Litter Fall and Nutrient Cycling in the Forest Floor of Birch and Aspen Stands in Interior Alaska

1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 626-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Van Cleve ◽  
Laraine L. Noonan
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Quaking Aspen ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Paper Birch ◽  
Short And Long Term

During a 4-year period the biomass and mass of selected chemical elements were measured in litter fall from young, intermediate, and mature age classes of quaking aspen and paper birch in interior Alaska.Average annual deposition of biomass and mass of Mg, Fe, and Mn were consistently greater in birch than in aspen stands of similar age. Mass of Ca was consistently greater in aspen stands (range 4.02 to 4.80 g m−2) than in birch stands (3.18 to 3.45 g m−2) regardless of age class. Trends in mass of chemical elements returned to the forest floor in litter fall were generally reflected in the average percentage composition of the organic matter.Turnover time for forest-floor biomass was about the same for both the 50- and 120-year age classes of birch (16.7 years) and of aspen (12.7 years to 13.0 years). For both species Fe had the maximum turnover time in the forest floor (167 to 280 years), with K (6.9 years to 9.7 years) and Zn (5.5 years to 11.6 years) having minimum times.Linear correlations between biomass and mass of selected nutrient elements in litter fall provide an efficient means of conducting short- and long-term assessments of differences in nutrient content of litter within and between forest vegetation types.

Annual Macroelement Transfer From PinusBanksiana Lamb. Forest to Soil

1974 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil W. Foster
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Glacial Outwash ◽  
Annual Total ◽  
Total Potassium

The annual amounts of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg in litter-fall, throughfall, and stemflow were measured in a 30-year-old jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) stand on a coarse glacial outwash soil in northern Ontario. Litter from ground vegetation and from the pine overstory was estimated. The nutrient content of precipitation was measured and the quantity of nutrients in leaf wash determined.Tree litter was the most important source of N, P, Ca, and Mg for the forest floor (51–69% of the total depending on the element), whereas throughfall supplied most K (54% of the total). Ground vegetation litter contributed significant amounts of nutrients (7–23% of the total depending on the element) but stemflow added little (1–8% of the total). Potassium in throughfall was derived mainly from leaf wash whereas N, P, Ca, and Mg in throughfall were derived primarily from precipitation entering the ecosystem. This jack pine forest floor received an annual total of 30 kg/ha of N, 22 kg/ha of Ca, 19 kg/ha of K, 3 kg/ha of Mg, and 2 kg/ha of P from the processes studied. Most of the nutrients in these totals were returning to the forest floor from the vegetation.

Addition of organic matter and elements to the forest floor of an old-growth Acersaccharum forest in the annual litter fall

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 462-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. K. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Residence Times ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Element Transfer

Litter fall and its content of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu were measured monthly over a 5-year period in an old-growth Acersaccharum Marsh, stand on a till site in central northern Ontario. Determined were the following: the amount, and the temporal and spatial distributions, of organic matter and elements deposited annually in the different litter fractions; the proportion of elements conserved within the tree phytomass through retranslocation versus that shed in the annual litter fall; and the residence time of litter-transported elements in the forest floor. Element transfer through the annual litter fall was also compared with that by other vectors of transport to the forest floor. Over the study period, total litter fall averaged 3730 kg•ha−1•year−1 (dry weight), with 78% consisting of leaves, 8% of flowers and fruits, and the remaining 14% mainly of twigs, branches, and bark slough. Annual element depositions (kg•ha−1) averaged as follows: N, 40.6; P, 1.8; K, 9.1; Ca, 37.6; Mg, 3.9; S, 3.0; Fe, 0.57; Mn, 2.67; Zn, 0.28; and Cu, 0.03. Turnover time of the forest floor was calculated as 7.4 years. Residence times (years) of elements in the forest floor were as follows: N, 18.3; P, 18.3; K, 1.5; Ca, 6.1; Mg, 6.8; S, 5.1; Fe, 257.2; Mn, 4.8; Zn, 18.1; and Cu, 5.8. Although the turnover time of forest-floor organic matter did not differ appreciably from values reported for A. saccharum forests elsewhere, residence times for elements suggested somewhat slower cycling, probably as a result of reduced uptake related to the advanced age of the stand. Potassium, followed by S, P, and N, were all conserved to a high degree by A. saccharum trees through retranslocation to the tree's perennial parts prior to leaf fall; Cu, Mn, and Mg were conserved to a lesser degree; Zn, Ca, and Fe were conserved very little. In comparing the leaching loss of elements from foliage with quantities conserved through retranslocation and quantities shed in the annual litter fall, the relative orders of magnitude do not give cause for concern that A. saccharum trees risk appreciable leaching losses of base cations, including K, from foliage as a result of acidified precipitation, at least at levels experienced in central northern Ontario during the early 1980s.

