Hummock-hollow microtopography affects soil enzyme activity by creating environmental heterogeneity in the sedge-dominated peatlands of the Changbai Mountains, China

Ming Wang; Yuanyuan Han; Zhiwei Xu; Shengzhong Wang; Ming Jiang; Guodong Wang

Ecological Indicators (Feb 2021)

Hummock-hollow microtopography affects soil enzyme activity by creating environmental heterogeneity in the sedge-dominated peatlands of the Changbai Mountains, China

Ming Wang,
Yuanyuan Han,
Zhiwei Xu,
Shengzhong Wang,
Ming Jiang,
Guodong Wang

Affiliations

Ming Wang: Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, PR China; Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4888 Shengbei Street, Changchun 130102, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Institute for Peat and Mire Research, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China; Jilin Provincial Joint Key Laboratory of Changbai Mountain Wetland and Ecology, Department of Science and Technology of Jilin Province, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China
Yuanyuan Han: Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Institute for Peat and Mire Research, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China; Jilin Provincial Joint Key Laboratory of Changbai Mountain Wetland and Ecology, Department of Science and Technology of Jilin Province, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China
Zhiwei Xu: Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Institute for Peat and Mire Research, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China; Jilin Provincial Joint Key Laboratory of Changbai Mountain Wetland and Ecology, Department of Science and Technology of Jilin Province, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China
Shengzhong Wang: Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Institute for Peat and Mire Research, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China; Jilin Provincial Joint Key Laboratory of Changbai Mountain Wetland and Ecology, Department of Science and Technology of Jilin Province, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China; Corresponding authors at: Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, PR China (S. Wang). Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4888 Shengbei Street, Changchun 130102, PR China (G. Wang).
Ming Jiang: Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4888 Shengbei Street, Changchun 130102, PR China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Institute for Peat and Mire Research, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China
Guodong Wang: Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4888 Shengbei Street, Changchun 130102, PR China; Jilin Provincial Joint Key Laboratory of Changbai Mountain Wetland and Ecology, Department of Science and Technology of Jilin Province, Changchun, 5268 Renmin Street, Jilin 130024, PR China; Corresponding authors at: Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, PR China (S. Wang). Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4888 Shengbei Street, Changchun 130102, PR China (G. Wang).

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 121
p. 107187

Abstract

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Soil enzyme activities play a pivotal role in ecosystem processes, such as organic carbon decomposition or nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization. Thus, enzyme activities measurements can provide insights into the rates of ecosystem-level processes in peatlands. Hummock-hollow microtopography is a common feature in boreal peatlands, but its influence on soil enzyme activity is not well understood. We investigated the effects of hummock-hollow microtopography on activities of three soil hydrolases (β-1,4-glucosidase (βG), 4-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG), and acid phosphatase (AP)) and one oxidase (peroxidase (PER)), as well as environmental variables in a sedge-dominated peatland in Changbai Mountains, in northeast China. We found that soil enzyme activities had large microtopographical and seasonal heterogeneity. During the growing season, the activities of three soil hydrolases (βG, NAG and AP) in hummocks were 6.6, 4.6 and 5.5 times higher than those in hollows, while the PER activity in hollows was 1.9 times higher than in hummocks. Soil enzyme activities in hummocks exhibited obvious seasonal variation, with the βG, AP and PER presenting minimum values in summer and peak values in spring and autumn. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that soil enzyme activity had larger microtopographical heterogeneity than seasonal variations. Water table position explained most variation (74.1%) in soil enzyme activity, followed by soil temperature (5.5%) and pH (3.1%) based on ordination analysis using RDA. We conclude that hummock-hollow microtopography creates heterogeneity in hydrologic conditions, soil temperature and nutrients, and thus influences soil enzyme activity involved in carbon and nutrient cycling in sedge-dominated peatlands. This information stresses the importance of hummock-hollow microtopography in regulating carbon and nutrient cycling in northern peatlands.

Published in Ecological Indicators

ISSN: 1470-160X (Print); 1872-7034 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators

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