Abstract

Understanding the pathways of nitrogen (N) retention in pristine forest soils is essential for effective ecosystem management and nutrient conservation. The incorporation of nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−) into organic N in soils without microbiological contribution remains a very intriguing question. This study explores the abiotic incorporation of nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−) into organic N of volcanic soil under sterilized and anoxic conditions, providing insights into mineral N losses occurring as dissolved organic N (DON) rather than the commonly accepted nitrate leaching. We evaluated the hypothesis that nitrate (NO3−) can be reduced to nitrite (NO2−), which subsequently reacts with organic matter through nitration and nitrosation, leading to the formation of organic nitrogen. This mechanism, which is of great ecological significance, supports the Ferrous Wheel Hypothesis (FWH). The FWH proposes that ferrous iron, Fe(II), reduces NO3− to NO2− within anaerobic microsites, and that Fe(II) is then re-oxidised to ferric iron, Fe(III), contributing to the formation of dissolved organic N (DON). Both NO3− and NO2− declined rapidly by 51 and 94 %, while labelled organic N increased by 20–38 % for NO3− and 42–44 % for NO2− within seconds. The incorporation of 15N into organic forms was confirmed using ATR-FTIR and benzene:isopropanol extraction, with the lowest and highest accumulation observed at 5 and 15 mg NO₃⁻ kg⁻¹, respectively. These results demonstrate that NO3− incorporation into organic N can occur primarily through abiotic processes, supporting the FWH, as both DON and solid-phase organic N were measured. These findings highlight the natural resilience of volcanic soils in unpolluted old-growth temperate rainforests to N loss and provide new insights into long-term ecosystem stability and nutrient cycling. Further research should investigate the interplay between abiotic and biotic N transformations under field conditions and across diverse forest ecosystems. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd