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1.
The availability of inorganic N has been shown to be one of the major factors limiting primary productivity in high latitude ecosystems. The factors regulating the rate of transformation of organic N to nitrate and ammonium, however, remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of the soluble N pool in forest soils and to determine the relative rate of inorganic N production from high and low molecular weight (MW) dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) compounds in black spruce forest soils. DON was found to be the dominant N form in soil solution, however, most of this DON was of high MW of which >75% remained unidentified. Free amino acids constituted less than 5% of the total DON pool. The concentration of NO3− and NH4+ was low in all soils but significantly greater than the concentration of free amino acids. Incubations of low MW DON with soil indicated a rapid processing of amino acids, di- and tri-peptides to NH4+ followed by a slower transformation of the NH4+ pool to NO3−. The rate of protein transformation to NH4+ was slower than for amino acids and peptides suggesting that the block in N mineralization in taiga forest soils is the transformation of high MW DON to low MW DON and not low MW DON to NH4+ or NH4+ to NO3−. Calculated turnover rates of amino acid-derived C and N immobilized in the soil microbial biomass were similar with a half-life of approximately 30 d indicating congruent C and N mineralization. 相似文献
2.
Nitrite dynamics could be highly associated with forest N cycles. However, they have often been overlooked mainly because of the experimental difficulties that occur owing to chemical reactive nature of NO2−. We investigated NO2− dynamics in an N-saturated forest soil with a recently developed method using 15N. Soils were aerobically incubated for 145 h after 15NO2− addition, and changes in 14N and 15N concentrations of NO2−, NO3−, NH4+, and dissolved organic N (DON) were monitored. Simultaneous production and consumption of NO2− were observed. The turnover rate of NO2− was even faster than that of NH4+ and NO3− calculated in other studies. Of the added 15NO2−, 28.5% was oxidized to NO3− and 17.8% was incorporated into the DON pool within 4 h. The remainder might be emitted as gas or fixed by insoluble soil organic matter. Our results suggested that rapid NO2− turnover could be a major driving force for N transformations in forest soil. 相似文献
3.
Erich Inselsbacher Nina Hinko-Najera Umana Markus Gorfer Katrin Ripka Rebecca Hood-Novotny Wolfgang Wanek 《Soil biology & biochemistry》2010,42(2):360-372
Agricultural systems that receive high amounts of inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer in the form of either ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3−) or a combination thereof are expected to differ in soil N transformation rates and fates of NH4+ and NO3−. Using 15N tracer techniques this study examines how crop plants and soil microbes vary in their ability to take up and compete for fertilizer N on a short time scale (hours to days). Single plants of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Morex) were grown on two agricultural soils in microcosms which received either NH4+, NO3− or NH4NO3. Within each fertilizer treatment traces of 15NH4+ and 15NO3− were added separately. During 8 days of fertilization the fate of fertilizer 15N into plants, microbial biomass and inorganic soil N pools as well as changes in gross N transformation rates were investigated. One week after fertilization 45-80% of initially applied 15N was recovered in crop plants compared to only 1-10% in soil microbes, proving that plants were the strongest competitors for fertilizer N. In terms of N uptake soil microbes out-competed plants only during the first 4 h of N application independent of soil and fertilizer N form. Within one day microbial N uptake declined substantially, probably due to carbon limitation. In both soils, plants and soil microbes took up more NO3− than NH4+ independent of initially applied N form. Surprisingly, no inhibitory effect of NH4+ on the uptake and assimilation of nitrate in both, plants and microbes, was observed, probably because fast nitrification rates led to a swift depletion of the ammonium pool. Compared to plant and microbial NH4+ uptake rates, gross nitrification rates were 3-75-fold higher, indicating that nitrifiers were the strongest competitors for NH4+ in both soils. The rapid conversion of NH4+ to NO3− and preferential use of NO3− by soil microbes suggest that in agricultural systems with high inorganic N fertilizer inputs the soil microbial community could adapt to high concentrations of NO3− and shift towards enhanced reliance on NO3− for their N supply. 相似文献
4.
