Weiqi Wang

Fujian Normal University · School of Geographical Sciences

The increasing success of invasive plant species in wetland areas can threaten their capacity to store carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (C, N, and P). Here we have investigated the relationships between the different stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC), and total C, N, and P pools in the plant‐soil system from eight different wetland areas across t...

Crabs may elicit effects on wetland carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations and associated ecological stoichiometry. In this study, we assessed effects of crabs on carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions; soil C, N, and P concentrations; and stoichiometry in upper and mid-tidal flats of an estuarin...

Coastal wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems and store large amounts of organic carbon (C) – the so termed “blue carbon”. However, wetlands in the tropics and subtropics have been invaded by smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) affecting storage of blue C. To understand how S. alterniflora affects SOC stocks, sources, stability, an...

Agricultural ecosystems are globally important sinks of carbon and other nutrient elements. In China, acid rain events affect about 0.62 million km², representing about 6.4% of total land area; however, the impacts of acid rain mediated nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) depositions on soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions and nutrient stocks in paddy soils...

The association between iron (Fe) oxides (Fe-O) and organic carbon is a vital mechanism for the long-term accumulation and stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC). To thoroughly explore the impacts of straw mulching on Fe-bound organic carbon (Fe-OC), we conducted a mulching application experiment in a 2-year no-tillage banana orchard. Two treat...

Coastal wetlands play a critical role in global carbon (C) cycling while they are frequently challenged by exotic plant invasion. Microbial residues are increasingly recognized as the key constituent of stable soil organic C (SOC) but their responses to plant invasion in coastal wetlands remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of S...

Biochar is increasingly used in crop production as a fertilizer; however, its effects on nutrient cycling and stoichiometry in rice paddy soil–plant systems are unclear. We tested for effects of contrasting rates of biochar on soil and rice plant organ carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations and stoichiometry and soil physicoche...

As productive and essential ecosystems, coastal wetlands have experienced increased environmental impacts such as saltwater intrusion and eutrophication, resulting in significant shifts in microbially mediated ecosystem functions, such as carbon sequestration and nutrient transformations. The soil microbial respiration, a primary process in the tra...

Nitrogen fertilization has important effects on nitrification. However, how the rate of nitrogen fertilization affects nitrification potential, as well as the communities of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), remains unclear. We performed a large-scale investigation of nitrification potential and ammonia-oxidizer...

Adding industrial and agricultural wastes to farmland can increase soil available phosphorus (P) pool and boost crop production, but the process affecting soil P transformation and bioavailability is still poorly understood. We studied the effects of straw (ST), biochar (BC) and Si-modified biochar (Si-BC) amendments on the available-P content and...

N-enriched biochar can increase the accumulation of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and biomass in rice plants. On the other hand, the biomass and C, N, and P contents of plant organs are important indicators to reflect plant C, N, and P storages. We established control, 4 t ha−1, and 8 t ha−1 N-enriched biochar treatment plots in a subtr...

Biogeochemical niche hypothesis (BN) aims to relate species/genotype elemental composition with its niche based on the fact that different elements are involved differentially in distinct plant functions. We here test the BN hypothesis through the analysis of the 10 foliar elemental concentrations and 20 functional-morphological of 60 tree species...

Cr(VI) detoxification and organic matter (OM) stabilization are usually influenced by the biological transformation of iron (Fe) minerals; however, the underlying mechanisms of metal-reducing bacteria on the coupled kinetics of Fe minerals, Cr, and OM remain unclear. Here, the reductive sequestration of Cr(VI) and immobilization of fulvic acid (FA)...

Background: Environmental stresses pose a significant threat to plant growth and ecosystem productivity, particularly in arid lands that are more susceptible to climate change. Strigolactones (SLs), carotenoid-derived plant hormones, have emerged as a potential tool for mitigating environmental stresses. Methods: This review aimed to gather info...

Aims Natural stable isotope compositions of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) can reveal biogeochemical mechanisms that control ecosystem carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) processes. However, little is known about the latitudinal patterns and controlling mechanisms for soil δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N in coastal wetlands based on a large spatial scale. Methods A tota...

