Turnover of soil monosaccharides: Recycling versus Stabilization

Soil organic matter (SOM) represents a mixture of differently degradable compounds. Each of these compounds are characterised by different dynamics due to different chemical recalcitrance, transformation or stabilisation processes in soil. Carbohydrates represent one of these compounds and contribute up to 25 % to the soil organic matter. Vascular plants are the main source of pentose sugars (Arabinose and Xylose), whereas hexoses (Galactose and Mannose) are primarily produced by microorganisms. Several studies suggest that the mean turnover times of the carbon in soil sugars are similar to the turnover dynamics of the bulk carbon in soil. The aim of the study is to characterise the influence of stabilisation and turnover of soil carbohydrates. Soil samples are collected from (i)a continuous maize cropping experiment (“Höhere Landbauschule” Rotthalmünster, Bavaria) established 1979 on a Stagnic Luvisol and (ii) from a continuous wheat cropping, established 1969, as reference site. The effect of stabilisation is estimated by the comparison of turnover times of microbial and plant derived soil carbohydrates. As the dynamics of plant derived carbohydrate are solely influenced by stabilisation processes, whereas the dynamics of microbial derived carbohydrates are affected by recycling of organic carbon compounds derived from C3 plant substrate as well as stabilisation processes. The compound specific isotopic analysis (CSIA) of soil carbohydrates was performed using a HPLC/o/IRMS system. The chromatographic and mass spectrometric subunits were coupled with a LC–Isolink interface. Soil sugars were extracted after mild hydrolysis using 4 M trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)

Kinetics of N2O production and reduction in a nitrate-contaminated aquifer inferred from laboratory incubation experiments

Knowledge of the kinetics of N2O production and reduction in groundwater is essential for the assessment of potential indirect emissions of the greenhouse gas. In the present study, we investigated this kinetics using a laboratory approach. The results were compared to field measurements in order to examine their transferability to the in situ conditions. The study site was the unconfined, predominantly sandy Fuhrberger Feld aquifer in northern Germany. A special characteristic of the aquifer is the occurrence of the vertically separated process zones of heterotrophic denitrification in the near-surface groundwater and of autotrophic denitrification in depths beyond 2-3 m below the groundwater table, respectively. The kinetics of N2O production and reduction in both process zones was studied during long-term anaerobic laboratory incubations of aquifer slurries using the 15N tracer technique. We measured N2O, N2, NO3-, NO2-, and SO42- concentrations as well as parameters of the aquifer material that were related to the relevant electron donors, i.e. organic carbon and pyrite. The laboratory incubations showed a low denitrification activity of heterotrophic denitrification with initial rates between 0.2 and 13 μg N kg-1 d-1. The process was carbon limited due to the poor availability of its electron donor. In the autotrophic denitrification zone, initial denitrification rates were considerably higher, ranging between 30 and 148 μg N kg-1 d-1, and NO3- as well as N2O were completely removed within 60 to 198 days. N2O accumulated during heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification, but maximum concentrations were substantially higher during the autotrophic process. The results revealed a satisfactory transferability of the laboratory incubations to the field scale for autotrophic denitrification, whereas the heterotrophic process less reflected the field conditions due to considerably lower N2O accumulation during laboratory incubation. Finally, we applied a conventional model using first-order-kinetics to determine the reaction rate constants k1 for N2O production and k2 for N2O reduction, respectively. The goodness of fit to the experimental data was partly limited, indicating that a more sophisticated approach is essential to describe the investigated reaction kinetics satisfactorily.DF

Groundwater N2O emission factors of nitrate-contaminated aquifers as derived from denitrification progress and N2O accumulation

We investigated the dynamics of denitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) accumulation in 4 nitrate (NO3-) contaminated denitrifying sand and gravel aquifers of northern Germany (Fuhrberg, Sulingen, Thulsfelde and Gottingen) to quantify their potential N2O emission and to evaluate existing concepts of N2O emission factors. Excess N-2 - N-2 produced by denitrification - was determined by using the argon (Ar) concentration in groundwater as a natural inert tracer, assuming that this noble gas functions as a stable component and does not change during denitrification. Furthermore, initial NO3- concentrations (NO3- that enters the groundwater) were derived from excess N-2 and actual NO3- concentrations in groundwater in order to determine potential indirect N2O emissions as a function of the N input. Median concentrations of N2O and excess N-2 ranged from 3 to 89 mu g N L-1 and from 3 to 10 mg N L-1, respectively. Reaction progress (RP) of denitrification was determined as the ratio between products (N2O-N + excess N-2) and starting material (initial NO3- concentration) of the process, characterizing the different stages of denitrification. N2O concentrations were lowest at RP close to 0 and RP close to 1 but relatively high at a RP between 0.2 and 0.6. For the first time, we report groundwater N2O emission factors consisting of the ratio between N2O-N and initial NO3--N concentrations (EF1). In addition, we determined a groundwater emission factor (EF2) using a previous concept consisting of the ratio between N2O-N and actual NO3--N concentrations. Depending on RP, EF(1) resulted in smaller values compared to EF(2), demonstrating (i) the relevance of NO3- consumption and consequently (ii) the need to take initial NO3--N concentrations into account. In general, both evaluated emission factors were highly variable within and among the aquifers. The site medians ranged between 0.00043-0.00438 for EF(1) and 0.00092-0.01801 for EF(2), respectively. For the aquifers of Fuhrberg and Sulingen, we found EF(1) median values which are close to the 2006 IPCC default value of 0.0025. In contrast, we determined significant lower EF values for the aquifers of Thulsfelde and Gottingen. Summing the results up, our study supports the substantial downward revision of the IPCC default EF5-g from 0.015 (1997) to 0.0025 (2006).DF

