{
  "abstract": "Nitrogen (N) is a key nutrient regulating plant growth, forest productivity and ecosystem functioning in permafrost regions. Despite the critical role of succession in modifying soil N processes, how soil N dynamics respond to mid-successional Betula platyphylla forest development remains poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize soil N transformations across a 25- to 61-year stand-age gradient in permafrost forests of Northeast China. We determined soil inorganic nitrogen concentrations and net nitrogen mineralization (ammonization + nitrification) using in‑situ incubation experiments in 25-, 40- and 61-year-old mid-successional Betula platyphylla forests. Ammonium N increased significantly with stand age, whereas nitrate N concentration exhibited a decreasing trend. Generalized least‑squares (GLS‑AR1) modelling detected no significant main effect of stand age on soil inorganic N or net N mineralization rate (Rm). Mean Min-N remained stable across stands (8.39, 8.15 and 8.49 mg·kg⁻¹ for the 25-, 40-, and 61-year-old stands, respectively). Rm showed a numerical increase along the age gradient (0.11, 0.46, 0.67 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹). Soil N dynamics were driven by significant stand‑age × soil‑depth and stand‑age × sample‑month interactions rather than stand age main effects. Inorganic‑N and mineralization rates were higher in topsoil (0–10 cm) than subsoil (10–20 cm). Ammonification dominated net N mineralization across all stands, contributing on average 3.88% (0–10 cm) and 4.18% (10–20 cm). Hierarchical partitioning analysis identified stand age as the primary driver of soil‑N variation, followed by sampling month, soil chemical properties and microbial biomass. Mid‑successional Betula platyphylla forest succession accelerates soil N turnover and modifies inorganic‑N composition without expanding total mineral‑N pools. These findings inform vegetation restoration and sustainable management of permafrost forest ecosystems.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Hong Wei"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xiaoyuan Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yongyong Zhu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ft51wk5cemhkh.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41598-026-74206-y",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "ft51wk5cemhkh",
  "issns": [
    "2045-2322"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74206-y",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1111|Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7215054025",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74206-y_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ft51wk5cemhkh.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:19Z",
      "native_id": "10.1038/s41598-026-74206-y",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74206-y"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:1111|Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics",
      "subfield": "hydrology-soils"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Temporal soil nitrogen dynamics with stand age of Betula platyphylla forests in the permafrost region of Northeast China",
  "title_text": "Temporal soil nitrogen dynamics with stand age of Betula platyphylla forests in the permafrost region of Northeast China",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ft51wk5cemhkh",
  "venue": "Scientific Reports",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.21203/rs.3.rs-9924837/v1",
      "pid": null,
      "relation": "preprint",
      "title": null,
      "venue": null
    }
  ]
}