Availability of nitrogen and phosphorus in the forest floors of Rocky Mountain coniferous forests

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 593-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy E. Prescott ◽  
John P. Corbin ◽  
Dennis Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Ammonium Phosphate ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Supply Rate ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Forest Floors ◽  
P Supply ◽  
Floor Material

Nutrient supply rate and limitation were measured in forest floors of lodgepole pine, white spruce–lodgepole pine, and Engelmann spruce–subalpine fir (pine, spruce, and fir forests, respectively) forests in the Kananaskis Valley of southwestern Alberta. Earlier analyses of the nutrient content of foliage and litter indicated low N and P supply in the pine forest, high P supply in the spruce forest, and high N–low P supply in the fir forest. Measurements of nutrient supply (insitu rates of net mineralization, extractable P, and uptake of N and P from the forest floor in pot trials) confirmed the differences in N and P supply among the forests and indicated that nutrient concentrations in needle litter were useful as an index of nutrient supply rate. Subtractive tests were useful in identifying the most limiting nutrients in each forest: lodgepole pine seedlings grown in forest floor material from the pine and spruce stands responded with increased growth to the addition of N; those in fir forest floor material responded to P addition. Vector analysis of N and P concentrations and contents in needles from trees fertilized with ammonium phosphate sulphate showed responses to both N and P in the pine site, no response at the spruce site, and response to P at the fir site.

scholarly journals Seasonal and spatial variations in soil nitrogen and phosphorus supply rates in a boreal aspen forest

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Z. Huang ◽  
Jeff J. Schoenau
Keyword(s):  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Nutrient Uptake ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Plant Nutrient ◽  
Supply Rate ◽  
Aspen Forest ◽  
Exchange Resins ◽  
P Supply

Soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) supply is one of the growth limiting factors in many forest ecosystems. Seasonal patterns in soil N and P supply rate were examined during a 2-yr period (1994–1995) for forest floor (L, F and H) and upper mineral (Ae) horizons in an 80-yr-old aspen forest in Saskatchewan, Canada. Accumulation of plant nutrient ions on ion exchange resins incubated in the field can provide an estimate of nutrient supply rate in soils because ion exchange resins have the potential ability to simulate nutrient flux to plant roots. Nutrient supply rates and the effect of plant uptake on nutrient supply rate was assessed using ion exchange membranes buried inside and outside polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cylinders. The difference between ion flux to the membranes inside (root uptake excluded) versus outside the cylinders was used as an index of plant nutrient uptake. From May to October, nutrient uptake (µg 10 cm−2 2 wk−2) by plants ranged from 1.6 to 31.7 (NO3−-N), from 2.7 to 13.7 (NH4+-N) and from 2.6 to 12.7 (P), with maximum N and P uptake in summer. Nutrient uptake by plants also varied among horizons. In general, plant uptake of NO3−-N, NH4+-N and P was highest in the H horizon, followed by the F and Ae horizons, with lowest uptake apparent in the L horizon. The results are consistent with the distribution of plant fine roots: most were found in the H horizon (68%), followed by the Ae and F horizons (15%), and the L (2%) horizon. Autumn litterfall represented a nutrient return of 28–40 kg N ha–1 and 4–7 kg P ha–1 to the forest floor which coincided with an increase in ion supply rates in the forest floor. During the growing season, atmospheric inputs via bulk deposition and throughfall contributed small amounts of N (1.8 kg NH4+-N ha–1 and 0.23 kg NO3–-N ha–1) and P (1.38 kg ha−1 inorganic P) to the forest floor. Recycling of nutrients by litterfall and subsequent mineralization and re-assimilation by plant roots in the forest floor is a dynamic and important component of nutrient cycling in boreal aspen forest ecosystems. Key words: Forest floor, ion exchange membranes, nutrient supply

Input, accumulation, and residence times of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in four Rocky Mountain coniferous forests

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy E. Prescott ◽  
John P. Corbin ◽  
Dennis Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Forest Litter ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Residence Times ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Species Composition Of Vegetation ◽  
Forest Floors