Effects of bigleaf maple on soils in Douglas-fir forests

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy S. Fried ◽  
James R. Boyle ◽  
John C. Tappeiner II ◽  
Kermit Cromack Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Calcium Magnesium ◽  
Forest Floors

Soil chemical and physical properties, forest floor weights, nutrient content and turnover rates, and litter fall weights and nutrient content under bigleaf maple (Acermacrophyllum Pursh) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) were compared on five sites on the eastern margin of the Oregon Coast Range. Litter fall weight and nutrient content were significantly greater under maple on every site for every macronutrient and for most micronutrients. Forest floor biomass and nutrient content were extremely variable, much more so than litter fall, and there were no consistent differences between the two species. However, turnover rates for forest floor biomass and nutrients were significantly faster under maple for every nutrient at every site. Bulk density of mineral soil was also highly variable with significant differences at only two sites. Soil under maple was consistently higher in nitrogen, and less consistently, in potassium. There were no consistent trends in amounts of calcium, magnesium, or phosphorus. Soil organic carbon content under maple was significantly greater than under Douglas-fir on four of five sites. These differences may result from the more rapid turnover of forest floors under maple trees.

scholarly journals Prediction of Genetic Contributions and Generation Intervals in Populations With Overlapping Generations Under Selection

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 151 (3) ◽  
pp. 1197-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piter Bijma ◽  
John A Woolliams
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Overlapping Generations ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Breeding Value ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Generation Interval ◽  
Young Parents ◽  
Genetic Contributions

Abstract A method to predict long-term genetic contributions of ancestors to future generations is studied in detail for a population with overlapping generations under mass or sib index selection. An existing method provides insight into the mechanisms determining the flow of genes through selected populations, and takes account of selection by modeling the long-term genetic contribution as a linear regression on breeding value. Total genetic contributions of age classes are modeled using a modified gene flow approach and long-term predictions are obtained assuming equilibrium genetic parameters. Generation interval was defined as the time in which genetic contributions sum to unity, which is equal to the turnover time of genes. Accurate predictions of long-term genetic contributions of individual animals, as well as total contributions of age classes were obtained. Due to selection, offspring of young parents had an above-average breeding value. Long-term genetic contributions of youngest age classes were therefore higher than expected from the age class distribution of parents, and generation interval was shorter than the average age of parents at birth of their offspring. Due to an increased selective advantage of offspring of young parents, generation interval decreased with increasing heritability and selection intensity. The method was compared to conventional gene flow and showed more accurate predictions of long-term genetic contributions.

Mass and nutrient content of woody debris and forest floor in western red cedar and western hemlock forests on northern Vancouver Island

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1052-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney J. Keenan ◽  
Cindy E. Prescott ◽  
J.P. Hamish Kimmins
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Red Cedar ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Western Red Cedar

Biomass and C, N, P, and K contents of woody debris and the forest floor were surveyed in adjacent stands of old-growth western red cedar (Thujaplicata Donn)–western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) (CH type), and 85-year-old, windstorm-derived, second-growth western hemlock–amabilis fir (Abiesamabilis (Dougl.) Forbes) (HA type) at three sites on northern Vancouver Island. Carbon concentrations were relatively constant across all detrital categories (mean = 556.8 mg/g); concentrations of N and P generally increased, and K generally decreased, with increasing degree of decomposition. The mean mass of woody debris was 363 Mg/ha in the CH and 226 Mg/ha in the HA type. The mean forest floor mass was 280 Mg/ha in the CH and 211 Mg/ha in the HA stands. Approximately 60% of the forest floor mass in each forest type was decaying wood. Dead woody material above and within the forest floor represented a significant store of biomass and nutrients in both forest types, containing 82% of the aboveground detrital biomass, 51–59% of the N, and 58–61% of the detrital P. Forest floors in the CH and HA types contained similar total quantities of N, suggesting that the lower N availability in CH forests is not caused by greater immobilization in detritus. The large accumulation of forest floor and woody debris in this region is attributed to slow decomposition in the cool, wet climate, high rates of detrital input following windstorms, and the large size and decay resistance of western red cedar boles.

