Ryunosuke Tateno

Microbial regulation of nitrogen dynamics along the hillslope of a natural forest

Topography affects the soil physicochemistry, soil N dynamics, and plant distribution and growth in forests. In Japan, many forests are found in mountainous areas and these traits are often highly variable along steep slopes. In this study, we investigated how the microbial population dynamics reflected the bioavailable N dynamics with the physicochemical gradient along the slope in soils of a natural forest in Japan. We measured the gross rates of NH4+ production, nitrification, and NH4+/ NO3− immobilization using the N isotope dilution method to analyze the N dynamics in the soils. We also determined the abundance of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and bacterial and archaeal ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA) using qPCR to assess the populations of total bacteria and nitrifiers. We found that gross rates of NH4+ production and nitrification were higher in the lower part of the slope, they were positively correlated with the abundance of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and archaeal amoA, respectively; and the availability of N, particularly NO3−, for plants was higher in the lower part of the slope because of the higher microbial nitrification activity and low microbial NO3− immobilization activity. In addition, path analysis indicated that gross rates of NH4+ production and nitrification were regulated mainly by the substrate (dissolved organic N and NH4+) concentrations and population sizes of total bacteria and nitrifiers, respectively, and their population sizes were strongly affected by the soil physicochemistry such as pH and water content. Our results suggested that the soil physicochemical gradient along the slope caused the spatial gradient of gross rates of NH4+ production and nitrification by altering the communities of ammonifiers and nitrifiers in the forest slope, which also affected plant distribution and growth via the supply of bioavailable N to plants.

Changes in the anatomy, morphology and mycorrhizal infection of fine root systems of Cryptomeria japonica in relation to stand ageing

Biomass allocation to fine roots often increases under soil nutrient deficiency, but the fine root biomass does not often increase in old stands, even under nutrient limitation. Therefore, in old stands, the morphology, anatomy, branching architecture and mycorrhization of fine roots may compensate efficiently for nutrient acquisition by the low fine root biomass. In this study, changes in the morphology, anatomy and arbuscular mycorrhizal infection at each branching position of fine root clusters were evaluated in relation to stand age. A chronosequence (6–90 years of age) of stands in a Cryptomeria japonica D. Don plantation was used for these analyses. The fine root size parameters, such as length, weight and tip numbers of fine root clusters, increased with stand age. The specific root tip length (SRTL) decreased with increasing stand age, suggesting that the allocation to root active portions decreased with stand age. From the anatomical observation, the ephemeral root tips increased with stand age, suggesting that root tip turnover within a root cluster was high in old stands. The proportions of proto-xylem groups among branching positions indicated that the life cycles in branching hierarchy should be clearer in old stands than that in younger stands. The increasing in the mycorrhizal infection of root tips in old stands should enhance the root tip absorptive functions. The SRTL was correlated with the wood/needle ratio, suggesting that carbon limitation as the stand ages may result in decline of carbon allocation to maintain active root tips. However, increasing of the ephemeral tips and mycorrhizal infection rates may compensate the declines of tip allocation in old stands.

Development of Soil Bacterial Communities in Volcanic Ash Microcosms in a Range of Climates

There is considerable interest in understanding the processes of microbial development in volcanic ash. We tested the predictions that there would be (1) a distinctive bacterial community associated with soil development on volcanic ash, including groups previously implicated in weathering studies; (2) a slower increase in bacterial abundance and soil C and N accumulation in cooler climates; and (3) a distinct communities developing on the same substrate in different climates. We set up an experiment, taking freshly fallen, sterilized volcanic ash from Sakurajima volcano, Japan. Pots of ash were positioned in multiple locations, with mean annual temperature (MAT) ranging from 18.6 to −3xa0°C. Within 12xa0months, bacteria were detectable by qPCR in all pots. By 24xa0months, bacterial copy numbers had increased by 10–100 times relative to a year before. C and N content approximately doubled between 12 and 24xa0months. HiSeq and MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed a distinctive bacterial community, different from developed vegetated soils in the same areas, for example in containing an abundance of unclassified bacterial groups. Community composition also differed between the ash pots at different sites, while showing no pattern in relation to MAT. Contrary to our predictions, the bacterial abundance did not show any relation to MAT. It also did not correlate to pH or N, and only C was statistically significant. It appears that bacterial community development on volcanic ash can be a rapid process not closely sensitive to temperature, involving distinct communities from developed soils.