pH is known to be a primary regulator of nutrient cycling in soil. Increasing soil acidity in agricultural systems has the potential to slow down N cycling and reduce N losses from leaching thereby enhancing sustainability and reducing pollution. We conducted a field experiment to investigate the impact of acidity on N leaching in arable and grassland agricultural systems. The results showed that nitrate (NO3−) concentrations in soil water were greater under arable than under grassland. Soil acidification significantly lowered NO3− concentrations in soil water over winter and spring under grassland, whilst in cereal plots a similar effect was only observed in spring. Our results suggest that soil acidification decreased nitrification causing an accumulation of NH4+ which was not subject to leaching. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) concentrations in soil water were significantly greater under arable than grassland. Soil acidification lowered concentrations of DON in soil water, usually to a greater extent in grassland than in arable plots. It was concluded that it may be possible to use careful soil pH management as a tool to control NO3− leaching without compromising the quality of drainage water, and that this may be more effective on grassland than on arable crops. 相似文献
5.
《Soil biology & biochemistry》2001,33(7-8):1113-1121
In this study, the influence of temperature and vegetation cover on soluble inorganic and organic nitrogen in a spodosol from north east Scotland was investigated. Firstly, soil cores were incubated at 5, 10 and 15°C for up to 8 weeks. Net mineralisation was observed at all temperatures with larger rates observed at higher temperatures. In contrast, water extractable dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) displayed no clear trend with time and showed little response to temperature. Secondly, intact cores of the same soil, with and without vegetation, were leached with artificial rain for 6 weeks at 6.5 and 15°C. Temperature and the presence of vegetation interacted to have a significant (P<0.01) effect on the concentration of NO3− in leachates; highest concentrations were observed in leachates from cores without vegetation at 15°C, whereas lowest concentrations were observed in leachates from cores with vegetation at 6.5°C. In contrast, concentrations of DON and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were significantly (P<0.001) higher in leachates from cores with vegetation than without vegetation and were not affected by temperature. The cumulative amounts of DON and DOC leached from the cores with vegetation were 4 and 2.5 times greater, respectively, than those leached from the cores without vegetation. Comparison of soil solution (extracted by centrifugation at 0–5 and 5–10 cm depth) after leaching for 6 weeks, showed that the upper layer contained more than twice the amount of DON than the 5–10 cm layer and that the difference in concentration between the two depths was enhanced in the presence of vegetation. The results indicate that vegetation is an important source of DON and DOC. However, the removal of vegetation did not lead to an increase in the quantity of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in soil water, but resulted in a change in the dominant N fraction from DON to NO3−. In addition, the results show that DON, in both the incubated and leached cores, did not change as inorganic N was mineralised. This suggests that if water extractable DON was acting as a source of NH4+ or NO3−, then it was being replenished by, and in equilibrium with, a large reserve of organic N. Evidence of such a pool was indirect in the form of additional DON (equivalent to 2 g N m−2) being extracted by 0.5 M K2SO4. 相似文献
6.
Biochar has the potential to decrease salinity and nutrient loss of saline soil. We investigated the effects of biochar amendment (0–10 g kg−1) on salinity of saline soil (2.8‰ salt) in NaCl leaching and nutrient retention by conducting column leaching experiments. The biochar was produced in situ from Salix fragilis L. via a fire-water coupled process. The soil columns irrigated with 15 cm of water showed that biochar amendment (4 g kg−1) decreased the concentration Na+ by 25.55% in the first irrigation and to 60.30% for the second irrigation in sandy loam layer over the corresponding control (CK). Meanwhile, the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of soil after the first and second irrigation was 1.62 and 0.54, respectively, which were 15.2% and 49.5% lower than CK. The marked increase in saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) from 0.15 × 10–5 cm s−1 for CK to 0.39 × 10–5 cm s−1, following 4 g kg−1 of biochar addition, was conducive to salt leaching. Besides, biochar use (4 g kg−1) increased NH4+-N and Olsen-P by 63.63% and 62.50% over the CK, but accelerated NO3–-N leaching. Since 15 cm hydrostatic pressure would result in salt accumulation of root zone, we would recommend using 4 g kg−1 of biochar, 30 cm of water to ease the problem of salt leaching from the surface horizon to the subsoil. This study would provide a guidance to remediate the saline soil in the Yellow River Delta by judicious application of biochar and irrigation. 相似文献
7.
