The effects of afforestation on Fe mobilization in soils and potential for leaking into surface waters

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Škerlep ◽  
Ulf Johansson ◽  
Dan Berggren Kleja ◽  
Per Persson ◽  
Emma S Kritzberg
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Fe Speciation

<p>Increasing surface water concentrations of Fe and DOC (browning), have been reported around the northern hemisphere in the last couple of decades. This increase has far-reaching ecological and societal implications, as it alters the light climate in water and decreases the quality of drinking water. One of the hypothesis behind the increase has been that afforestation and a dominance of coniferous forest have increased the availability of Fe and DOC for transport from soils into surface waters. The accumulation of organic soil layers in coniferous forests increases acidity and the amounts of organic acids in soils and may thus enhance weathering, solubility and mobilization of Fe as the forest ages. In this study we examined the effects of afforestation and growth of Norway spruce on the mobilization and potential leakage of Fe and DOC from soils to surface waters. To represent the effects of ageing forest we used plots with spruce stands of different ages (35, 61, 90 years) and unforested control plots in their immediate proximity, in Tönnersjöheden experimental forest (Sweden). Soil water collected in lysimeters (installed below the organic horizon and in the mineral soil) and analyzed for Fe, Fe speciation, using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), as well as DOC, metals, major anions and cations. Soil samples were analyzed for Fe speciation and crystallinity at different depths. Results from the soil water analysis show that more Fe was mobile in older spruce forest stands with higher DOC concentrations and lower pH. Covariation of Fe and DOC concentrations in soil waters, indicate the dependence of Fe on DOC to solubilize and stay in solution. Preliminary results from our XAS analysis also indelicate a considerable amount of Fe(II) in soil water that is likely stabilized from oxidation by organic complexation. Surprisingly Fe extracted from the organic (O) soil horizon showed the highest crystallinity and crystallinity did not vary much between soils of different stand ages.  The results of this study indicate that afforestation promotes Fe and DOC availability for export into surface waters as well as strengthens the notion that the effects of afforestation are not immediate, but take time as soils develop slowly. As afforestation and dominance of coniferous forest continues in many parts of the northern hemisphere, we can expect further increase of Fe and DOC in surface waters.</p>

scholarly journals Natural 15N abundance in two nitrogen saturated forest ecosystems at Solling, Germany

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 515-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P Sah ◽  
R. Brumme
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Nitrification Rate ◽  
Seepage Water ◽  
Natural Occurrence ◽  
N Enrichment

This research deals with a comparative study of two different N-saturated forests: 1. beech forest and 2. spruce forest at the same locality of \solling, Central Germany. The present results show that <sup>15</sup>N natural occurrence in the rainfall (both above and below canopy) at Solling site is similar (&delta;<sup>15</sup>N = &ndash;15&permil; to +19&permil;) to other sites of the world (such as NITREX sites, USA etc.). Furthermore, <sup>15</sup>N values in the soil water ranged from &ndash;4.32 (&plusmn; 2.09) to +5&permil; (&plusmn; 1.47), which also corresponds to NITREX sites and other sites of Europe and USA. In both forests, &delta;<sup>15</sup>N enrichment of both NH<sub>4</sub>-N and NO<sub>3</sub>-N showed a decreasing trend of their values from bulk precipitation to the upper soil layer, but increasing in the deeper soil layer again. An increase in the <sup>15</sup>N enrichment of soil water from upper soil depth to lower soil depth was observed in our study and it is assumed to be due to the strong net nitrification taking place in the upper layer (organic surface layer) of soil. The soils at both sites showed characteristic low (negative) &delta;<sup>15</sup>N values in the upper organic layers, strongly increasing to positive &delta;<sup>15</sup>N values in the mineral soil. In the lower depths of mineral soil horizons of both stands, an increase in &delta;<sup>15</sup>N values was found to culminate at +3 to +5&permil;. In contrast to the mineral soil horizon, in the organic soil horizon (0 to 6 cm depth) of both sites there was almost a similar or slight decrease in &delta;<sup>15</sup>N values with depth. This is attributed to the high nitrification rate in the organic soil horizon, resulting in excessive seepage water NO<sub>3</sub>-output at both sites (especially at the spruce site).

