Tracing leaf litter-derived 15N to mineral soil organic matter in forests of different ages

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Fuss ◽  
Gary Lovett ◽  
Christine Goodale ◽  
Scott Ollinger ◽  
Ashley Lang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Biomass Accumulation ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forests ◽  
Soil C ◽  
N Retention ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Different Ages

<p>Forest soils are important for retaining nitrogen (N), especially in areas where anthropogenic activities have led to historically high inputs of N. As forests age and their N demands for biomass accumulation decline, the capacity for N retention of soils may change as well, although little work has been done to further our understanding of this process. We conducted a mineral soil reciprocal transplant study in three northern hardwood forests of different ages (young, recently mature, and old growth) in New Hampshire, USA to determine how the retention of isotopically labeled nitrogen from leaf litter would differ depending on characteristics of the incubated soil’s origin and destination. After 18 months of incubating the soil bags below the <sup>15</sup>N-labeled litter, we did not find retention of litter-derived N to be related to the age of the incubation site forest, but rather that it differed based on the origin of the incubated soil.  We found that the soil C content was the strongest predictor of how much of the tracer was recovered in the transplanted soil bags. Furthermore, the C content of soils changed during incubation and tended to change in the direction of equilibrating with the soil C concentration of the incubation site. This finding suggests that site characteristics are important in determining soil C concentrations and consequently N retention capacities.</p>

Foliar sulfur and nitrogen along an 800-km pollution gradient

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1761-1769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt S. Pregitzer ◽  
Andrew J. Burton ◽  
Glenn D. Mroz ◽  
Hal O. Liechty ◽  
Neil W. MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Acidic Deposition ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Pollution Gradient ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forests ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Molar Ratios ◽  
Foliar S

Emissions of sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) oxides in the midwestern and northeastern United States result in pronounced regional gradients of acidic deposition. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which atmospheric deposition alters the uptake and cycling of S and N in five analogous northern hardwood forests located along one of the most pronounced regional gradients of SO42−-S and NO3−-N deposition in the United States. We tested the hypothesis that acidic deposition would alter foliar S and N ratios and nutrient cycling in aboveground litter fall. Sulfate in both wet deposition and throughfall increased by a factor of two across the 800-km deposition gradient. The July concentration of S in sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) leaves increased from about 1600 μg•g−1 at the northern research sites to 1800–1900 μg•g−1 at the southern sites. Differences in leaf litter S concentration were even more pronounced (872–1356 μg•g−1), and a clear geographic trend was always apparent in litter S concentration. The 3-year average S content of leaf litter was 63% greater at the southern end of the pollution gradient. Nitrate and total N deposition were also significantly greater at the southern end of the gradient. The concentration of N in both summer foliage and leaf litter was not correlated with N deposition, but the content of N in leaf litter was significantly correlated with N deposition. The molar ratios of S:N in mid-July foliage and leaf litter increased as atmospheric deposition of SO42−-S increased. Ratios of S:N were always much greater in leaf litter than in mid-July foliage. The molar ratios of S:N retranslocated from the canopies of these northern hardwood forests were less than those in mid-July foliage or litter fall and showed no geographic trend related to deposition, suggesting that S and N are retranslocated in a relatively fixed proportion. Significant correlations between SO42−-S deposition and foliar S concentration, S cycling, and the molar ratio of S:N in foliage suggest that sulfate deposition has altered the uptake and cycling of S in northern hardwood forests of the Great Lakes region.

