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1.
Nitrogen mineralization and immobilization were investigated in two soils incubated with ammonium sulphate or pig slurry over a range of temperatures and moisture contents. A reduction in the mineralization of soil organic N was observed in soils incubated with 100 μg NH4+-Ng?1 soil as ammonium sulphate at 30°C but not at lower temperatures. Addition of 100 μg NH4+-N g?1 soil as pig slurry resulted in a period of nett immobilization lasting up to 30 days at 5°C. Although the length of the immobilization phase was shorter at higher temperatures the total N immobilized was similar. The subsequent rate of mineralization in slurry-treated soils was not significantly greater (P = 0.05) than in untreated soils. There was no evidence of any subsequent increased mineralization arising from the immobilized N or slurry organic N for up to 175 days. The rate of immobilization was found to increase with increasing moisture content, though the period of nett immobilization was shorter, so that the amount of N immobilized was similar over a range of moisture contents from 10 to 40%. Approximately 40% of the NH4+-N in the slurry was immobilized under the incubation conditions used. 相似文献
2.
Abstract. Gross N mineralization and nitrification rates were measured in soils treated with dairy shed effluent (DSE) (i.e. effluent from the dairy milking shed, comprising dung, urine and water) or ammonium fertilizer (NH4Cl) under field conditions, by injecting 15N-solution into intact soil cores. The relationships between gross mineralization rate, microbial biomass C and N and extracellular enzyme activities (protease, deaminase and urease) as affected by the application of DSE and NH4Cl were also determined. During the first 16 days, gross mineralization rate in the DSE treated soil (4.3–6.1 μg N g?1 soil day?1) were significantly (P 14;< 14;0.05) higher than those in the NH4Cl treated soil (2.6–3.4 μg N g?1 soil day?1). The higher mineralization rate was probably due to the presence of readily mineralizable organic substrates in the DSE, accompanied by stimulated microbial and extracellular enzyme activities. The stable organic N compounds in the DSE were slow to mineralize and contributed little to the mineral N pool during the period of the experiment. Nitrification rates during the first 16 days were higher in the NH4Cl treated soil (1.7–1.2 μg N g?1 soil day?1) compared to the DSE treated soil (0.97–1.5 μg N g?1 soil day?1). Soil microbial biomass C and N and extracellular enzyme activities (protease, deaminase and urease) increased after the application of the DSE due to the organic substrates and nutrients applied, but declined with time, probably because of the exhaustion of the readily available substrates. The NH4Cl application did not result in any significant increases in microbial biomass C, protease or urease activities due to the lack of carbonaceous materials in the ammonium fertilizer. However, it did increase microbial biomass N and deaminase activity. Significant positive correlations were found between gross N mineralization rate and soil microbial biomass, protease, deaminase and urease activities. Nitrification rate was significantly correlated to biomass N but not to the microbial biomass C or the enzyme activities. Stepwise regression analysis showed that the variations of gross N mineralization rate was best described by the microbial biomass C and N. 相似文献
3.
The effect of several anaerobic and aerobic cycles of varying duration on N2O emission and labelled N loss was investigated in (15NH4)2SO4 amended soil suspensions. No N2O was evolved from the continuously-anaerobic treatment. The continuously-aerobic treatment produced approximately 0.8 μg N2O-N g?1 dry soil in 56 days. Alternate anaerobic-aerobic cycles increased the net N2O evolution with 7.2 μg N2O-N g?1 dry soil produced in 56 days from the 7-day anaerobic, 7-day aerobic treatment. The net N2O evolution increased further when the duration of the anaerobic and aerobic periods was increased from 7-7 days to 14-14 days (15.7μg N2O-N g?1 dry soil in 56 days), although the total 15N loss from the system was approximately the same for the two treatments. The results of this study show that N2O evolution from soils is likely to be greater under fluctuating moisture conditions than under either continuously well-aerated conditions, or continuously excess-moisture conditions. 相似文献
4.
Net mineralization of sulfur and nitrogen was studied in three Canadian Prairie soils using two commonly used incubation methods. In the open system technique, where the soils were leached periodically II.3–11.8 μ g SO2?4 -S g?1 soil was mineralized in 17 weeks. Little mineralization or a net immobilization of sulfur (from 1.4 to 1.3 μ g SO2?4-S g?1 soil) was observed in a closed system where the soils were left undisturbed throughout incubation. Changes in the specific activity of 35S-labelled soil solution sulfate during the closed incubation indicated that mineralization-immobilization processes were occurring simultaneously resulting in minimal net changes in CaCl2-extractable SO2?4 concentrations. The amounts of mineralized nitrogen (32.6–57.8 μg N g?1 soil) were found to be independent of the incubation method employed. 相似文献
5.
14C-labelled glucose and 15N-labelled KNO3 were added to soil and the microbial biomass during 42 days' incubation was estimated using the chloroform fumigation-incubation method (CFIM). By day 1, most of the glucose (1577 μgCg?1 soil) was metabolized and 110 μg NO?3-Ng?1 soil were immobilized. In situ values for the proportions of biomass C (kC) and biomass N (kN) mineralized during the 10 days after CHCl3 fumigation were determined on the basis that the immobilized labelled C and N remaining in the soil at this time were present as living microbial cells and their associated metabolites. The tracer data indicated that biomass C could be calculated by applying a kc value of 0.41 to the CO2-C evolved from the fumigated sample without subtraction of an unfumigated “control”. Biomass N was estimated from the net NH4?-N accumulation during the fumigation-incubation. The problem of reimmobilization of NH+4-N where organisms of wide C:N ratio occur was overcome by adjusting the value of kN according to the ratio of CO2-C evolved: net NH4+-N accumulated during the fumigation-incubation (CF:NF).A CF:NF ratio of 6:1 resulted in a kN of 0.30 whereas a ratio of 13:1 indicated a kN of 0.20. 相似文献
6.
Fumigation with CHC13 (24 h, 25°C) increased the amount of NH4-N and total N extracted by 0.5 M K2SO4 from two soils (one arable, one grassland). The amount of N released by CHC13 increased with the duration of fumigation up to 5 days, when it levelled off. Between about 10–34% of the total N released by CHC13 was in the form of NH4-N, the proportion increasing with duration of exposure.When a grassland soil that had received a field application of 15N-labelled fertilizer 1 yr previously was fumigated, the N released by CHC13 was 4 times more heavily labelled than the soil N as a whole. Prolonging the exposure of this soil to CHC13 increased the amount of total N released, but hardly altered the proportion of labelled N in the CHC13-released N, suggesting that N is being released from a single soil fraction. The most likely soil fraction is the soil microbial biomass. It is suggested that CHC13 does not alter the K2SO4-extractability of soil-N fractions other than microbial N and that the extra N released by CHC13 and extracted by K2SO4 gives a direct measure of soil microbial biomass N.In contrast to fumigation done at lower temperatures, less total N was released by soil fumigated at 60°C, or above, than was released from unfumigated soil held at the same temperature. The greater release of N in the non-fumigated soils above 60°C could have been due to soil enzymic processes which were inhibited by CHC13 in the fumigated soil. 相似文献
7.
Mineralization of carbon and nitrogen from fresh and anaerobically stored sheep manure in soils of different texture 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
A sandy loam soil was mixed with three different amounts of quartz sand and incubated with (15NH4)2SO4 (60 g N g-1 soil) and fresh or anaerobically stored sheep manure (60 g g-1 soil). The mineralization-immobilization of N and the mineralization of C were studied during 84 days of incubation at 20°C. After 7 days, the amount of unlabelled inorganic N in the manure-treated soils was 6–10 g N g-1 soil higher than in soils amended with only (15NH4)2SO4. However, due to immobilization of labelled inorganic N, the resulting net mineralization of N from manure was insignificant or slightly negative in the three soil-sand mixtures (100% soil+0% quartz sand; 50% soil+50% quartz sand; 25% soil+75% quartz sand). After 84 days, the cumulative CO2 evolution and the net mineralization of N from the fresh manure were highest in the soil-sand mixutre with the lowest clay content (4% clay); 28% fo the manure C and 18% of the manure N were net mineralized. There was no significant difference between the soil-sand mixtures containing 8% and 16% clay, in which 24% of the manure C and -1% to 4% of the manure N were net mineralized. The higher net mineralization of N in the soil-sand mixture with the lowest clay content was probably caused by a higher remineralization of immobilized N in this soil-sand mixture. Anaerobic storage of the manure reduced the CO2 evolution rates from the manure C in the three soil-sand mixtures during the initial weeks of decomposition. However, there was no effect of storage on net mineralization of N at the end of the incubation period. Hence, there was no apparent relationship between net mineralization of manure N and C. 相似文献
8.
Sandy loam soil, with added glucose, was incubated anaerobically under N2 and subjected to repeated 1-h C2H2 reduction assays. In the presence of 1% glucose the addition of 50 μg NH4+ ?N/g or of 20 μg NO?3 N/g (untreated soil contained 1.2 μg NH+4?N and 7.10 μg NO?3-N/g) caused at least some suppression of nitrogenase activity. Activity developed when the KCl-extractable soil inorganic nitrogen concentration dropped below 35 μg/g. In the presence of 0.1 or 0.05% glucose the addition of 5 μg NH+4?N/g caused some suppression of nitrogenase activity. However, activity developed when the soil NH4+-N concentration dropped below about 4 μg/g. With 0.1% glucose and 5 μg added NO?2 N/g, activity did not develop until the soil NO?2 -N concentration dropped to zero. Added NO?3 N was rapidly reduced and denitrified to NO?2- N, N2O-N and NH+4 N and furthermore caused some inhibition of CO2 evolution. The data from NH4?-addition experiments are consistent with a nitrogenase repression/ derepression threshold of 4 and 35μg NH+4-N/g at 0.05 and 1% glucose concentrations, respectively. The data from NO?2- and NO?3-addition experiments suggest a combination of repression and toxicity effects in the presence of added NO?3 N. 相似文献
9.
The cryptogamic soil crusts of the Great Basin Artemisia, Ceratoides, and Atriplex plant communities contain a significant heterotrophic N2-fixing microbial population in addition to the predominating filamentous cyanobacteria. The bacterial association with the cyanobacteria exhibits a phycosphere-like effect. Heterotrophically fixed N gains reached 17.5 μg N· g?1 of soil (23.1% increase above the initial soil N content) and 45.9 μg N·g?1 of soil (57.4% increase) after 3 and 5 weeks, respectively. (NH4)2SO4 and native plant material amendments to soil resulted in a 41–100% reduction in N2-fixation. The potential input of N to soil crusts may be reduced in the presence of shrub-produced allelochemic agents and by concurrent denitrification. 相似文献
10.
The effects of 15N-labelled urea, (NH4)2SO4 and KNO3 on immobilization, mineralization, nitrification and ammonium fixation were examined under aerobic conditions in an acid tropical soil (pH 4.0) and in a neutral temperate soil (pH 6.8). Urea, (NH4)2SO4 and KNO3 slightly increased net mineralization of soil organic nitrogen in both soils. There was also an apparent Added Nitrogen Interaction (ANI) i.e. added labelled NH4-N stood proxy for unlabelled NH4-N that would otherwise have been immobilized. So far as immobilization and nitrification were concerned, urea and (NH4)2SO4 behaved very similarly in each soil. Immobilization of NO3-N was negligible in both soils. Some of the added labelled NH4-N was rapidly fixed, more by the temperate soil than by the tropical soil. This labelled fixed NH4-N decreased during incubation, in contrast to labelled organic N, which did not decline. 相似文献
11.
A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to study the effect of indigenous inorganic N on the immobilization of applied N and on the occurrence of an added N interaction (ANI). Samples of six Mollisols from Illinois were incubated with 15N-labelled (NH4)2SO4 (100 or 200 mg N kg-1 soil), with or without the use of 0.01 M CaCl2 to extract inorganic N (mainly NO
inf3
sup-
) before incubation. From 6 to 49% of the N applied was immobilized, higher percentages being obtained with unextracted soils than with the extracted soils and with the higher rate of N addition. Net mineralization of native N occurred in both the unextracted and extracted soils, but was more extensive in the unextracted soil and increased with the addition of N. The increases were accompanied by a positive ANI, which usually exceeded the amount of applied N immobilized and increased with the rate of addition. The ANI values observed with extracted soils were attributed to increased mineralization of native organic N. 相似文献
12.
《Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis》2012,43(4):473-481
Abstract Herbicides have potential for economical and efficient site preparation following timber harvest. The effects of tebuthiu‐ron, one of the herbicides approved for this use, on soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification were determined in laboratory incubations. Tebuthiuron was added at rates from 0 to 1000 μg g‐1 to three soils. There was no effect of tebuthiuron additions of less than 1 μg g‐1 on soil N mineralization and nitrification. Tebuthiuron reduced nitrification in all soils at 1000 μg g‐1 and in two of the soils at 100 μg g‐1 . All soils had increased net mineralization with tebuthiuron added at 100 and 1000 μg g‐1. The addition of 50 μg NH+ 4‐N and 1000 μg tebuthiuron g‐1 resulted in increased net mineralization in the three soils. Nitrification was affected differently in each of the three soils by the addition of both NH+ 4‐N and tebuthiuron. The added NH+ 4‐N either removed the inhibition of nitrification by the herbicide or had no effect on the inhibition in two of the soils. In the third soil, nitrification was reduced by the addition of NH+ 4‐N. The presence of NO‐ 3‐N in these acid soils and the effects of added NH+ 4‐N on NO‐ 3‐N production suggest that heterotrophic nitrification occurs in at least two of the soils. The findings of this study indicate that any effects of tebuthiuron on N mineralization and nitrification at the currently recommended application rates are likely to be transient and localized. 相似文献
13.
E.T. Elliott C.V. Cole B.C. Fairbanks L.E. Woods R.J. Bryant D.C. Coleman 《Soil biology & biochemistry》1983,15(1):85-91
Bacteria, Pseudomonas paucimobilis, were inoculated at two concentrations (6.56 × 104 g?1 and 6.56 × 106g?1) into sterilized soil amended with 700 μg glucose-C g?1. Two levels of NH+4-N (11.0μg g?1 and 81.0 μg g?1) were used. The subsequent development was followed for three days by measurement of several biological, chemical and physiological parameters.The amount of bacterial biomass-C (μg g?1 soil) became twice as great in high as in low N treatments, and significantly decreased between 39.5 and 63.5 h for the high inoculum, high N level treatment due to decreasing cell size. By the end of the experiment the cumulative respired carbon was twice as great and more inorganic P was immobilized for high compared to low N treatments and all available NH+4-N was taken up by the final sample time. Soil ATP concentrations were twice as large in high N treatments but the turnover times were twice as long compared to low N systems. The yield coefficient (Y), calculated from respiration and biomass-C values, equalled 0.61 while substrate was plentiful. Nitrogen limitation did not alter the efficiencey with which glucose was transformed into biomass, but rather controlled the total amount of glucose used and biomass produced. 相似文献
14.
Displacement of NH4+ fixed in clay minerals by fertilizer 15NH4+ is seen as one mechanism of apparent added nitrogen interactions (ANI), which may cause errors in 15N tracer studies. Pot and incubation experiments were carried out for a study of displacement of fixed NH4+ by 15N‐labeled fertilizer (ammonium sulfate and urea). A typical ANI was observed when 15N‐labeled urea was applied to wheat grown on soils with different N reserves that resulted from their long‐term fertilization history: Plants took up more soil N when receiving fertilizer. Furthermore, an increased uptake of 15N‐labeled fertilizer, induced by increasing unlabeled soil nitrogen supply, was found. This ANI‐like effect was in the same order of magnitude as the observed ANI. All causes of apparent or real ANI can be excluded as explanation for this effect. Plant N uptake‐related processes beyond current concepts of ANI may be responsible. NH4+ fixation of fertilizer 15NH4+ in sterilized or non‐sterile, moist soil was immediate and strongly dependent on the rate of fertilizer added. But for the tested range of 20 to 160 mg 15NH4+‐N kg–1, the NH4+ fixation rate was low, accounting for only up to 1.3 % of fertilizer N added. For sterilized soil, no re‐mobilization of fixed 15NH4+ was observed, while in non‐sterile, biologically active soil, 50 % of the initially fixed 15NH4+ was released up to day 35. Re‐mobilization of 15NH4+ from the pool of fixed NH4+ started after complete nitrification of all extractable NH4+. Our results indicate that in most cases, experimental error from apparent ANI caused by displacement of fixed NH4+ in clay is unlikely. In addition to the low percentage of only 1.3 % of applied 15N, present in the pool of fixed NH4+ after 35 days, there were no indications for a real exchange (displacement) of fixed NH4+ by 15N. 相似文献
15.