Annual aboveground litterfall in forests of Pinuscontorta Loud., Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss, Piceaengelmannii Parry ex Engelm., and Abieslasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. in southwestern Alberta ranged from 286 to 321 g•m−2•year−1. The mass of litter accumulated on the forest floors ranged from 6.3 to 11.0 kg•m−2. Residence times of organic matter in the forest floor were 11 years in a 90-year-old P. contorta stand, 16 years in a 120-year-old P. glauca–P. contorta stand, and 23 years in a 350-year-old P. engelmannii–A. lasiocarpa stand. Residence times of litter in the L layer of the forest floor were longer in a recently clearcut area than in the older forests. Residence times of individual nutrients in the forest floors were in the order N > P > C. Litter in the pine forest had lower concentrations of both N and P than did litter in the spruce–pine forest; litter in the spruce–fir forest had relatively high N and low P concentrations. Differences in nutrient concentrations of litter among sites reflected differences in the nutrient-use efficiency of the vegetation, suggesting that the species composition of vegetation is important in determining availability of nutrients in the floor of these forests.

Frost hardiness and winter photosynthesis of Thujapiicata and Pseudotsugamenzlesll seedlings grown at three rates of nitrogen and phosphorus supply

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. Hawkins ◽  
M. Davradou ◽  
D. Pier ◽  
R. Shortt
Keyword(s):  
Net Photosynthesis ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Frost Hardiness ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Red Cedar ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
One Year ◽  
P Supply

One-year-old seedlings of western red cedar (Thujapiicata Donn ex D.Don) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) were grown for one season in five nutrient treatments with nitrogen (N) supplied in solution at rates of 20, 100, or 250 mg•L−1 and phosphorus (P) supplied at rates of 4, 20, or 60 mg•L−1. Growth, onset of dormancy, frost hardiness on six dates, and foliar nutrient concentrations in autumn and spring were measured. Midwinter rates of net photosynthesis and transpiration were measured at air temperatures of 4, 7, and 11 °C in seedlings from all nutrient treatments. Recovery of net photosynthesis and transpiration in whole seedlings from the three N treatments was assessed at intervals for 28 days after the seedlings were frozen to −5, −15, and −25°C. Foliar N content differed significantly among nutrient treatments and was positively correlated with supply. Mitotic activity ceased earliest in plants with low N supply. Douglas-fir seedlings in the low-N treatment also ceased height growth earliest. These differences in growth had no significant correlation with frost hardiness. No consistent differences in frost hardiness among nutrient treatments were observed. Higher rates of N and P supply resulted in higher rates of winter net photosynthesis. Net photosynthesis was reduced dramatically by night frost, with greater damage occurring at lower temperatures. Net photosynthesis recovery occurred most quickly in seedlings with the midrate of N and P supply.

Availability of N and P in the forest floors of adjacent stands of western red cedar–western hemlock and western hemlock–amabilis fir on northern Vancouver Island

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 605-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Prescott ◽  
M.A. McDonald ◽  
G.F. Weetman
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Red Cedar ◽  
Floor Layer ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
Extractable P ◽  
Western Red Cedar ◽  
Forest Floors ◽  
Floor Material

Availability of N and P was compared in the forest floors of old-growth forests of western red cedar (Thujaplicata Donn)and western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) (CH forests), and second-growth forests of western hemlock and amabilis fir (Abiesamabilis (Dougl.) Forbes) (HA forests) of windthrow origin. Five samples of each forest floor layer (litter, fermentation (woody and nonwoody), and humus (woody and nonwoody)) were collected from three forests of each type (CH and HA). All layers of CH forest floors had smaller concentrations of total and extractable N and mineralized less N during 40-day aerobic incubations in the laboratory. Total and extractable P was lower in the litter layer of CH forest floors. Seedlings of western red cedar, Sitka spruce (Piceasitchensis (Bong.) Carr.), western hemlock, and amabilis fir grown from seed in forest floor material from CH forests grew more slowly and took up less N and P than did seedlings grown in HA forest floor material. The low supply of N and P in CH forest floors may contribute to the nutrient supply problems encountered by regenerating trees on cutovers of this forest type.

