title: Denitrification potential of riparian soils in relation to multiscale spatial environmental factors: a case study of a typical watershed, China.
abstract: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that environmental regulators of riparian zone soil denitrification potential differ according to spatial scale within a watershed; consequently, a second objective was to provide spatial strategies for conserving and restoring the purification function of runoff in riparian ecosystems. The results show that soil denitrification in riparian zones was more heterogeneous at the profile scale than at the cross-section and landscape scales. At the profile scale, biogeochemical factors (including soil total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and nitrate-nitrogen) were the major direct regulators of the spatial distribution of soil denitrification enzyme activity (DEA). At the cross-section scale, factors included distance from river bank and vegetation density, while landscape-scale factors, including topographic index, elevation, and land use types, indirectly regulated the spatial distribution of DEA. At the profile scale, soil DEA was greatest in the upper soil layers. At the cross-section scale, maximum soil DEA occurred in the mid-part of the riparian zone. At the landscape scale, soil DEA showed an increasing trend towards downstream sites, except for those in urbanized areas.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Eco-restoration of Regional Contaminated Environment, (Chinese Ministry of Education), College of Environment in Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110044, China. 371189634@qq.com.
authors.forename: Jianbing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Eco-restoration of Regional Contaminated Environment, (Chinese Ministry of Education), College of Environment in Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110044, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Eco-restoration of Regional Contaminated Environment, (Chinese Ministry of Education), College of Environment in Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110044, China.
authors.forename: Quanguo
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Eco-restoration of Regional Contaminated Environment, (Chinese Ministry of Education), College of Environment in Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110044, China.
authors.forename: Shiqian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Eco-restoration of Regional Contaminated Environment, (Chinese Ministry of Education), College of Environment in Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110044, China.
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D058440:Denitrification; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D009566:Nitrates / Q000032:analysis; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D062206:Spatial Analysis
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D012987:Soil; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Environmental regulators; Riparian zones; Soil denitrification enzyme activity; Spatial heterogeneous