Biochar has been proved to be an important soil amendment to alleviate soil phosphorus (P) in the paddy crops. However, the role of specially prepared biochar (N-enriched biochar) on the distribution and transformation of P soil in and rice leaves needs to be revealed. In this study, we studied in a field experiment the effects of two different lev...

Protection and restoration of vegetated coastal ecosystems provide opportunities to mitigate climate change. Coastal shelter forests as one of vegetated coastal ecosystems play vital role on sandy coasts protection, but less attention is paid on their soil organic carbon (OC) sequestration potential. Here, we provide the first national-scale assess...

The soil ecological stoichiometric characteristics of different agricultural land use types have a certain indicator function for characterizing the level of soil nutrient supply and are of great significance to the management of nutrient resources in farmland ecosystems. In order to reveal the soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cont...

As a major plant‐derived soil organic carbon (SOC) component, lignin phenols are unique biomarkers that reflect biogeochemical characteristics under different vegetation compositions and climatic zones in coastal wetlands. However, the latitudinal patterns of plant‐derived lignin phenols to SOC and their link with the stability and controlling mech...

Arid ecosystems are characterized by low availability and mobility of soil nutrients and slow geochemical cycles. Management of native vegetation in such ecosystems for fuel, livestock grazing, and other agricultural activities (burning and cutting) may threaten semi-natural communities due to the changes in nutrient cycles and soil fertility. Alha...

Arid ecosystems are characterized by low availability and mobility of soil nutrients and slow geochemical cycles. Management of native vegetation in such ecosystems for fuel, livestock grazing, and other agricultural activities (burning and cutting) may threaten semi-natural communities due to the changes in nutrient cycles and soil fertility. Alha...

Applying industrial waste amendments, such as steel slag and biochar, to soils is an increasingly common practice to improve soil fertility, crop yield, and soil carbon (C) pool storage and stability. However, the effects of separate and combined applications of slag and biochar on total and active soil organic C (SOC) pools and the associated rela...

Most land-use changes profoundly alter the composition of soil organic carbon (SOC) via changes in plant- and microbial-derived C in soils. Whether this equally holds true for soils converted from paddy fields to upland fields is hitherto unknown. Herein, we investigate and report on plant-derived C (lignin phenols as biomarkers), microbial-derived...

Nitrogen (N)-enriched biochar is a novel type of biochar prepared by mixing biomass with N-rich sources at a higher temperature via pyrolysis. Although the agronomic benefits of N-enriched biochar are reportedly positive, its effects on GHG emissions, crop yields, and soil bacterial communities in rice paddy fields remain undefined. This study exam...

Purpose Biochar and silicate-enriched steel-slag, as agricultural and industrial waste materials, are used to improve soil physicochemical properties and soil fertility; however, there are few studies on the effects of their combined application to paddy fields on the formation of root Fe plaque. Materials and methods We tested the effects of four...

Agronomic management practices present an opportunity to improve the sustainability of crop production, including reductions of greenhouse gas emissions through impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. We investigated the impacts of contrasting application rates of nitrogen (N)-enriched biochar (4 and 8 t ha⁻¹) on the concentrations of total...

Aggregates are the basis for the formation of a good soil structure. Soil fungi community plays an important role in soil nutrient transformation, soil aggregate formation and ecological balance of the plant‐soil system. However, little is known about the multi‐year response of soil aggregates, their carbon concentrations and fungal community struc...

The upcoming launch of the post-2020 biodiversity framework entails elucidating the future priorities and strategies for conserving biodiversity on a regional and global scale. Desertification has caused significant environmental and socio-economic problems in many arid and semiarid areas of the world. Phreatophytes increase nutrient levels and wat...

Owing to intensive cultivation, paddy fields suffer from varying degrees of degradation and loss of soil organic carbon (SOC), consequently jeopardizing the industry's future sustainability. Accurate assessment of soil nutrient loss and SOC stability is not only indispensable for developing measures to arrest and counter this problem but to also ga...

