Nitrous oxide emissions from three temperate forest types in the Qinling Mountains, China

To understand soil N 2 O fluxes from temperate forests in a climate-sensitive transitional zone, N 2 O emissions from three temperate forest types ( Pinus tabulaeformis , PTT; Pinus armandii , PAT; and Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata , QAT) were monitored using the static closed-chamber method from June 2013 to May 2015 in the Huoditang Forest region of the Qinling Mountains, China. The results showed that these three forest types acted as N 2 O sources, releasing a mean combined level of 1.35 ± 0.56 kg N 2 O ha −1 a −1 , ranging from 0.98 ± 0.37 kg N 2 O ha −1 a −1 in PAT to 1.67 ± 0.41 kg N 2 O ha −1 a −1 in QAT. N 2 O emission fluctuated seasonally, with highest levels during the summer for all three forest types. N 2 O flux had a significantly positive correlation with soil temperature at a depth of 5 cm or in the water-filled pore space, where the correlation was stronger for temperature than for the water-filled pore space. N 2 O flux was positively correlated with available soil nitrogen in QAT and PAT. Our results indicate that N 2 O flux is mainly controlled by soil temperature in the temperate forest in the Qinling Mountains.