Abstract:Nitrogen deposition may have a significant effect on soil nutrients; however, research regarding the influence of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the soil nutrients of the plant "fertile islands" is limited. In this field study, we analyzed the Vitex negundo L. var. "fertile islands" distributed in the southern foot of the TaiHang Mountain Range, Henan Province. Simultaneously, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) was selected as the nitrogen source, and soil samples were collected from different soil depths. The research simulated nitrogen deposition (three levels, including a low-nitrogen treatment, 2 gN m-2 a-1; secondary-nitrogen treatment, 12 gN m-2 a-1; and high-nitrogen treatment, 24 gN m-2 a-1) to analyze the impacts on organic matter, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus contents embedded in the "fertile islands". The results demonstrated that the amount of total nitrogen and available phosphorus contents in "fertile islands" increased with the increase in nitrogen deposition. Organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents on the soil surface increased obviously with increased nitrogen deposition. Compared with that of the control, the differences in the nutrient contents of soil layers caused by high nitrogen deposition were more obvious. Nutrient differences between the crown and soil layers increased, and the soil nutrients increased with the increase in nitrogen deposition. Nitrogen deposition intensified the "fertile island" aggregation effect to a certain extent, which became more prominent as a result of the increased nitrogen deposition. The results provide a baseline to analyze the response mechanisms and conservation function of nitrogen fertilization in "fertile islands".