Variation and evolution of toxin gene expression patterns of six closely related venomous marine snails

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75661/1/j.1365-294X.2008.03804.x.pd

Dem Stickstoff auf der Spur: N2O Prozesse und Nmin Dynamik nach Grünlanderneuerung

Eine weit verbreitete Maßnahme des Grünlandmanagements, die zur Beseitigung von Narbenschäden und zur Steigerung der Futterqualität in unproduktiven Grünländern angewendet wird, ist die Grünlanderneuerung. Die mechanische Bearbeitung von Grünlandböden und die dadurch gesteigerte Mineralisation durch den Abbau organischer Bodensubstanz und der alten Grasnarbe kann zu hohen N-Verlusten in Form des klimarelevanten Treibhausgases Lachgas (N2O) und/oder Nitratauswaschung (NO3-) führen. Bisher gibt es jedoch über die Dauer des beschriebenen Effektes, sowie den Einfluss unterschiedlicher Grünlanderneuerungstechniken nur wenige Informationen. Insbesondere für die nationale Treibhausgasbilanzierung ist es jedoch von Bedeutung, die Prozesse der N2O Umsetzung und ihre Quellen zu kennen und zu erfassen, da sich nur so Maßnahmen zur Emissionsminderung ableiten lassen. Zu diesem Zweck wurde ein Parzellenversuch (2013-2015) auf zwei Standorten (Plaggenesch, Anmoorgley) in der Nähe von Oldenburg (Niedersachsen) mit unterschiedlichen Erneuerungsvarianten etabliert. Als Referenzvarianten dienten: Grünlandumwandlung in Ackerland (Mais) und langjähriges Dauergrünland. Die N2O Flüsse und die Dynamik des mineralischen N (Nmin) wurden über einen Zeitraum von zwei Jahren untersucht. Zusätzlich wurden Nmin Profile (0-90 cm) genutzt, um den N-Verlust über Winter zu quantifizieren und das Risiko einer möglichen NO3- Auswaschung abzuschätzen. Obwohl die N2O Flüsse für einen kurzen Zeitraum (2 Monate) nach der Bearbeitung erhöht waren, konnte kein Jahreseffekt festgestellt werden. Im ersten Winter nach dem Aufbrechen der alten Grasnarbe trat jedoch für den Plaggenesch ein erhöhtes Risiko für NO3- Auswaschung auf. Die Untersuchung der N2O-Produktionswege und der N2O-Reduktion zu N2 (dem Endprodukt der Denitrifikation) erfolgte unter Nutzung stabiler Isotope. Hierzu wurde die 15N-Gasflussmethode im Sommer 2014 angewendet (1). Zusätzlich wurden natürlich vorhandene stabile Isotopensignaturen im bodenbürtigen N2O (δ15NbulkN2O, δ18ON2O und δ15NSPN2O = intramolekulare Verteilung von 15N im N2O Molekül) genutzt, um Quellen der N2O-Bildung im ersten Jahr nach Grünlanderneuerung (2013-2014) zu ermitteln. Auf dem Anmoorgley wurden große N-Verluste durch den Prozess der Denitrifikation bestimmt, wobei N2 die Emissionen dominerte. Für den Plaggenesch konnten generell geringere gasförmige Verluste festgestellt werden

Vaquita Face Extinction from Bycatch. Comment on Manjarrez-Bringas, N. et al., Lessons for Sustainable Development: Marine Mammal Conservation Policies and Its Social and Economic Effects.

We are among the scientists who have documented the environmental and ecological changes to the Upper Gulf of California following the reduction in the Colorado River’s flow. We object to any suggestion that our research supports Manjarrez-Bringas et al.’s conclusion that the decline in the Colorado River’s flow is the reason for the decline in the population of the endangered vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus). Manjarrez-Bringas et al.’s conclusions are incongruent with their own data, their logic is untenable, their analyses fail to consider current illegal fishing practices, and their recommendations are unjustified and misdirected. Vaquita face extinction because of bycatch, not because of the lack of river flow

Sampling frequency affects estimates of annual nitrous oxide fluxes

Quantifying nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes, a potent greenhouse gas, from soils is necessary to improve our knowledge of terrestrial N2O losses. Developing universal sampling frequencies for calculating annual N2O fluxes is difficult, as fluxes are renowned for their high temporal variability. We demonstrate daily sampling was largely required to achieve annual N2O fluxes within 10% of the "best" estimate for 28 annual datasets collected from three continents - Australia, Europe and Asia. Decreasing the regularity of measurements either under- or overestimated annual N2O fluxes, with a maximum overestimation of 935%. Measurement frequency was lowered using a sampling strategy based on environmental factors known to affect temporal variability, but still required sampling more than once a week. Consequently, uncertainty in current global terrestrial N2O budgets associated with the upscaling of field-based datasets can be decreased significantly using adequate sampling frequencies