Proton production from nitrogen transformation drives stream export of base cations in acid-sensitive forested watersheds

The biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen (N) and base cations (BCs), (i.e., K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+), play critical roles in plant nutrition and ecosystem function. Empirical correlations between large experimental N fertilizer additions to forest ecosystems and increased BCs loss in stream water are well demonstrated, but the mechanisms driving this coupling remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that protons generated through N transformation (PPRN)—quantified as the balance of NH4+ (H+ source) and NO3− (H+ sink) in precipitation versus the stream output will impact BCs loss in acid-sensitive ecosystems. To test this hypothesis, we monitored precipitation input and stream export of inorganic N and BCs for three years in an acid-sensitive forested watershed in a granite area of subtropical China. We found the precipitation input of inorganic N (17.71 kg N ha−1 year−1 with 54% as NH4+–N) was considerably higher than stream exported inorganic N (5.99 kg N ha−1 year−1 with 83% as NO3−–N), making the watershed a net N sink. The stream export of BCs (151, 1518, 851, and 252 mol ha−1 year−1 for K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+, respectively) was positively correlated (r = 0.80, 0.90, 0.84, and 0.84 for K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ on a monthly scale, respectively, P