R. J. Laughlin R. J. Stevens C. Müller & C. J. Watson 《European Journal of Soil Science》2008,59(2):285-291
The contribution of bacteria and fungi to NH4+ and organic N (Norg) oxidation was determined in a grassland soil (pH 6.3) by using the general bacterial inhibitor streptomycin or the fungal inhibitor cycloheximide in a laboratory incubation study at 20°C. Each inhibitor was applied at a rate of 3 mg g?1 oven‐dry soil. The size and enrichment of the mineral N pools from differentially (NH415NO3 and 15NH4NO3) and doubly labelled (15NH415NO3) NH4NO3 were measured at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours after N addition. Labelled N was applied to each treatment, to supply NH4+‐N and NO3?‐N at 3.15 μmol N g?1 oven‐dry soil. The N treatments were enriched to 60 atom % excess in 15N and acetate was added at 100 μmol C g?1 oven‐dry soil, to provide a readily available carbon source. The oxidation rates of NH4+ and Norg were analysed separately for each inhibitor treatment with a 15N tracing model. In the absence of inhibitors, the rates of NH4+ oxidation and organic N oxidation were 0.0045 μmol N g?1 hour?1 and 0.0023 μmol N g?1 hour?1, respectively. Streptomycin had no effect on nitrification but cycloheximide inhibited the oxidation of NH4+ by 89% and the oxidation of organic N by more than 30%. The current study provides evidence to suggest that nitrification in grassland soil is carried out by fungi and that they can simultaneously oxidize NH4+ and organic N. 相似文献
16.
The influence of the addition of anthracene (1 μg anthracene g?1 soil) in N transformations following (15NH4)2SO4 fertilization (200 mg N g?1 soil) was investigated in wheat pots by quadrapole mass-spectrometry. The dry matter yield at harvesting (after 16 days) was not statistically affected (P=0.05) by anthracene addition. The total amount of N from the fertilizer taken up by wheat seedings in 16 days was 29 and 26.8% of the added N in the absence and in the presence of anthracene, respectively, but the difference was not significantly different at level P=0.05. In order to investigate more deeply the effect of anthracene on the N cycle in the soil-plant system, the first-order rate constants of N mineralization, N immobilization, nitrification and N plant uptake have been determined according to a 15N + 14N soil-plant model. The comparison of the constants showed that organic N mineralization, nitrification and plant uptake proceeded at the same rate, while a small different rate (P=0.05) was shown by N immobilization. In fact, the N immobilization constant increased from 0.14±0.012 to 0.21±0.014 day?1 as a consequence of anthracene addition. 相似文献
17.
Gross N mineralization and nitrification rates and their relationships to microbial biomass C and N and enzyme (protease,
deaminase and urease) activities were determined in soils treated with dairy shed effluent (DSE) or NH4
+ fertilizer (NH4Cl) at a rate equivalent to 200 kg N ha–1 at three water potentials (0, –10 and –80 kPa) at 20 °C using a closed incubation technique. After 8, 16, 30, 45, 60 and
90 days of incubation, sub-samples of soil were removed to determine gross N mineralization and nitrification rates, enzyme
activities, microbial biomass C and N, and NH4
+ and NO3
– concentrations. The addition of DSE to the soil resulted in significantly higher gross N mineralization rates (7.0–1.7 μg
N g–1 soil day–1) than in the control (3.8–1.2 μg N g–1 soil day–1), particularly during the first 16 days of incubation. This increase in gross mineralization rate occurred because of the
presence of readily mineralizable organic substrates with low C : N ratios, and stimulated soil microbial and enzymatic activities
by the organic C and nutrients in the DSE. The addition of NH4Cl did not increase the gross N mineralization rate, probably because of the lack of readily available organic C and/or a
possible adverse effect of the high NH4
+ concentration on microbial activity. However, nitrification rates were highest in the NH4Cl-treated soil, followed by DSE-treated soil and then the control. Soil microbial biomass, protease, deaminase and urease
activities were significantly increased immediately after the addition of DSE and then declined gradually with time. The increased
soil microbial biomass was probably due to the increased available C substrate and nutrients stimulating soil microbial growth,
and this in turn resulted in higher enzyme activities. NH4Cl had a minimal impact on the soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities, possibly because of the lack of readily available
C substrates. The optimum soil water potential for gross N mineralization and nitrification rates, microbial and enzyme activities
was –10 kPa compared with –80 kPa and 0 kPa. Gross N mineralization rates were positively correlated with soil microbial biomass
N and protease and urease activities in the DSE-treated soil, but no such correlations were found in the NH4Cl-treated soil. The enzyme activities were also positively correlated with each other and with soil microbial biomass C and
N. The forms of N and the different water potentials had a significant effect on the correlation coefficients. Stepwise regression
analysis showed that protease was the variable that most frequently accounted for the variations of gross N mineralization
rate when included in the equation, and has the potential to be used as one of the predictors for N mineralization.