Bioassay of forest floor nitrogen supply for plant growth

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1320-1326 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Van Cleve ◽  
O. W. Heal ◽  
D. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
N Supply ◽  
Paper Birch ◽  
Forest Floors ◽  
P Supply

Using a bioassay approach, this paper considers the nitrogen-supplying power of forest floors from examples of the major forest types in interior Alaska. Yield and net N uptake by paper birch seedlings grown in standardized mixtures of quartz sand and forest floor organic matter, and separate incubation estimates of N mineralization and nitrification for the forest floors, were employed to evaluate potential N supply. Black spruce and floodplain white spruce forest floors supplied only one-fifth the amount of N taken up by seedlings growing in other forest floors. Incubation estimates showed these forest floors yielded 4 and 15 times less extractable N, respectively, than the more fertile birch forest floors. In comparison with earlier estimates of P supply from these same forest floors, the upland types showed greater deficiency of N whereas floodplain types showed greater deficiency of P in control of seedling yield. The latter condition is attributed to the highly calcareous nature of the floodplain mineral soil, the consequent potential for P fixation, and hence greater potential deficiency of the element compared with N in mineralizing forest floors. Nitrogen concentration of the forest floors was the best predictor of bioassay response.

scholarly journals Seasonal Dynamics of N, P, and K in an Organic and Inorganic Fertilized Willow Biomass System

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos K. Quaye ◽  
Timothy A. Volk ◽  
Jeff J. Schoenau
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Plant Root ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Dairy Manure ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Available N ◽  
Soil P ◽  
P Supply

The seasonal variations in soil nutrient supply and bioavailability were assessed in a willow biomass crop (Salix miyabeana, SX64) treated with 150 and 200 kg available N ha−1of commercial fertilizer (CF), biosolid compost (BC), dairy manure (DM), and control (CT0) at Delhi, NY. Plant root simulator probes were used to measure nutrient supply (inside) and bioavailability (outside) of root exclusion cylinders. Measurements were made in September 2008 and May, August, and October of 2009. Soil moisture content (θd)and foliar nutrient concentrations were also determined. The BC treatments increased soil P supply more than CF and CT0. The supply ofNH4+and K in the soil increased in August but their bioavailability increased in May and October. SoilNO3-and P supply and bioavailability were both high in May. Foliar N and K concentrations were significantly high in May and low in August which could be due to dilution effect caused by increased soil moisture foliar dry weight. Foliar P concentrations increased in September and October. The observed higher soilNO3-mineralization and plant uptake in May suggest that in high soilNO3-conditions willow biomass crops can level and minimize leaching out of the root zone into groundwater.

Increases in tree growth and nutrient supply still apparent 10 to 13 years following fertilization and vegetation control of salal-dominated cedar–hemlock stands on Vancouver Island

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1516-1524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer N Bennett ◽  
Leandra L Blevins ◽  
John E Barker ◽  
David P Blevins ◽  
Cindy E Prescott
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
P Fertilization ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Total N ◽  
Vegetation Control

Cedar–hemlock forests on Vancouver Island are primarily nitrogen limited and characterized by an under story dominated by the ericaceous shrub salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh.). In 1984, an experiment was established on regenerating cedar–hemlock forests to determine the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus (N + P) fertilization and vegetation control on conifer growth. It was hypothesized that these treatments would not only stimulate tree growth, but also improve nutrient supply, stand productivity, and site quality. To test this hypothesis, tree height growth, canopy closure, salal biomass, foliar and forest floor N and P concentrations, and seedling growth on forest floor were measured 10–13 years after treatment. Both salal control and fertilization increased tree growth and canopy cover, and reduced salal biomass. However, only fertilized plots showed changes in site quality measurable 10–13 years following N + P application. Hemlock foliar P concentrations, forest floor total N and P levels, and hemlock height increments were higher in these plots. Forest floors from the fertilized plots also supported greater growth of conifer seedlings. These results suggest that sustained changes to site quality may be achieved with N + P fertilization of cedar–hemlock forests.