The incorporation of post-harvest crop straw and application of industrial and agricultural wastes to paddy soils increase rice crop yields and soil fertility. However, the impacts of combined applications of straw and waste products on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming potential (GWP) of paddy soils are unclear. Therefore, we condu...

Nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-damo), catalyzed by bacteria closely related to Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera, links the global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Currently, the contribution of n-damo in controlling methane emissions and nitrogen removal, and the key regulatory factors of this process in Chinese paddy fields are poo...

Large quantities of semiconductor minerals on soil surfaces have a sensitive photoelectric response. These semiconductor minerals generate photo-electrons and photo-hole pairs that can stimulate soil oxidation–reduction reactions when exposed to sunlight. We speculated that the photocatalysis of semiconductor minerals would affect soil carbon cycle...

Soil organic carbon (SOC) in coastal wetlands, also known as ‘blue C’, is an essential component of the global C cycles. To gain a detailed insight into blue C storage and controlling factors, we studied 142 sites across ca. 5000 km of coastal wetlands, covering temperate, subtropical and tropical climates in China. The wetlands represented 6 veget...

Sea-level rise (SLR) and nitrogen (N) enrichment are two critical issues that affect coastal marshes. They affect organic matter decomposition in soils and, thus, affect the marshes’ ability to sequester carbon. However, the impacts of SLR and N enrichment, especially their interactive effects, on the decomposition of different quality plant residu...

Incorporating amendments of industrial waste such as biochar and steel slag in cropland has been used to enhance the storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) while sustaining crop production. Short-term laboratory and field studies have identified important influences of biochar on active SOC fractions associated with soil microbial activity in paddy s...

Soil degradation is a multi-factorial process that threatens crop production and the environment. According to the classification method of Pieri et al. (1992), soils are classified into different degradation classes by calculating the soil structural stability index (SSI). Soil nitrogen, phosphorus, labile organic carbon, mineral N and available-P...

Coastal wetlands are critical in the global carbon budget while vulnerable to plant invasion. Spartina alterniflora (S. alterniflora), a typical invasive plant species, has rapidly expanded in China’s coastal area since 1979, which disturbed the carbon cycle of the coastal wetland ecosystems. However, until now, the effect and underlying mechanisms...

Methanotrophs contribute significantly to methane consumption in paddy ecosystems. Currently, the biogeographical distribution and regulation of methanotrophs in Chinese paddy soils remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the activity, abundance and community structure of methanotrophs in paddy soils from different geographical regions and...

Application of biochar to rice has shown to elicit positive environmental and agricultural impacts due to its physicochemical properties. However, the relationship between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, rice yield, and soil nutrient status under biochar amendment remains unclear. In this study, rice yield and methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2...

The effects of long-term excessive phosphorus (P) fertilization on the P fraction changes and P loss risk in orchard soils remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the concentrations of and relationships among the soil total P (TP), Olsen-P and P fractions in pomelo orchard (PO) soil during different fertilization periods. The PO soils were in a...

Magnesium (Mg) is an essential mineral nutrient for plant growth, and its deficiency in citrus orchards has been widely observed in the acidic soils of southern China. Lime amendments have been proposed as potential solution to mitigate the soil pH and improve the soil quality. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of lime and Mg fertilizer on soil p...

Silicon (Si) is beneficial for rice health and production by alleviating various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the continual export of grain off-farm may result in Si deficiency for rice plants. The current levels of plant available Si (PASi) in rice paddies in China remain unclear, as do the factors that control PASi content in these soils...

Biochar can be a soil amendment that increases nutrient retention and carbon (C) sequestration in rice paddy systems. However, biochar can lose nutrient during its production processes so modifications such as coating with the nitrogen (N) that can slowly release nutrients to soil following application are necessary. Dynamic changes in paddy soil m...