Received: 10 March 1998 相似文献
18.
P.C. Brookes Andrea Landman G. Pruden D.S. Jenkinson 《Soil biology & biochemistry》1985,17(6):837-842
A new “direct extraction” method for measuring soil microbial biomass nitrogen (biomass N) is described. The new method (fumigation-extraction) is based on CHC13 fumigation, followed by immediate extraction with 0.5 M K2SO4 and measurement of total N released by CHC13 in the soil extracts. The amounts of NH4-N and total N extracted by K2SO4 immediately after fumigation increased with fumigation time up to 5 days. Total N released by CHC13 after 1 day fumigation (1 day CHC13-N) and after 5 days fumigation (5 day CHC13-N) were positively correlated with the flush of mineral N (FN) in 37 soils that had been fumigated, the fumigant removed and the soils incubated for 10 days (fumigation-incubation). The regression equations were 1 day CHC13-N = (0.79 ± 0.022) FN and 5 day CHC13-N = (1.01 ± 0.027) FN, both regressions accounting for 92% of the variance in the data.In field soils previously treated with 15N-labelled fertilizer, the amounts of labelled N, measured after fumigation-extraction, were very similar to the amounts of labelled N mineralized during fumigation-incubation; both were about 4 times as heavily labelled as the soil N as a whole. These results suggest that fumigation-extraction and fumigation-incubation both measure the same fraction of the soil organic N (probably the cytoplasmic component of the soil microbial biomass) and that measurement of the total N released by CHC13 fumigation for 24 h provides a rapid method for measuring biomass N. 相似文献
19.
J. C. RYDEN 《European Journal of Soil Science》1982,33(2):263-270
A loam from the Frilsham and one from the Wickham Series were incubated at 50 and 90 per cent of their water contents at saturation with 100 μg NH4NO3-Ng?1 soil in the presence and absence of C2H2 (0.5 per cent, v/v). Acetylene inhibited nitrification in both soils, but had no effect on mineralization of N. No denitrification (measured as the production of N2O in the presence of C2H2) occurred during incubation at 50 per cent saturation. At 90 per cent saturation, denitrification resulted in a loss of 28.4 and 36.7 μg Ng?1 after 48 h from the Frilsham and Wickham soils, respectively. The concurrent inhibition of nitrification had no effect on the extent of denitrification at this time. In the Wickham soil, NO3? was exhausted after 168 h incubation in the presence of C2H2 and denitrification was underestimated by 13 μg Ng?. The data suggested that concurrent inhibition of nitrification during measurement of denitrification using the C2H2 inhibition technique is most likely to affect the estimate of denitrification loss when NO3?supply is limited by the inhibition of nitrification. 相似文献
20.
Production of surface casts and the removal of plant litter from the soil surface by earth-worms had similar seasonal variations, with maximum values in May and minimum values occurring in July and August. Seasonal variations in the total nitrogen (TN) and oxidizable carbon contents of casts were closely related to variations in litter production. The C:N ratio of casts (10.7) was consistently smaller than that of underlying soil material (15.0 and 14.2 for the 0–5 and 18–22 cm depths, respectively), which is probably due to the mineralization of plant-derived organic material during passage through earthworms and utilization of low C:N ratio litter. Seasonal changes in the amounts of inorganic N forms in casts showed a build-up of NH4+N in the cooler winter months (July and August), attaining a maximum of 112 μg.g?1. with a decrease in autumn (April and May) and early spring (September and October), reaching a minimum of 54 μg.g?1. The opposite trend existed for seasonal variations in the NO3?-N content of the casts. Because only minor fluctuations in the amounts of N forms were obtained for underlying soil material during the casting period, the more dramatic changes observed in the casts could not be explained by soil variations. Seasonal variations in urease enzyme activity, associated with fluctuations in organic matter content, were more important than the effect of temperature on enzyme activity in accounting for seasonal variations in the NH4+-N content of casts. It was calculated that 73% of the TN content of litter removed from the surface by earthworms was accumulated in casts, indicating both the importance of earthworms in incorporating litter N with soil material and the inefficiency of N digestion by earthworms. 相似文献