Unraveling the impact of human perturbation on nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems of lower Himalaya, Pakistan

Terrestrial ecosystems are under the enormous pressure of land use management regimes through human disturbances, resulting in the disruption of biogeochemical cycles and associated ecosystem services. Nitrogen (N) in soil ecosystems is of vital importance for primary productivity, hence estimating...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 195; no. 11; p. 1324
Main Authors:	Zaman, Tahir, Asad, Saeed Ahmad, Irshad, Muhammad, Faridullah, Shahzad, Muhammad, Nazir, Rashid, Arefeen, Awais, Iqbal, Akhtar, Hafeez, Farhan
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Cham Springer International Publishing 01-11-2023 Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Anthropogenic factors Arable land Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution Biogeochemical cycle Biogeochemical cycles Biological fertilization Cycles Denitrification Earth and Environmental Science Ecology Ecosystem services Ecosystems Ecotoxicology Environment Environmental Management Environmental monitoring Enzymatic activity Enzyme activity Fertilization Forest ecosystems Forest soils Forests Geographical distribution Grasslands Human impact Human influences Land management Land use Land use management Monitoring/Environmental Analysis Nitrification Nitrogen Nitrogen cycle Nitrous oxide Perturbation Primary production Soil Soils Strategic management Terrestrial ecosystems Terrestrial environments Pakistan Terrestrial ecosystems N losses Greenhouse gas Nitrification N Himalaya O
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Summary:	Terrestrial ecosystems are under the enormous pressure of land use management regimes through human disturbances, resulting in the disruption of biogeochemical cycles and associated ecosystem services. Nitrogen (N) in soil ecosystems is of vital importance for primary productivity, hence estimating the extent of these human interventions on N-cycling processes becomes imperative from economic and environmental perspectives. This work investigated the impacts of variable anthropogenic activities on N cycling in three different terrestrial ecosystems (arable, grassland, and forest) in three regions of lower Himalaya, Pakistan. Potential nitrification (PNA) and denitrification (DEA) enzyme activities, relative distribution of inorganic N species (NH 4 , NO 3 ), and the role of inherent edaphic factors were assessed. Results revealed high nitrification potentials and increased nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions in the incubated soil microcosms, in the order as arable > grassland > forest ecosystems. Notably, higher rates of both studied processes (~ 30–50%) and elevated soil mineral nitrogen pool were observed in arable ecosystems. Forest soils, assumed as pristine ecosystems relying mainly on natural N fixation, produced (de)nitrification rates relatively lower than grasslands, followed by arable soils which were moderately disturbed through long-term fertilization and intensive land-use regimes. Linear regression modeling revealed that the inorganic N species (particularly NO 3 ), and inherent edaphic factors were the key determinants of high (de)nitrification rates, hence warn of accelerated N losses in these ecosystems. The study highlights that elevated PNA and DEA being proxies for the altered N cycling in the studied terrestrial ecosystems are of great ecological relevance in view of predicted N 2 O budget in the lower Himalaya.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0167-6369 1573-2959
DOI:	10.1007/s10661-023-11964-6