Purpose
The oxidation of ammonium (NH4+) to nitrate (NO3−) in the soil is an important biogeochemical process, which has major environmental implications as it can contribute to NO3− leaching and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Nitrification inhibitors have been used to slow down this process to reduce NO3− leaching and N2O emissions from agricultural land. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a liquid formulation of 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) compared with a dicyandiamide (DCD) solution in inhibiting the growth of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonium oxidizing archaea (AOA) and slowing down the rate of NH4+ oxidation in soil. 相似文献8.
Background, aim, and scope
A large proportion of soil nitrogen (N; >80%) is present in organic form. Current research on plant N uptake in terrestrial ecosystems has focused mainly on inorganic N such as ammonium (NH4 +) and nitrate (NO3 −), while soluble organic N (SON) has received little attention. In recent years, the increasing evidence showing the direct uptake of various amino acids by plants and the predominance of the organic form in N loss by leaching in many forest ecosystems has drawn attention to critically re-examine the nature and the ecological role of soil SON in terrestrial N cycling. However, little is known about the sources and dynamics, chemical nature, and ecological functions of soil SON in forest ecosystems. This paper reviews recent advances in the areas of research on current techniques for characterizing soil SON and the size, nature, and dynamics of soil SON pools in forest ecosystems. 相似文献9.
Nitrogen (N) is an essential element associated with crop yield and its availability is largely controlled by microbially-mediated processes. The abundance of microbial functional genes (MFG) involved in N transformations can be influenced by agricultural practices and soil amendments. Biochar may alter microbial functional gene abundances through changing soil properties, thereby affecting N cycling and its availability to crops. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of wood biochar application on N retention and MFG under field settings. This was achieved by characterising soil labile N and their stable isotope compositions and by quantifying the gene abundance of nifH (nitrogen fixation), narG (nitrate reduction), nirS, nirK (nitrite reduction), nosZ (nitrous oxide reduction), and bacterial and archeal amoA (ammonia oxidation). A wood-based biochar was applied to a macadamia orchard soil at rates of 10 t ha−1 (B10) and 30 t ha−1 (B30). The soil was sampled after 6 and 12 months. The abundance of narG in both B10 and B30 was lower than that of control at both sampling months. Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed that soil variables (including dissolved organic C, NO3−–N and NH4+–N) and sampling time influenced MFG, but biochar did not directly impact on MFG. Twelve months after biochar application, NH4+–N concentrations had significantly decreased in both B10 (4.74 μg g−1) and B30 (5.49 μg g−1) compared to C10 (13.9 μg g−1) and C30 (17.9 μg g−1), whereas NO3−–N concentrations increased significantly in B30 (24.7 μg g−1) compared to B10 (12.7 μg g−1) and control plots (6.18 μg g−1 and 7.97 μg g−1 in C10 and C30 respectively). At month 12, significant δ15N of NO3−–N depletion observed in B30 may have been caused by a marked increase in NO3−–N availability and retention in those plots. Hence, it is probable that the N retention in high rate biochar plots was mediated primarily by abiotic factors. 相似文献
10.
Yuxuan Li Muhammad Riaz Hao Xia JiYuan Wang Xiangling Wang Cuncang Jiang 《Soil Use and Management》2023,39(4):1467-1476
Maximizing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) involves synchronizing the interplay between nitrogen preferential crops and the nitrogen transformation pathways of soil. Biochar may benefit specific N-preference crops in relatively unsuitable soil environments; however, experimental data are lacking. This study tested eight treatments, consisting of four nitrogen treatments (N0 = control; N1 = NH4Cl; N2 = NaNO3; and N3 = 1:1 ratio of NH4+ and NO3−) each with biochar applied at 0% or 2% (w/w). The results show that biochar and/or nitrogen application enhanced maize seedling biomass and NO3−-based fertilizer resulted in higher seedling biomass than NH4+-based fertilizer. With the application of biochar and NH4+-based fertilizer, maize seedling biomass increased and soil NH4+-N content was significantly reduced compared with NH4Cl sole application. Correlation analysis and redundancy analysis revealed that SOC content and inorganic nitrogen content were the main factors influencing maize growth and N absorption. Biochar with or without nitrogen fertilizer (except N1 treatment) significantly increased β-1,4-glucosidase (BG) activity. Co-application treatments also resulted in higher vector length, an indicator of C limitation—the increment might add to the risk of microbial C limitation. The activity of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), a key enzyme in nitrification, decreased with the co-application of biochar and nitrogen, suggesting the alteration of nitrogen transformation. 相似文献
11.
