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Comparing nitrous oxide losses from three residential landscapes under different management schemes following natural rainfall events

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Abstract

Lawn management practices that produce aesthetically appealing landscapes may also create environmental conditions that stimulate soil nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes. The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate the effects of lawn management practices on N2O fluxes from three non-replicated distinctly different residential landscapes: a high maintenance fescue (Festuca arundinacea) lawn (HMFL), a low maintenance fescue lawn (LMFL), and a mixed hardwood forested residential landscape (FRL) located in Cary, North Carolina. The specific objectives are (1) to measure the N2O fluxes from three residential landscapes within a fixed 24-h period following natural rainfall events; and (2) to determine the effect of lawn maintenance, season, water filled pore space (WFPS%), temperature, and days after fertilization on N2O flux. The mean N2O fluxes for HMFL (14.3 ± 2.28 μg N2O-N m−2 h−1), LMFL (3.14 ± 0.68 μg N2O-N m−2 h−1) and FRL (0.43 ± 0.08 μg N2O-N m−2 h−1) indicate that residential lawns receiving the recommended amount of fertilizer and frequent irrigation exhibit higher N2O fluxes than non-irrigated fertilized lawns or forested landscapes. Patterns of N2O fluxes from the HMFL and LMFL were associated with timing of fertilizer applications, presence or absence of irrigation, and seasonal fescue growth patterns. For the FRL, lower N inputs and the presence of a decomposing litter layer potentially limited N2O production. Our findings suggest that lawn management practices (i.e., fertilizer applications and irrigation) can create differences in the N2O flux following natural rainfall events.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express gratitude to the homeowners for volunteering their lawns for this study. We would like to thank Wesley Childres, Julie Stainback, and Joshua Nardin for helping with sample collection, and Dr. Consuelo Arrellano and Wanda Vargas for their consultation and assistance with data analysis. Dr. Daniel Israel is acknowledged for supplying the rubber stoppers needed for sample collection. A great deal of appreciation is given to the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions. Notice: This manuscript has been reviewed in accordance with U.S. EPA policy and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation of use by the Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, North Carolina State University, 100 Derieux Street, Williams Hall, PO Box 7619, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7619, USA

    Porché L. Spence, Wayne P. Robarge & Deanna L. Osmond

  2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA

    John T. Walker

  3. Arcadis U.S., Inc., 4915 Prospectus Drive, Durham, NC, 27713, USA

    Bill Preston

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  1. Porché L. Spence
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Correspondence to Porché L. Spence.

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Spence, P.L., Walker, J.T., Robarge, W.P. et al. Comparing nitrous oxide losses from three residential landscapes under different management schemes following natural rainfall events. Urban Ecosyst 18, 1227–1243 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-015-0453-9

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