Estimation of field soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates using soil N transformation parameters obtained through laboratory incubation

We tested the potential of estimating in-field (in situ) nitrogen (N) transformation rates based on soil temperature data and N transformation parameters (Q10 and N transformation rates at standard temperature) obtained through laboratory incubations at three constant temperatures for 4xa0weeks. This test was conducted based on a comparison between in situ measurements and estimates using soils from 16 sites across 9 regions within the Japanese archipelago. The actual in situ N mineralization and nitrification rates measured using the buried-bag method at 0–50-cm-soil depth were 111xa0±xa034 and 106xa0±xa045xa0kgxa0N ha−1 year−1, respectively, and estimates of both the rate and the amount were largely accurate. For rate alone, estimates were accurate in the 0–10-cm soil layer for annual and seasonal averages (except for spring–summer) whereas for amount alone, estimates were accurate to depths of 50 and 30xa0cm for N mineralization and nitrification, respectively. Thus, estimates of the rates and amounts were approximately equal to the actual in situ rate/amount, given the wide range of prediction intervals of the field measurement data. The differences between the estimates of N transformation rates derived from hourly measured and monthly average soil temperatures were negligible. Therefore, in situ soil N transformations, which are laborious to measure in the field, have the potential to be estimated from a combination of monthly average soil temperatures and N transformation parameters, which are relatively straightforward to obtain through laboratory incubation.

Changes in aboveground and belowground properties during secondary natural succession of a cool-temperate forest in Japan

Forest development in temperate regions is considered to be a global carbon sink. Many studies have examined forest development after harvesting or fire from aboveground (e.g., biomass) or belowground (e.g., soil nutrient) perspectives. However, few studies have explored forest development from both perspectives simultaneously in cool-temperate forests in Japan. In this study, we examined changes over 105xa0years in both aboveground and belowground components during secondary natural succession. The aboveground biomass increased for 50xa0years and reached a plateau in a 105-year-old stand. The N mineralization rate increased during succession for 50xa0years, but showed a decline in the 105-year-old stand due to the decrease in the nitrification rate in late succession. The percent nitrification (i.e., relative contribution of nitrification to N mineralization) decreased significantly with increasing forest stand age. The N mineralization rates had significant relationships with N concentrations of the dominant tree foliage and litter fall and with the amount of litter fall N. Meanwhile, other belowground properties (i.e., soil pH, phenol concentration, soil microbial respiration, and litter mass loss) did not show any significant relationship with forest stand age. This may be because the soil at the study sites was heterogeneous and consisted of Cambisols and Andosols, the latter of which originally has high organic matter content, and thus may have buffered the effect of the aboveground development. These results indicate that belowground N dynamics are more closely associated with aboveground development than other belowground properties in these forests.

Nitrate leaching from Japanese temperate forest ecosystems in response to elevated atmospheric N deposition

ABSTRACT The effects of elevated atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on N cycling in Japanese forest ecosystems are reviewed here to assess the sensitivity of nitrate (NO3−) leaching from forests to streams in response to this deposition. Long-term monitoring of atmospheric N deposition throughout Japan suggests that long-range transport of air pollutants from East Asia accounts for recent increases in atmospheric N deposition in Japan. A new conceptual model of N saturation proposes that kinetic N saturation can be related to unavoidable hydrological nitrate (NO3−) loss from Japanese forests having an Asian monsoon climate with warm and wet summers. Soil microbes, including fungi and ammonia-oxidizing archaea, are important players in these forest ecosystems, affecting nutrient cycling in response to increased atmospheric N deposition. Similarly, a new framework based on a mycorrhizal-associated nutrient economy provides an understanding of NO3− leaching in soils from temperate forests, suggesting that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM)-dominated forests leach more NO3− in response to N deposition than ectomycorrhizal fungi-dominated forests. Because Japanese cedar and cypress are AM-associated trees, they are likely susceptible to NO3− leaching. Maturation and poor management of such plantations may accelerate NO3− leaching. Grazing by increasing deer populations also enhances NO3− leaching from the soil system. We argue that several factors, including long-range transport of air pollutants, an Asian monsoon climate setting, as well as maturation and poor management of AM-associated plantations, will make Japanese temperate forests more sensitive to increased atmospheric N deposition in East Asia over the next decades.