Initial quantitative characterization of soil nutrient regimes. II. Relationships among soils, vegetation, and site index

Relationships between soil properties, understory vegetation, foliar properties, and site index were examined in some Douglas-fir ecosystems on Vancouver Island. Multivariate summaries of variation in understory vegetation and foliar properties were highly correlated with the soil properties (mineralizable N, total N, and exchangeable Ca and Mg) that best characterized soil nutrient regimes of the ecosystems. The increases in soil nutrient availability were correlated with increased foliar N concentrations of the current year foliage. A consistent correlation was found between increased soil nutrient availability (particularly N, Mg, Ca) and decreased foliar Mn and Al. Site index of Douglas-fir was significantly greater on sites with greater quantities of most nutrients (particularly N, Mg, Ca) when sites with equivalent soil moisture regime were compared.

Download Full-text

Multidecadal trajectories of soil chemistry and nutrient availability following cutting vs. burning disturbances in Upper Great Lakes forests

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/cjfr-2018-0211 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 49 (7) ◽

pp. 731-742 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lucas E. Nave ◽

James M. Le Moine ◽

Christopher M. Gough ◽

Knute J. Nadelhoffer

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Nutrient Availability ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Exchange Capacity ◽

Parent Material ◽

Ash Deposition ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

Upper Great Lakes ◽

Northern Michigan ◽

Severe Disturbance

What are the successional trajectories and impacts of disturbances on forest soil nutrient availability? Answers remain elusive because the time scale of interest is long and many factors affect soil properties. We address this question on a regionally representative landscape in northern Michigan, U.S.A. Late-successional reference stands aside, most forests on this landscape were clearcut and burned between 1870 and 1911; subsequently, stands comprising two chronosequences were either cut and burned again, or cut only, at multidecadal intervals. Influences of disturbance and succession were detectable in A, B, and C horizons, particularly for properties affected by ash deposition: pH, Ca, and Mg declined with age but were higher in twice-burned stands. A horizon NH4+ was lower in twice-burned than once-burned stands and declined with age in both chronosequences. B horizon Fe increased with age in both chronosequences but remained lower in twice-burned stands, suggesting slower recovery of pedogenesis following more severe disturbance. Contrasted against A and B horizons, where soil properties were driven by disturbance and succession, textural influences were evident in C horizons through variation in Ca, Mg, K, Al, and cation exchange capacity. Collectively, these results indicate deep, long-lasting disturbance impacts and a bottom-up influence of parent material at the landscape level.

Download Full-text

Impacts of woodchip amendments and soil nutrient availability on understory vegetation establishment following thinning of a ponderosa pine forest

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2009.04.011 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 258 (3) ◽

pp. 263-272 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Elisa M. Miller ◽

T.R. Seastedt

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Availability ◽

Ponderosa Pine ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Pine Forest ◽

Understory Vegetation ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

Vegetation Establishment ◽

Ponderosa Pine Forest

Download Full-text

Spatial variability in soil nutrient availability in an oak-pine forest: potential effects of tree species

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x03-157 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 33 (12) ◽

pp. 2321-2330 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

C SM Washburn ◽

M A Arthur

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Nutrient Availability ◽

Tree Species ◽

N Mineralization ◽

Mineral Soil ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Red Maple ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

Total N ◽

Available N

Established species have been shown to affect soil nutrient availability, but the effects of "native invasive" species on soil nutrient availability are relatively unknown. Oak-dominated forests in the eastern deciduous forest are dynamic in their species composition, with increasing dominance of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) in the midstory and overstory. We hypothesized that higher quality red maple litter within a litter matrix dominated by oaks would accelerate N turnover, increase nutrient availability in the soil, and result in a thinner and less massive O horizon. We examined nutrient availability in soils under three overstory tree species (Quercus prinus L., A. rubrum, and Pinus echinata Mill. or Pinus rigida Mill.), under a shrub (Vaccinium spp.), and in locations without tree stems ("no tree"). Ex tract able nutrients (P, K, Mg, Ca) and total and available N were quantified in the O horizon and upper mineral soil at 0.5 m and 1.0 m from the base of individual trees or from the center of Vaccinium and no-tree locations. Despite low lignin concentration in red maple litter and low lignin/N ratio, the lowest N mineralization rates were found in red maple microsites; the highest N mineralization rates were found under oak. Extractable cations were generally highest under red maple and lowest under pines, and red maple had the highest levels of total N (but not NO3or NH4) in the upper mineral soil. Shifting species composition towards red maple and away from pines in these forests may alter nutrient cycling by increasing surface soil cation availability, but reducing soil N mineralization.

Download Full-text

Influence of calcium fertilization on Douglas-fir foliar nutrition, soil nutrient availability, and sinuosity in coastal Washington

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2007.04.027 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 247 (1-3) ◽

pp. 140-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

K.M. Littke ◽

D. Zabowski

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Availability ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Douglas Fir ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

Foliar Nutrition ◽

Calcium Fertilization

Download Full-text

One Year Residual Effect of Sewage Sludge Biochar as a Soil Amendment for Maize in a Brazilian Oxisol

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13042226 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 2226

Author(s):

Joisman Fachini ◽

Thais Rodrigues Coser ◽

Alyson Silva de Araujo ◽

Ailton Teixeira do Vale ◽

Keiji Jindo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sewage Sludge ◽

Grain Yield ◽

Nutrient Availability ◽

Pyrolysis Temperature ◽

Residual Effect ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Corn Yield ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

One Year

The thermochemical transformation of sewage sludge (SS) to biochar (SSB) allows exploring the advantages of SS and reduces possible environmental risks associated with its use. Recent studies have shown that SSB is nutrient-rich and may replace mineral fertilizers. However, there are still some questions to be answered about the residual effect of SSB on soil nutrient availability. In addition, most of the previous studies were conducted in pots or soil incubations. Therefore, the residual effect of SSB on soil properties in field conditions remains unclear. This study shows the results of nutrient availability and uptake as well as maize yield the third cropping of a three-year consecutive corn cropping system. The following treatments were compared: (1) control: without mineral fertilizer and biochar; (2) NPK: with mineral fertilizer; (3) SSB300: with biochar produced at 300 °C; (4) SSB300+NPK; (5) SSB500: with biochar produced at 500 °C; and (6) SSB500+NPK. The results show that SSB has one-year residual effects on soil nutrient availability and nutrient uptake by maize, especially phosphorus. Available soil P contents in plots that received SSB were around five times higher than the control and the NPK treatments. Pyrolysis temperature influenced the SSB residual effect on corn yield. One year after suspending the SSB application, SSB300 increased corn yield at the same level as the application of NPK. SSB300 stood out and promoted higher grain yield in the residual period (8524 kg ha−1) than SSB500 (6886 kg ha−1). Regardless of pyrolysis temperature, biochar boosted the mineral fertilizer effect resulting in higher grain yield than the exclusive application of NPK. Additional long-term studies should be focused on SSB as a slow-release phosphate fertilizer.

Download Full-text