Soil erosion significantly reduces organic carbon and nitrogen mineralization in a simulated experiment

Soil erosion has important influence on soil processes and particularly soil nutrient dynamics, which in turn affects the terrestrial C and N cycling and greenhouse gases emission. However, the responses of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in soils and soil fractions to erosion remain largely unclear, hindering the precise prediction of the fate of C and N in the terrestrial ecosystem. Herein, we compared the mineralization of organic carbon (OC) and N at two different temperatures (15 and 25 degrees C) in bulk soils and aggregate fractions of 19 soils before and after a simulated rainstorm. The temperature sensitivity (Q(10)) of OC and N mineralization was calculated. Soil samples were collected from 9 sites across China, with soil types of Alfisols, Inceptisols, Mollisols, Ultisols, and land uses of croplands, grasslands, and woodlands. The soil aggregate fractions were >2, 2-1, 1-0.25 and <0.25 mm, respectively. We hypothesized that erosion will decrease OC and N mineralization due to the loss of labile organic matter from soils and that the effects of erosion would decrease with clay content and vary with different aggregate fractions. In support of these hypotheses, the cumulative mineralized OC and N (C-m and N-m) in the soils and aggregate fractions were decreased of 78-85% and 37-52% after erosion, and the temperature sensitivities of OC and N mineralization were decreased of 80-84% and 4-43%, respectively. The effects of erosion varied with site where the soil was collected. The decreases in C-m and N-m mainly occurred in small aggregate sizes (1-0.25 and <0.25 mm fractions). The C-m and N-m in bulk soils and aggregates increased significantly with the contents of OC, N, labile OC and mineral N but were texture independent. These results highlighted significantly reduction of OC and N mineralization at eroding sites, which should be carefully considered when assessing emissions of greenhouse gases in eroding environments.

Automated summary

Soil erosion has a significant impact on the mineralization of organic carbon and nitrogen in soils, leading to a decrease in C and N mineralization in both soil and aggregate fractions, especially in small aggregate sizes. These findings highlight the reduced OC and N mineralization in eroding sites, which should be taken into consideration when assessing greenhouse gas emissions in eroding environments.