Biochar is often applied to paddy soils as a soil improver, as it retains nutrients and increases C sequestration; as such, it is a tool in the move towards C-neutral agriculture. Nitrogen (N) fertilizers have been excessively applied to rice paddies, particularly in small farms in China, because N is the major limiting factor for rice production....

Soil degradation is characterized by loss of soil organic matter, decline in fertility, imbalance in elemental content, deterioration of soil structure, and overall a deterioration of soil environment. According to the classification method of Pieri et al . (1992), the soil is classified into different degradation classes by calculating the soil st...

China has a rich historical heritage of agroforestry, but a quantitative analysis of the potential of agroforestry systems (AFS) for soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is missing. A comprehensive meta-analysis of soil C sequestration rates derived from 43 studies was undertaken to determine its most influential parameters. Soil C sequestration...

The conversion of paddy cropping to vegetable production and other crops is a common agricultural practice, driven by economic benefits. However, soil carbon emissions and nutrient stoichiometric responses to this type of land-use change remain unclear. In this study, carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions, Soil...

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks have been greatly depleted by the global extent of conversion from wetlands to cropland, agroforestry and urban areas. Here, we investigated SOC distribution and turnover in four land use types: wetland, cropland, forestland, and construction land in the Baiyangdian wetland, northern China. The C:N ratios were up to...

Typhoons can alter carbon cycling by increasing carbon inputs and by the oceanic water intrusion at low latitudes. Our understanding of how typhoons impacts C and N cycles by reflecting combine and separate effects of elevated salinity and carbon enrichment is poor. We conducted a mesocosm experiment simulating the effect of a salinity of 10‰ and d...

The spatial and temporal variability of soil CO2 emissions from agricultural soils is inherently high. While tillage and crop residue practices play vital roles in governing soil CO2 emission, their effects on the variability of soil CO2 fluxes across depths and seasons are still poorly understood. To address this, an experiment consisting of four...

Excess phosphorus (P) accumulation in the soil can change the bioavailability of P and increase the leaching risks, but the quantitative evaluation of these responses in acidic red soil is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the composition of soil P fractions under different phosphorus apparent balances (PAB) in acidic red soil and the bioava...

Waste amendments, such as steel slag and biochar, have been reported as a strategy for improving soil fertility, crop productivity, and carbon (C) sequestration in agricultural lands. However, information regarding the subsequent effects of steel slag and biochar on C cycling and the underlying microbial mechanisms in paddy soils remains limited. H...

Invasion of plants in wetland ecosystems is often associated with changes in litter decomposition and in nutrient use, uptake and cycling between invasive and native plants. We studied litter decomposition rates, N and P release and elemental composition and stoichiometry during the invasion of Phragmites australis and Spartina alterniflora into na...

The effects of straw alone or combined with industrial and agricultural wastes as fertilizers on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are still poorly known in cropland areas. Here, we studied the effects of 3.5 Mg ha ⁻¹ straw and 3.5 Mg ha ⁻¹ straw combined with 8 Mg ha ⁻¹ of diverse wastes on GHG emission in a subtropical Jasminum sambac plantation in...

Aerobic methanotrophs in paddies serve as methane (CH4) filters and thereby reduce CH4 emissions. Amending soil with waste products can mitigate CH4 emissions in crops, but little is known about the impacts of amendments with steel slag and biochar on the populations and activities of aerobic methanotrophs in rice cropland. We used real-time quanti...

Globally, paddy fields are a major anthropogenic source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture. There is, however, limited understanding of relationships between GHG production with fertilizer management, rice varieties, and soil variables. This information is crucial for minimizing the climatic impacts of rice agriculture. Here, we exa...

We investigate whether slag and biochar applications have subsequent effects on greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields by applying biochar (B), slag (S), and a biochar-slag mix (BS) to paddy fields in the Fuzhou Plain, China. Applications of the three treatments along with a control (CK) of no amendment were made in 2015 before early and late r...

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research sp...

The conversion of natural saltmarshes to shrimp aquaculture ponds can potentially influence the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in coastal wetlands, but its impact on the dynamics of sediment dissimilatory nitrate (NO3-) reduction remains poorly understood. In this study, three sediment NO3- reduction processes including denitrification (DNF),...