《Applied soil ecology》2007,35(2):390-403
A plan was developed to apply biosolid to soil of the former lake Texcoco to fertilize the pioneer vegetation. Because, no information exists about how differences in electrolytic conductivity (EC) might affect mineralization of biosolid and dynamics of C and N in soil, 20 soil samples forming a gradient in EC ranging from 22 to 150 dS m−1 were characterized, amended with 500 mg biosolid C kg−1 dry soil and incubated aerobically at 22 ± 2 °C while production of CO2, concentrations of ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2−), and nitrate (NO3−), and NH3 volatilization were monitored at 22 ± 2 °C for 70 days. Soil characteristics showed large variations with maximum values often >10-times larger than minimum values. The production of CO2 in the unamended soil ranged from 25 to 159 mg CO2-C kg−1 day−1 and NH3 volatilization from 0 to 189 μg NH3-N kg−1 day−1. Application of biosolid increased production of CO2 significantly 1.4-fold and volatilization of NH3 11.5-fold. The EC explained most of the variation in production of CO2, while particle size distribution explained most of the variation in volatilization of NH3. The concentration of NH4+ in the biosolid-amended soil decreased sharply in the first 14 days, with the EC explaining most of the variation found, and remained constant thereafter with a small increase at day 70. Significant increases in the concentration of NO3− were generally found in soil with EC < 64 dS m−1. The EC explained most of the variation in production of CO2, and dynamics of NH4+ and NO3− while clay positively and sand content negatively affected NH3 volatilization. It was found that increases in EC inhibited C and N mineralization in soil of the former lake Texcoco. 相似文献
12.
Wetlands have been recognized as a soil carbon (C) sink due to low decomposition. As decomposition is largely controlled by the availability of soil nitrogen (N), an elevated anthropogenic N input could influence the C balance in wetlands. However, the effects of the form of N on decomposition are poorly understood. Here, a 54-day laboratory incubation experiment was conducted, with a diel cycle (day: 22 °C for 13 h; night: 17 °C for 11 h) in order to determine how the dominant N form influences the mineralization of soil C in two adjacent wetland soils, with distinct physicochemical characteristics. Three combinations of N compounds were added at three different rates (0, 30, 60 kg N ha−1 yr−1): Ammonium dominant (NH4Cl + NH4NO3); nitrate dominant (NH4NO3 + NaNO3); and ammonium nitrate treatments (NH4NO3). In the acidic soil, the CO2 efflux was reduced with N additions, especially with NH4NO3 treatment. In addition, decreases in the microbial enzyme activities (β-glucosidase, N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, phosphatase, and phenol oxidase) and soil pH were observed with NH4NO3 and -dominant treatment. Under alkaline conditions, marginal changes in response to N additions were observed in the soil CO2 efflux, extractable DOC, simple substrate utilization, enzyme activities and pH. A regression analysis revealed that the changes in pH and enzyme activities after fertilization significantly influenced the soil CO2 efflux. Our findings suggest that the form of N additions could influence the rate of C cycling in wetland soils via biological (enzyme activities) and chemical (pH) changes. 相似文献
13.