scholarly journals Spruce forest afforestation leading to increased Fe mobilization from soils

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Škerlep ◽  
Susan Nehzati ◽  
Ulf Johansson ◽  
Dan B. Kleja ◽  
Per Persson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Subsequent Increase ◽  
Soil Solutions ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Fe Speciation ◽  
Shallow Soils

AbstractIncreasing exports of Fe and DOC from soils, causing browning of freshwaters, have been reported in recent decades in many regions of the northern hemisphere. Afforestation, and in particular an increase of Norway spruce forest in certain regions, is suggested as a driver behind these trends in water chemistry. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the gradual accumulation of organic soil layers in spruce forests, and subsequent increase in organic acid concentrations and acidity enhances mobilization of Fe. First generation Norway spruce stands of different ages (35, 61, 90 years) and adjacent arable control plots were selected to represent the effects of aging forest. Soil solutions were sampled from suction lysimeters at two depths (below organic soil layer and in mineral soil) during two years, and analyzed for Fe concentration, Fe speciation (XAS analysis), DOC, metals, major anions and cations. Solution Fe concentrations were significantly higher in shallow soils under older spruce stands (by 5- and 6-fold) than in control plots and the youngest forest. Variation in Fe concentration was best explained by variation in DOC concentration and pH. Moreover, Fe in all soil solutions was present as mononuclear Fe(III)-OM complexes, showing that this phase is dominating Fe translocation. Fe speciation in the soil was also analyzed, and found to be dominated by Fe oxides with minor differences between plots. These results confirmed that Fe mobilization, by Fe(III)-OM complexes, was higher from mature spruce stands, which supports that afforestation with spruce may contribute to rising concentrations of Fe in surface waters.

Hypholoma lateritiumisolated from coarse woody debris, the forest floor, and mineral soil in a deciduous forest in New Hampshire

Botany ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 457-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese A. Thompson ◽  
R. Greg Thorn ◽  
Kevin T. Smith
Keyword(s):  
New Hampshire ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Repetitive Sequences ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Nuclear Ribosomal Dna ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Soil Horizons ◽  
Internal Transcribed Spacer Region

Fungi in the Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota) are the primary decomposers in temperate forests of dead wood on and in the forest soil. Through the use of isolation techniques selective for saprotrophic Agaricomycetes, a variety of wood decay fungi were isolated from a northern hardwood stand in the Bartlett Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA. In particular, Hypholoma lateritium (Schaeff.: Fr.) P. Kumm. was isolated from basidiocarps, decaying Acer rubrum L. logs, the Oe organic soil horizon, and the E and BC mineral soil horizons. Identification was confirmed by sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. All isolates had identical sequences in this region to previously published sequences for the species; some were monokaryotic and simple-septate and others were dikaryotic, with clamp connections. Isolates were further characterized by banding patterns (DNA fingerprints) produced with PCR primers based in simple repetitive sequences and the minisatellite M13. Nine dikaryotic isolates from basidiocarps and from soil horizons Oe, E, and BC had identical fingerprint patterns with all primers tested. The confirmed presence of H. lateritium suggests that this fungus could form a mycelial translocation network that bridges mineral and organic soil horizons and decaying logs.

scholarly journals Interception and soil water relation in Norway spruce stands of different age during the contrasting vegetation seasons of 2017 and 2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 51-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vít Šrámek ◽  
Kateřina Neudertová Hellebrandová ◽  
Věra Fadrhonsová
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Potential ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Soil Water Potential ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Vegetation Season ◽  
Spruce Stands

Interception, soil moisture and soil water potential were observed in four Norway spruce stands of different age in two subsequent vegetation seasons 2017 and 2018. Vegetation season 2018 can be characterized as being abnormally hot and dry with only 66% of precipitation in comparison with normal conditions. The interception of spruce increased with the stand age and its dimensions, ranging between 16 and 48% in 2017 and in the majority of stands even increasing in 2018. The soil moisture significantly decreased during the vegetation season 2018, with soil water potential close to the permanent wilting point (–1.5 MPa) for a substantial part of the monitored period. Differences between individual stands were observed in terms of the soil water potential (SWP) development which does not follow the interception patterns suggesting that the stand transpiration is a driving factor responsible for the soil water budget. In all stands, with the exception of the oldest one, the SWP of the upper soil horizon was less than 1.5 MPa for more than 80 days. In such extreme conditions the drought would negatively influence any Norway spruce stand regardless of its age or structure.