Preserving and enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks is one of the major objectives for sustainable agriculture. The exogenous nutrient supply along with returning crop residues, i.e., integrated residue-nutrient management, may increase carbon (C) cycling and residue-derived microbial biomass, and therefore to affect SOC stocks. However, ther...

Steel slag, a by-product of the steel industry, contains high amounts of active iron oxide and silica which can act as an oxidizing agent in agricultural soils. Biochar is a rich source of carbon, and the combined application of biochar and steel slag is assumed to have positive impacts on soil properties as well as plant growth, which are yet to b...

Global warming increases belowground carbon (C)input as plant litterfall, root biomass and rhizodeposition, which influences the stocks and dynamics of soil organic matter. To clarify the effects of labile C availability (biochemical factor)and temperature (environmental factor)on enzyme activities, we incubated typical paddy soil for 75 d at four...

Desertification of sandy grasslands is an increasing problem, with serious negative impacts on ecosystem functions. Sandy grasslands are fragile with low ecosystem productivity mainly because of the sandy soil structure with low water and nutrient holding capacities and especially low levels of nitrogen. Here, we evaluate the long‐term impacts of s...

In agriculture, synthetic fertilizers have played a key role in enhancing food production and keeping the world’s population adequately fed. China’s participation is essential to global efforts in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because it is the largest producer and consumer of synthetic fertilizers. A field experiment was conducted in a J...

Inorder to elucidate the effect of acid rain on the chemically bounded soil organic carbon content in paddy, different simulated acid rain treatments (CK, simulated pH=2.5, pH=3.5 and pH=4.5) were performed in the paddy of Fuzhou plain, and the effect of simulated acid rain on chemically bonded soil organic carbon content was determined in the grow...

We studied the impacts of an increasingly common change in land use from paddy field to jasmine fields on the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which have supposed the transformation of more than 1200 ha only in the last decade in the surroundings of Fuzhou city in response to economic changes. The possible increases that this can suppose consti...

Flooding caused by rising sea levels can influence the biogeochemistry of estuarine wetland ecosystems. We studied the relationships of higher flooding intensity with soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in communities of the native sedge Cyperus malaccensis var. brevifolius Boecklr. in the wetlands of the Minjiang River...

Industrial wastes and agricultural byproducts are increasingly used in crop production as fertilizers, but their impacts on soil carbon (C) sequestration remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of applying steel slag (SS), biochar (B), and a combination of these two materials (SS + B) on total soil organic C (SOC)...

Soil water stable aggregates, soil carbon and nitrogen content were the key factors controlling soil fertility. Taken the Fuzhou plain as the study area, the effect of slag and biochar mixed amendment on the distribution, stability of soil water stable aggregates, soil carbon and nitrogen content in early and late paddy field in Fuzhou plain, inclu...

Projections of climate change impacts over the coming decades suggest that rising sea level will flood coastal wetlands. We studied the impacts of three intensities of flooding on litter decomposition in the native Cyperus malaccensis, and the invasives Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis in Shanyutan wetland (Minjiang River estuary, Chi...

To understand the effects of waste amendments on microbiological mechanisms of methane emissions in paddy fields, the effects of single and mixed slag and biochar amendments on soil physicochemical properties were investigated in the elongation stage of both early and late paddy fields. Moreover, the diversity of methanogens and their community str...

Suitable fertilization is crucial for the sustainability of rice production and for the potential mitigation of global warming. The effects of fertilization on porewater nutrients and greenhouse-gas fluxes in cropland, however, remain poorly known. We studied the effects of no fertilization (control), standard fertilization and double fertilization...

Wetlands are important sources of methane emission. Anaerobic oxidation, aerobic oxidation and production of methane as well as dissolved methane are important processes of methane metabolism. We studied methane metabolism and the soil influencing factors. Potential soil methane production, anaerobic oxidation and aerobic oxidation rates, and disso...