Changes in carbon storage of broadcast burn plantations over 20 years

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Kranabetter ◽  
A M Macadam
Keyword(s):  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Biomass Accumulation ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
Mineral Soils ◽  
Forest Floors

The extent of carbon (C) storage in forests and the change in C stocks after harvesting are important considerations in the management of greenhouse gases. We measured changes in C storage over time (from postharvest, postburn, year 5, year 10 and year 20) in logging slash, forest floors, mineral soils and planted lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) trees from six prescribed-burn plantations in north central British Columbia. After harvest, site C in these pools averaged 139 Mg ha-1, with approximately equal contributions from mineral soils (0–30 cm), forest floors and logging slash. Together these detrital pools declined by 71 Mg C ha-1, or 51% (28% directly from the broadcast burn, and a further 23% postburn), in the subsequent 20 yr. Postburn decay in logging slash was inferred by reductions in wood density (from 0.40 to 0.34 g cm-3), equal to an average k rate of 0.011 yr-1. Losses in forest floor C, amounting to more than 60% of the initial mass, were immediate and continued to year 5, with no reaccumulation evident by year 20. Mineral soil C concentrations initially fluctuated before declining by 25% through years 10 and 20. Overall, the reductions in C storage were offset by biomass accumulation of lodgepole pine, and we estimate these plantations had become a net sink for C before year 20, although total C storage was still less than postharvest levels. Key words: C sequestration, forest floors; coarse woody debris; soil organic matter

scholarly journals Mineralisation, leaching and stabilisation of <sup>13</sup>C-labelled leaf and twig litter in a beech forest soil

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 2195-2208 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kammer ◽  
F. Hagedorn
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Beech Forest ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Swiss Jura ◽  
C Mineralisation

Abstract. Very few field studies have quantified the different pathways of C loss from decomposing litter even though the partitioning of C fluxes is essential to understand soil C dynamics. Using 0.75 kg m−2 of 13C-depleted leaf (δ13C = −40.8 ‰) and 2 kg m−2 of twig litter (δ13C = −38.4 ‰), we tracked the litter-derived C in soil CO2 effluxes, dissolved organic C (DOC), and soil organic matter of a beech forest in the Swiss Jura. Autotrophic respiration was reduced by trenching. Our results show that mineralisation was the main pathway of C loss from decomposing litter over 1 yr, amounting to 24 and 31 % of the added twig and leaf litter. Contrary to our expectations, the leaf litter C was mineralised only slightly (1.2 times) more rapidly than the twig litter C. The leaching of DOC from twigs amounted to half of that from leaves throughout the experiment (2 vs. 4 % of added litter C). Tracing the litter-derived DOC in the soil showed that DOC from both litter types was mostly removed (88–96 %) with passage through the top centimetres of the mineral soil (0–5 cm) where it might have been stabilised. In the soil organic C at 0–2 cm depth, we indeed recovered 4 % of the initial twig C and 8 % of the leaf C after 1 yr. Much of the 13C-depleted litter remained on the soil surface throughout the experiment: 60 % of the twig litter C and 25 % of the leaf litter C. From the gap in the 13C-mass balance based on C mineralisation, DOC leaching, C input into top soils, and remaining litter, we inferred that another 30 % of the leaf C but only 10 % of twig C could have been transported via soil fauna to soil depths below 2 cm. In summary, over 1 yr, twig litter was mineralised more rapidly relative to leaf litter than expected, and much less of the twig-derived C was transported to the mineral soil than of the leaf-derived C. Both findings provide some evidence that twig litter could contribute less to the C storage in these base-rich forest soils than leaf litter.

Soil respiration and soil carbon balance in a northern hardwood forest ecosystem

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
T J Fahey ◽  
G L Tierney ◽  
R D Fitzhugh ◽  
G F Wilson ◽  
T G Siccama
Keyword(s):  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Root Exudation ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
C Balance

Soil C fluxes were measured in a northern hardwood forest ecosystem at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest to provide insights into the C balance of soils at this long-term study site. Soil CO2 emission (FCO2) was estimated using a univariate exponential model as a function of soil temperature based on 23 measurement dates over 5 years. Annual FCO2 for the undisturbed northern hardwood forest was estimated at 660 ± 54 g C·m–2·year–1. Low soil moisture significantly reduced FCO2 on three of the measurement dates. The proportion of FCO2 derived from the forest floor horizons was estimated empirically to be about 58%. We estimated that respiration of root tissues contributed about 40% of FCO2, with a higher proportion for mineral soil (46%) than for forest floor (35%). Soil C-balance calculations, based upon evidence that major soil C pools are near steady state at this site, indicated a large C flux associated with root exudation plus allocation to mycorrhizal fungi (80 g C·m–2·year–1, or 17% of total root C allocation); however, uncertainty in this estimate is high owing especially to high error bounds for root respiration flux. The estimated proportion of FCO2 associated with autotrophic activity (52%) was comparable with that reported elsewhere (56%).