Nitrogen availability in forest floors of three tree species on the same site: the role of litter quality

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1698-1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
K D Thomas ◽  
C E Prescott
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Net N Mineralization ◽  
N Concentration ◽  
Paper Birch ◽  
Forest Floors

Forest floor samples from a 25-year-old plantation of three tree species (Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.), and paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.)) growing on the same site were incubated (aerobically) in the laboratory for 29 days. Rates of N mineralization in the forest floors of Douglas-fir (165.1 µg/g) was significantly greater than either birch (72.9 µg/g) or lodgepole pine (51.2 µg/g). Douglas-fir forest floors also had the highest N concentration, lowest C/N ratio, and highest NH4-N concentrations, followed by paper birch and lodgepole pine. Douglas-fir forest floors also mineralized more N per unit of either N or C than the other species. There were no differences in rates of CO2-C mineralization in forest floors among the three species. Nitrogen mineralization rates were positively correlated with the N concentration of the forest floor (r2 = 0.81) and also with the C/N and NH4-N concentration of the forest floor. Nitrogen concentration, C/N, and lignin/N of foliar litter were poor predictors of N mineralization rates resulting from Douglas-fir litter having the lowest N concentrations in litter but the highest rates of net N mineralization in the forest floor. Nitrogen mineralization in the forest floor was negatively correlated (r2 = 0.67) with the lignin concentration in foliar litter. Douglas-fir litter had low lignin concentrations, which may allow more of the mineralized N to remain in inorganic forms rather than being bound in humus. Our results suggest that a component of Douglas-fir might improve N availability in coniferous forest floors.

scholarly journals The impact of juvenile tree species canopy on properties of new forest floor

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 230-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Kacálek ◽  
D. Dušek ◽  
J. Novák ◽  
J. Bartoš
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Multivariate Techniques ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
New Forest ◽  
Forest Floors ◽  
The Impact

To keep forest soils fertile, forest practitioners plant mixed stands that are composed of both economically efficient trees such as conifers and soil-improving broadleaves. This is a mandated practice in the Czech Republic. As the new forest grows, it creates a dense canopy. The canopy is a principal source of organic matter to the forest soil. The formation of new forest humus is particularly important in first-generation forests on the former agricultural soil. Former meadow is a suitable site for forest floor and soil investigation since forest-floor humus covering the surface of the soil is a completely new layer.&nbsp; Both pure evergreen conifer and mixed treatments were planted in 2001. The experimental plot was established in order to investigate performance of tree species and restoration of forest-site conditions. We sampled dead-plant material and 0&ndash;10 cm topsoil to investigate their properties under the 10-year-old stands. We compared the treatments by descriptive statistics using both univariate and multivariate techniques. Dry mass (medians of weight) varied among the treatments from 11 to 19 Mg&middot;ha<sup>&ndash;1</sup>. The forest floor nutrient concentrations appeared to be dependent on the presence of admixed deciduous tree species (sycamore maple, small-leaved linden and European larch) as these forest floors (EL1, EL2, NS3, SM) were higher in base cations and phosphorus compared to pure spruce (NS1, NS2) and pure Douglas fir (DF) treatments. The first axis of PCA ordination plot revealed 45% of total variability and showed a clear distinction between evergreen coniferous and mixed species treatments. Young plantations produced forest floors of different quality; however it was not reflected in the topsoil properties. &nbsp;

Organic matter and major elements of the forest floors and soils in subalpine balsam fir forests

1981 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 389-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald E. Lang ◽  
Christopher S. Cronan ◽  
William A. Reiners
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
White Mountains ◽  
Forest Floors

Forest floors, fallen branches and fallen tree boles were sampled in 13 balsam fir (Abiesbalsamea (L.) Mill.) stands in the subalpine zone (1220–1450 m) of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, U.S.A. These 13 stands were distributed in three sites of contrasting exposure, slope, and rockiness. Soil pits were excavated in three of the stands representing each of the three sites. The ash-free dry weights and major elemental contents of the forest floor and dead wood were compared along chronosequences following natural disturbances, between sites, and with other forest types. No significant trends in these components were found along chronosequence comparisons. For sites that are dissimilar in terms of physical position on the landscape and in the appearance of the trees, compensating biotic and abiotic factors apparently underlie the convergence in forest floor and soil characteristics, thereby eliminating site differences as well. The forest floor is massive; ash-free dry weight averages 92 200 kg•ha−1. Total soil profile ash-free weight is 323 600 kg•ha−1. The forest floor and mineral soil horizons are unusually rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, with weighted average ash-free nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations of 2.42 and 0.23%, respectively, in the forest floor. Total nitrogen and phosphorus contents of the forest floor are 2300 and 217 kg•ha−1, respectively. The weight and nitrogen and phorphorus contents of the fir forest floor are greater than that found in other regional forests and coniferous forests in general.

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