Spatiotemporal variation of aluminium and micro- and macronutrients in the soil solution of a coniferous forest after low-intensity prescribed surface fires

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Näthe ◽  
Delphis F. Levia ◽  
Alexander Tischer ◽  
Karin Potthast ◽  
Beate Michalzik
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Charge Balance ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Soil System ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Surface Fires ◽  
Before And After

Even though the functioning of nutrient-poor forest ecosystems strongly depends on the cycling of various elements, rather little is known about the effects of fires on the fluxes of Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P and S. Solution fluxes at three different soil depths (organic (O) layer, upper mineral soil (A) and lower mineral soil (B) horizon) were measured every 2 weeks with free-draining lysimeters before and after low-intensity prescribed surface fires in a Scots pine forest in Germany. Measurements of element content in pre-fire litterfall and soil were also conducted. Linear mixed-effect modelling revealed that low-intensity fires caused a short-term (<3 months) increase of element fluxes from the O layer and a medium-term (3–8 months) increase from the A horizon. This solute flush was followed by retention processes in the B horizon, except for S, Ca and Mg, which were removed from the soil system, probably because anion exchange sites favoured dissolved organic carbon over SO42−, and because Ca2+ and Mg2+ partially maintained the charge balance. Our findings indicated that fires affected nutrient-poor soil systems by causing a short-and medium-term element translocation from the O layer into the B horizon, which functioned as a retaining soil horizon by reducing the losses of important elements.

Soil acidity in 1970 and 1989 in a coniferous forest in southwest Finland

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Westman ◽  
S. Jauhiainen
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Soil Acidity ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Water Suspension ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Humus Layer ◽  
Repeated Sampling

Forest soil pH in southwest Finland was measured with identical sampling and analysing methods in 1970 and 1989. The acidity of the organic humus layer increased significantly as pH values measured on water and on salt suspensions decreased between the two sampling dates. For the mineral soil layers, no unambiguous trend was found. pH values measured on salt suspension tended to be unchanged or lower, while pH on water suspension in some soil layers were even higher in 1989 than in 1970. Key words: pH, repeated sampling

scholarly journals Effects of five years of frequent N additions, with or without acidity, on the growth and below-ground dynamics of a young Sitka spruce stand growing on an acid peat: implications for sustainability

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Sheppard ◽  
A. Crossley ◽  
F. J. Harvey ◽  
U. Skiba ◽  
P. Coward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Positive Response ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Foliar N ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Four Blocks ◽  
S Deposition

Abstract. A field manipulation study was established to demonstrate effects of simulated wet N and S deposition on a young (planted 1986) stand of Sitka spruce growing on a predominantly organic soil in an area of low (8–10 kg N ha-1 yr-1) background N deposition in the Scottish borders. From 1996, treatments (six) were applied to the canopies of ten-tree plots in each of four blocks. N was provided as NH4NO3, either with H2SO4 (pH 2.5) at 48 or 96 kg N ha-1 yr-1 inputs or without, at 48 kg N ha-1 yr-1 along with wet (rain water) and dry controls (scaffolding) and a S treatment (Na2SO4). Positive responses (+ >20% over 5 years) with respect to stem area increment were measured in response to N inputs, irrespective of whether acid was included. The positive response to N was not dose related and was achieved against falling base cation concentrations in the foliage, particularly with respect to K. The results suggest young trees are able to buffer the low nutrient levels and produce new growth when there is sufficient N. Inputs of 96 kg N ha-1 yr-1, in addition to ambient N inputs, on this site exceeded tree demand resulting in elevated foliar N, N2O losses and measurable soil water N. These excessive N inputs did not reduce stem area growth. Keywords: acid, canopy application, nitrogen, acid organic soil, simulated wet deposition, soil water, sulphur, young Sitka spruce

Long-term effects of fire on the composition and activity of the soil microflora of a subalpine, coniferous forest

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (15) ◽  
pp. 1704-1721 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bissett ◽  
D. Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Bacterial Flora ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Soil Microflora ◽  
Subalpine Forest ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Soil Horizons ◽  
Cellulose Decomposition ◽  
Soil Temperatures

The biomass, community composition, and metabolic activity of soil microorganisms were studied in adjacent burnt and unburnt areas of spruce–fir subalpine forest razed 6 years previously by a moderately severe natural fire. Similar levels of microbial biomass were observed at comparable burnt and unburnt sites, although the ratio of fungal to bacterial biomass was higher in the unburnt soils. The decreased acidity of the surface horizons in the burn probably tended to favor the development of a bacterial flora rather than a fungal flora. Microbial biomass in the burnt sites peaked earlier in the season than in the unburnt sites in response to the warmer soil temperatures and earlier thaw in the spring in the burn area.Significant differences in the species composition of the mycoflora in the organic soil horizons were observed between the burnt and unburnt sites. Apparently, these were related to qualitative differences in the recent litter. Phoma, Cladosporium, and Botrytis, which are usually associated with early stages of decomposition of herbaceous litter, were more common in the burnt soil. The mycoflora of the mineral soil horizons varied considerably from one burn site to another, possibly reflecting the geographical variation in the intensity of the burn. In overall composition, however, the mycoflora in the mineral soil horizons of the burn was not appreciably different from that of the unburnt sites.Higher laboratory rates of respiration and cellulose decomposition were observed for soil samples from the undisturbed forest. However, the rate of decomposition of cellulose in the field was much higher in the burnt sites, probably as a result of the higher soil temperatures in the burn area. Low soil temperature was concluded to be the main factor limiting microbial activities in the study area, and the removal of the insulating plant canopy and increased heat absorption by the ash in the burn area were found to increase decomposition rates, at least at this stage in the succession following the disturbance of fire.

Atrazine in mineral soil: chemical species and catalysed hydrolysis

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1597-1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald S. Gamble ◽  
Shahamat U. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Kinetics Parameters ◽  
Equilibrium Function ◽  
Data Scatter ◽  
Acidic Sites ◽  
Equilibrium And Kinetics ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Equilibrium and kinetics parameters have been evaluated at 25.0 °C for the heterogeneous catalysis of atrazine hydrolysis in slurries of a chemically characterized mineral soil. The fraction of acidic sites that accounts for sorption capacity, and the sorption equilibrium function resemble those for humic acid and organic soil. Sorption and desorption half-lives increased with increasing coverage of sorption sites. The sorption half-lives ranged from 3.6 to 735 days. The desorption half-lives ranged from 1 to 11 days. The hydrolysis half-lives ranged from 9.6 to 168 days and are consistent with Brönsted acid catalysis theory. The relationship of independent variables to data scatter has been analyzed. The information obtained should be useful for water and solute transport models.

Viable seed populations by soil depth and potential site recolonization after disturbance

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (18) ◽  
pp. 2408-2412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice M. Moore ◽  
Ross W. Wein
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Viable Seed ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Forest Experiment Station ◽  
Viable Seeds ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Germination Experiment

Seedling emergence from organic and mineral soil layers was measured for nine study sites at the Acadia Forest Experiment Station near Fredericton, New Brunswick. The number of viable seeds showed a decrease from deciduous-dominated forest, to conifer-dominated forest, to organic soil study sites. Viable seed number varied from 3400/m2 for a deciduous-dominated forest study site to zero for a bog study site. Most seeds germinated from the upper organic soil layers of all study sites and were predominantly Rubus strigosus Michx. After the germination experiment, ungerminated seeds, which showed no viability by the tetrazolium test, were separated from the soil. These seeds were almost entirely Betula spp. and seed numbers were as high as 4200–9400/m2 for a deciduous-dominated forest. The applicability of the results to differing types of postdisturbance revegetation is discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document