Losses of mineral soil carbon largely offset biomass accumulation 15 years after whole-tree harvest in a northern hardwood forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 144 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven P. Hamburg ◽  
Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur ◽  
Chris E. Johnson ◽  
Jonathan Sanderman
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Biomass Accumulation ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Whole Tree

scholarly journals Preferences for Northern Hardwood Silviculture among Family Forest Owners in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander C Helman ◽  
Matthew C Kelly ◽  
Mark D Rouleau ◽  
Yvette L Dickinson
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Family Forest Owners ◽  
Forest Owners ◽  
Upper Peninsula ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forests ◽  
Family Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Single Tree ◽  
Single Tree Selection

Abstract Managing northern hardwood forests using high-frequency, low-intensity regimes, such as single-tree selection, favors shade-tolerant species and can reduce tree species diversity. Management decisions among family forest owners (FFO) can collectively affect species and structural diversity within northern hardwood forests at regional scales. We surveyed FFOs in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan to understand likely future use of three silvicultural treatments—single-tree selection, shelterwood, and clearcut. Our results indicate that FFOs were most likely to implement single-tree selection and least likely to implement clearcut within the next 10 years. According to logistic regression, prior use of a treatment and perceived financial benefits significantly increased the odds for likely use for all three treatments. Having received professional forestry assistance increased likely use of single-tree selection but decreased likely use of shelterwood. We discuss these results within the context of species diversity among northern hardwood forests throughout the region.

scholarly journals Assessing Coarse Woody Debris Nutrient Dynamics in Managed Northern Hardwood Forests Using a Matrix Transition Model

Ecosystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 541-554
Author(s):  
Adam Gorgolewski ◽  
Philip Rudz ◽  
Trevor Jones ◽  
Nathan Basiliko ◽  
John Caspersen
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Transition Model ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forests ◽  
Northern Hardwood

Comparison of carbon and nitrogen storage in mineral soils of graminoid and shrub tundra sites, western Greenland

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea L. Petrenko ◽  
Julia Bradley-Cook ◽  
Emily M. Lacroix ◽  
Andrew J. Friedland ◽  
Ross A. Virginia
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Soil C ◽  
N Storage ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Arctic Soils ◽  
C Pools ◽  
C And N

Shrub species are expanding across the Arctic in response to climate change and biotic interactions. Changes in belowground carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage are of global importance because Arctic soils store approximately half of global soil C. We collected 10 (60 cm) soil cores each from graminoid- and shrub-dominated soils in western Greenland and determined soil texture, pH, C and N pools, and C:N ratios by depth for the mineral soil. To investigate the relative chemical stability of soil C between vegetation types, we employed a novel sequential extraction method for measuring organo-mineral C pools of increasing bond strength. We found that (i) mineral soil C and N storage was significantly greater under graminoids than shrubs (29.0 ± 1.8 versus 22.5 ± 3.0 kg·C·m−2 and 1.9 ± .12 versus 1.4 ± 1.9 kg·N·m−2), (ii) chemical mechanisms of C storage in the organo-mineral soil fraction did not differ between graminoid and shrub soils, and (iii) weak adsorption to mineral surfaces accounted for 40%–60% of C storage in organo-mineral fractions — a pool that is relatively sensitive to environmental disturbance. Differences in these C pools suggest that rates of C accumulation and retention differ by vegetation type, which could have implications for predicting future soil C pool storage.

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