most of the river's NO3- came from soil organic nitrogen mineralization-nitrification, but significant NO3- removal also occurred in the catchment. The N-15 pairing experiments confirmed the prevalence of nitrification in soil, but revealed that more than half of the nitrification-derived NO3- was removed. Microbial functional gene abundances were found to regulate nitrification and denitrification, and were in turn regulated by abiotic factors. Additionally, fluvial NO3- export rates in the sub-catchments were significantly influenced by river runoff, emphasizing the role of hydrological conditions and soil leaching in regulating NO3- fluxes.