Journal of Ecology and Rural Environment ›› 2017, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (12): 1117-1124.doi: 10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2017.12.008

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Effects of Elevated Temperature and Simulated Acid Rain on Enzyme Activity and Temperature Sensitivity of Paddy Soil

HAN Wei1, SUN Chen-xi2, SU Jing3   

  1. 1. College of Applied Meteorology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China;
    2. Shandong Academy of Environmental Planning, Jinan 250100, China;
    3. Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Nanjing 210042, China
  • Received:2017-04-06 Online:2017-12-25 Published:2017-12-19

Abstract:

Enzymes are considered a key category of components of soil. Global warming and intensifying acid rain may occur simultaneously. It is of great significance to study soil enzyme activity as affected by elevated temperature and intensified acid rain. Effects of warming and acid rain on soil enzyme in activity and sensitivity to temperature (Q10) of various enzymes in paddy soil were investigated. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted and designed to have two levels of temperature, 25 and 30℃ and two levels of acid rain in pH, pH 5.0 and pH 6.7. Results show that:(1) Under the simulated normal rain of pH 6.7, warming (30℃) increased the mean activity of soil invertase, cellulase, amylase, and protease by 13.37%, 13.57%, 6.14%, and 17.60%, respectively, but decreased the mean activity of urease and catalase by 3.25% and 12.89%, respectively as compared with 25℃. When temperature was kept at 25℃, acid rain (pH 5.0) increased the mean activity of soil invertase, protease, urease, and catalase by 22.91%, 7.65%, 38.24% and 69.98%, respectively, but decreased that of cellulase and amylase activities by 35.73% and 19.63%, respectively. (2) The effect of the interaction between warming and acid rain was significant on invertase, cellulase, and catalase activities, but not so on amylase, protease, and urease. (3) Soil enzymes varied in Q10. Invertase was sensitive to changes in temperature, while amylase was not. Under acid rain, invertase, cellulase, protease, and urease declined in Q10, while catalase rose in Q10 and amylase was almost unaffected. (4) In a short period of time both elevated temperature and acid rain increased the integrated activity of the soil enzymes. In the soil under both elevated temperature and acid rain, the rise was the biggest, which suggests that both global warming and a short-term of acid rain low in concentration may enhance soil enzyme activity and hence accelerate recycling of soil matter.

Key words: soil enzyme, elevated temperature, acid rain, paddy soil

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