Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment (생태와환경)

The Korean Society of Limnology (한국수생태학회)
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Effects of Soil Nitrogen Addition on Microbial Activities and Litter Decomposition

토양 내 질소 증가가 미생물 활성 및 식물체의 분해에 미치는 영향

  • 채희명 (중앙대학교 자연과학대학 생명과학과) ;
  • 이상훈 (중앙대학교 자연과학대학 생명과학과) ;
  • 차상섭 (중앙대학교 자연과학대학 생명과학과) ;
  • 심재국 (중앙대학교 자연과학대학 생명과학과)
  • Received : 2013.06.05
  • Accepted : 2013.06.13
  • Published : 2013.06.30
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Abstract

The present study investigates the effects of elevated soil nitrogen on growth and decomposition of Oryza sativa shoots. The plants were cultivated in greenhouse until leaf senescence and the total biomass of the plant increased 1.9 times at nitrogen addition plot. Total C and N content in shoot increased; however, lignin, C/N, and lignin/N levels decreased in the N-treated soil. The shoot litters collected from the control and N-treated soil were tested for decay and microbial biomass, $CO_2$ evolution, and enzyme activities during decomposition on the control and N-treated soil at $25^{\circ}C$ microcosm. The remaining mass of the shoot litter was approximately 6% higher in the litter collected from the control soil (53.0%) than the litter collected from high N-treated soil (47.1%). However, the high N-containing litter exhibited faster decay in the control soil than in the N-treated soil. The litter containing high N, low C/N, and low lignin/N showed a higher decomposition rate than that of low quality litter. The N-addition showed decreased microbial biomass C and dehydrogenase activity in soil; however, it exhibited high microbial biomass N and urease activity in soil. When the high N-containing litter decays on the N-treated soil, the microbial biomass C increased rapidly at the initial phase of decomposition and decreased thereafter, and dehydrogenase activity was less that of other treatment; however, there was no effect on the microbial biomass N. The urease in the decomposing litter was highest during the early decomposition stage and dramatically decreased thereafter. The present findings suggested that the N-addition increased N content in litter, but inhibited the decomposition process of above-ground biomass in terrestrial ecosystems.

본 연구는 질소 시비에 의해 증가된 토양 질소가 식물의 성장 및 식물체의 화학적 조성에 미치는 영향과 이로 인한 분해에서의 변화를 확인하고자 야외성장실험과 분해실험을 진행하였다. 온실에서 질소 시비구와 비시구 토양에 각각 벼를 재배하였으며 식물이 성숙한 뒤 수확하여 C, N, lignin, cellulose 함량을 측정하였다. 대조구와 질소 처리구 토양에서 재배된 식물의 개체 당 평균 건중량은 각각 0.70 g, 1.32 g로 질소 시비에 의해 1.9배 증가하였다. 식물체의 N 및 C 함량은 질소 시비에 의해 증가하였고 lignin, C/N, lignin/N, cellulose/N은 감소하였다. 이후, 수확된 식물의 지상부는 microcosm 분해실험에 이용되었으며, 분해 식물체에서 건중량의 변화, microbial biomass C와 microbial biomass N, 그리고 dehydrogenase와 urease 활성을 측정하고, 분해과정 중 발생하는 $CO_2$의 양을 정량하였다. 대조구 토양에서 분해시킨 대조구 식물체와 질소 처리구 식물체, 그리고 질소를 처리한 토양에서 분해시킨 질소 처리구 식물체의 잔존량은 각각 초기 건중량의 53.0%, 47.1%, 53.6%를 나타내었다. 질소 시비는 식물체에서 N 함량을 높이고 C/N 및 lignin/N을 낮추어 식물체의 분해를 촉진하였으나, 분해 과정에서의 토양 질소처리는 분해를 억제하였다. 질소 시비에 의해 토양에서 microbial biomass C와 dehydrogenase 활성은 감소하였고, 반면에 microbial biomass N과 urease 활성은 증가하였다. 분해 중 발생한 $CO_2$의 양은 30일 이후부터 질소 시비에 의해 감소하였다. 분해 식물체에서 측정된 microbial biomass C는 질소 처리에 의해 초기에 증가하였으나 이후 저해되는 양상을 나타냈으며 microbial biomass N은 유의한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 질소 시비에 의해 분해 식물체에서 dehydrogenase 활성은 저해되었으며 urease는 분해 초기에 가장 높은 활성을 보였으나 분해 후기에 현저한 감소를 나타냈다. 본 실험에서 질소 시비는 식물의 성장을 증가시키고 식물체의 N 함량을 높여 화학적 조성의 변화를 일으키며 분해율을 증가시키나 분해 단계에서 질소의 시비는 미생물의 활성을 억제시켜 분해를 저해하는 결과를 나타내었다.

Keywords

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