Comparison on soil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics between urban
impervious surfaces and vegetation
Abstract
The soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamic was usually considered as a
minor change based on a static process in the sealed soil under decades
of impervious surface (IS). However, no systematic studies concerning
the soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) dynamic were conducted
under IS in contrast with urban vegetation (i.e., forest, grass). Here
we utilized fractional distillation of soils as well as stable isotopic
analysis to examine soil C&N cycles after 20 and 30 years of vegetation
planting and IS construction in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Pearl River
Delta, China. Soil samples including bare soil (CK) and four land use
treatments were split into different chemical fractions. Then we
analyzed the C&N content, C/N ratio, δ13C, δ15N, C&N recalcitrant
indices (RIC, RIN), and the mean residence time (MRT). We found that the
soil C&N increased first (i.e., 20 years) because of enhanced C&N
stocks in both labile (LP) and recalcitrant pool (RP), and then
stabilized or decreased (i.e., 30 years) with the IS ages in both
cities. IS had a lower SOC decomposition rate and thus resulted in the
five to ten times longer MRT (about 259–465 years) than that in
vegetated soils (about 39–55 years). Moreover, the SOC&SON always
showed a decoupling relation in labile pools (i.e., LC and LN) in
forests in both cities. The study showed the IS remarkably altered the
soil C&N dynamics, showing a great difference in SOC&SON fractions
composition and turnover compared with vegetation.