Xiaofei Yu 《Soil biology & biochemistry》2011,43(6):1308-1320
Soil freeze-thaw cycles in the winter-cold zone can substantially affect soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, and deserve special consideration in wetlands of cold climates. Semi-disturbed soil columns from three natural wetlands (Carex marsh, Carex marshy meadow and Calamagrostis wet grassland) and a soybean field that has been reclaimed from a wetland were exposed to seven freeze-thaw cycles. The freeze-thaw treatments were performed by incubating the soil columns at −10 °C for 1 d and at 5 °C for 7 d. The control columns were incubated at 5 °C for 8 d. After each freeze-thaw cycle, the soil solution was extracted by a solution extractor installed in each soil layer of the soil column, and was analyzed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), NH4+-N, NO3−-N and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP). The results showed that freeze-thaw cycles could increase DOC, NH4+-N and NO3−-N concentrations in soil solutions, and decrease TDP concentrations. Moreover, the changes of DOC, NH4+-N, NO3−-N and TDP concentrations in soil solutions caused by freeze-thaw cycles were different in various sampling sites and soil layers. The increments of DOC concentrations caused by freeze-thaw cycles were greater in the wetland soil columns than in the soybean field soil columns. The increments of NH4+-N concentrations caused by freeze-thaw cycles decreased with the increase of soil depth. The depth variation in the increments of NO3−-N concentrations caused by freeze-thaw cycles in the wetland soil columns was different from that in the soybean field soil columns. The decrements of TDP concentrations caused by freeze-thaw cycles were greater in columns of Carex marsh and Carex marshy meadow than in columns of Calamagrostis wet grassland and the soybean field. The study results provide information on the timing of nutrient release related to freezing and thawing in natural versus agronomic soils, and have implications for the timing of nutrient application in farm fields in relation to water quality protection. 相似文献
14.
Soils stored in stockpiles during opencast mining operations accumulate significant quantities of ammonium (of the order of 200 μg NH4+-N g?1 soil) within the predominantly anaerobic cores of mounds. Upon stockpile dismantling and land restoration, this NH+4-N is rapidly oxidized to NO?3-N, which is readily lost from newly restored soil ecosystems by leaching and denitrification. Experiments were set up to examine how these significant reserves of mineral N might be conserved in such situations. Application of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide was successful in minimizing NO3?-N lost by leaching, though large concentrations of NH4+-N were detected in drainage waters. Straw incorporation decreased nitrate leaching by up to 40%; biomass C was some 40% greater in straw-amended than in unamended soils after 14 weeks, though biomass N was similar in both. Addition of nitrogen-free organic materials (glucose, starch and cellulose) produced different results, with glucose amendment showing the greatest reduction in nitrate leaching in the short term (due to an apparent stimulation of denitrification) whereas addition of cellulose resulted in the most effective conservation of nitrogen over 14 weeks; this was due, at least in part, to uptake of mineral N by the soil microbial biomass. 相似文献
15.
The techniques available for sterilisation or defaunation of soil in ecological experiments mostly have strongly unwanted effects on soil structure and the dynamics of major nutrients such as nitrogen. The potential for using gamma irradiation to prepare defaunated soil microcosms was investigated by subjecting undisturbed soil cores to a range of irradiation doses (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 kGy). The absence of living nematodes at the lowest irradiation dose was confirmed by microscopic observation. The effects of irradiation dose on mineral nitrogen (as NO3− and NH4+), microbial biomass C (Cmic), and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentration and composition were determined over a 4 week incubation period. An increase in the concentration of NO3− occurred during the incubation period after exposure to 0, 5 and 10 kGy but was barely detectable at 20 and 40 kGy. The effect of irradiation dose on NH4+ release was complex and highly variable within treatments, with the 10 kGy dose resulting in the highest concentrations. Microbial biomass carbon was significantly reduced following a 20 kGy irradiation dose and below detection at 40 kGy. Most remarkably, the sum of all measured PLFAs did not differ significantly between most treatments and was not correlated with microbial biomass. In most cases the concentration of signature fatty acids only differed significantly between the control and the highest irradiation dose treatments. To ascertain the sensitivity of microbial taxa to acute gamma irradiation with accuracy, measures of microbial community structure other than PLFA analysis are needed. 相似文献
16.
Nitrate leaching, which can lead to groundwater contamination, is a common occurrence, especially in sandy, well drained soils. Nitrogen from poultry manure (PM) and ammonium fertilizers has been shown to undergo rapid nitrification upon addition to soils, making it highly susceptible to nitrate leaching. Any management technique that could delay nitrification and thereby reduce nitrate leaching would be desirable. Ammonium thiosulfate has been shown to be an effective nitrification inhibitor in laboratory studies and may be useful in reducing nitrate leaching. Soil columns, 75 cm long and inner diameter 19.6 cm, were packed with a reconstituted profile of a Rumford loamy sand and amended with urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) or PM. Corn was grown in the columns to create a dynamic soil/plant system. Columns were placed in a greenhouse and were leached periodically for a period of 10 weeks with deionized water in amounts intended to simulate early spring and summer rainfall patterns in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Column leachates, as well as plant and soil samples were collected and analyzed for NO3-N and NH4-N. Nitrate-N leaching was largely dependent upon the amount of water moving through the system. Ammonium thiosulfate did not significantly decrease NO3-N leaching or increase plant N uptake when used in combination with UAN or PM. Comparable amounts of NO3-N leaching were observed for the UAN and the PM treated column. Additionally, large amounts of NO3-N leaching were observed with the control columns, suggesting that residual soil N from previous crops can contribute significantly to NO3-N leaching and may deserve further investigation. 相似文献
17.
18.
To improve our knowledge of how nutrient cycling in Mediterranean environments responds to climate change, we evaluated the effects of the continuous changes in soil nitrogen (N) pools during natural wetting and drying events. We measured soil N pools (microbial biomass [MB-N], dissolved organic nitrogen [DON], NH4+ and NO3−) and N ion exchange resins at weekly intervals for one year in two contrasting Mediterranean ecosystems. All soil N fractions in both ecosystems showed high intraseasonal and interseasonal variability that was greater in inorganic soil fractions than in organic N soil fractions. MB-N, DON and resin-NH4+ showed increased concentrations during wetting events. Only the soil NO3− and resin-NO3− showed the opposite trend, suggesting a different response to water pulses compared to the other soil variables. Our results show that N pools are continuously changing, and that this high variability is not associated with the total amount of organic matter and labile soil carbon (C) and N soil fractions found in each ecosystem. The highest variability was found for inorganic N forms, which suggests that organic N forms are more buffered in soils exposed to wetting-drying cycles. Our results suggest that the changes in wetting-drying cycles expected with global climate change may have a significant impact on the availability and turnover of organic and inorganic N. 相似文献
19.
A 15N tracing study was carried out to identify microbial and abiotic nitrogen (N) transformations in a south Chilean Nothofagus betuloides forest soil which is characterized by low N inputs and absence of human disturbance. Gross N transformation rates were quantified with a 15N tracing model in combination with a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling algorithm for parameter estimation. The 15N tracing model included five different N pools (ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3−), labile (Nlab) and recalcitrant (Nrec) soil organic matter and adsorbed NH4+), and ten gross N transformation rates. The N dynamics in the N. betuloides ecosystem are characterized by low net but high gross mineralization rates. Mineralization in this soil was dominated by turnover of Nlab, while immobilization of NH4+ predominantly entered the Nrec pool. A fast exchange between the NH4+ and the adsorbed NH4+ pool was observed, possibly via physical adsorption on and release from clay lattices, providing an effective buffer for NH4+. Moreover, high NH4+ immobilization rates into the Nrec pool ensure a sustained ecosystem productivity. Nitrate, the most mobile form of N in the system, is characterized by a slow turnover and was produced in roughly equal amounts from NH4+ oxidation and organic N oxidation. More than 86% of the NO3− produced was immediately consumed again. This study showed for the first time that dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) was almost exclusively (>99%) responsible for NO3− consumption. DNRA rather than NO3− immobilization ensures that NO3− is transformed into another available N form. DNRA may therefore be a widespread N retention mechanism in ecosystems that are N-limited and receive high rainfalls. 相似文献
20.
Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) represents a significant pool of soluble N in many soils and freshwaters. Further, the low molecular weight (LMW) component of DON represents an important source of N for microorganisms and can also be utilized directly by some plants. Our purpose was to determine which of the pathways in the decomposition and subsequent ammonification and nitrification of organic N represented a significant block in soil N supply in three agricultural grassland soils. The results indicate that the conversion of insoluble organic N to LMW-DON and not LMW-DON to NH4+ or NH4+ to NO3− represents a major constraint to N supply. We hypothesize that there are two distinct DON pools in soil. The first pool comprises mainly free amino acids and proteins and is turned over very rapidly by the microbial community, so it does not accumulate in soil. The second pool is a high molecular weight pool rich in humic substances, which turns over slowly and represents the major DON loss to freshwaters. The results also suggest that in NO3− rich soils the uptake of LMW-DON by soil microorganisms may primarily provide them with C to fuel respiration, rather than to satisfy their internal N demand. 相似文献