scholarly journals LITTER CONTRIBUTION ON DIFFERENT GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN THE ATLANTIC FOREST – STATE OF RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

FLORESTA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 373
Author(s):  
Victória Maria Monteiro Mendonça ◽  
Gilsonley Lopes Santos ◽  
Marcos Gervasio Gervasio Pereira ◽  
Carlos Eduardo Gabriel Menezes
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Small Sites ◽  
Leaf Litter Production

The deposition of leaf litter on the forest floor is influenced by biotic and abiotic factors where forest fragments are inserted, which is a major source of nutrients to the soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the change in relief conditions (landform) in leaf litter contribution and nutrient content in a Submontane Seasonal Semi-deciduous Forest in Pinheiral (state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). It was selected two adjacent landforms with convex and concave relief type and they divided into small sites (SS), obeying the variation of the slope and topographic gradient. Five conic collectors with an area of 0.2834 m² were installed in each SS, totaling 30 collectors. The collections of leaf litter were carried out every 30 days during a year. The material retained in the traps was separated as the fractions; leaves, twigs, reproductive and other material to assess the proportion of each fraction in the leaf litter production and nutrient content of the fraction leaves. The contribution and nutrient content of litter are influenced by the type of landform and seasons of the year. The highest contribution was observed in the dry season, in the lower and middle SS of the landforms, and the highest nutrient levels occurred in the convex landform during the rainy season.

Soil chemistry changes after 27 years under four tree species in southern Ontario

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 1648-1650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Anne France ◽  
Dan Binkley ◽  
David Valentine
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Soil Chemistry ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Stand Development ◽  
Acid Neutralization ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Silver Maple ◽  
Paper Birch

After 27 years of stand development, the accumulated forest floor under replicated plots of white pine (Pinusstrobus L.), white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss), paper birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.), and silver maple (Acersaccharinum L.) ranged from 240 g/m2 under maple to 3680 g/m2 under white pine. Forest floor pH ranged from a low under maple of 3.7 to a high under white spruce of 5.9. No significant differences were found in pH in 0–15 cm depth mineral soil; however, substantial differences in the acid neutralization capacities were evident among species, with soils under maple showing the lowest capacity to resist further acidification.

Effects of base cation fertilization on soil and foliage nutrient concentrations, and litter-fall and throughfall nutrient fluxes in a sugar maple forest

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 542-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Fyles ◽  
B. Côté ◽  
F. Courchesne ◽  
W.H. Hendershot ◽  
S. Savoie
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Fertilizer Response ◽  
Foliar Concentrations ◽  
Cycling System

Application of base cation fertilizers is widely used to ameliorate decline symptoms in hardwood forests in southern Quebec, but little is known about the effects of fertilization on nutrient cycling. Control and fertilized plots in a sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) dominated stand were monitored over a 4-year period to determine the effects of fertilization on exchangeable soil base cations in soil, foliar nutrient concentrations, and fluxes of N, K, Ca, and Mg in litter fall and throughfall. Fertilization had a large, immediate effect on exchangeable K, whereas effects on Ca and Mg were delayed and restricted to the organic forest floor, presumably because of the lower solubility of the limestone-based Ca and Mg components of the fertilizer. Fertilization raised pH in the organic forest floor the second and third years after application but had no effect in the B horizon. Foliar K, Ca, and Mg were elevated in the year of fertilization, but foliar concentrations of Ca and Mg did not differ from, or were lower than, controls in following years. Litter-fall K flux was increased by fertilization, but litter-fall Ca and Mg fluxes and all through-fall base cation fluxes were unaffected. In control plots, nutrient concentrations in soil remained relatively constant throughout the study, but foliar concentrations and, in particular, litter-fall fluxes varied widely from year to year. This natural variation caused control plots to shift from a state of deficiency in N, Ca, and Mg to a nutrient-sufficient state between the first and second years of study. Fertilization effects are superimposed on a naturally variable nutrient cycling system, and controls on this variability must be understood if fertilizer response is to be accurately predicted.

The effect of wildfire on soil chemistry in four forest types in interior Alaska

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 1389-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. T. Dyrness ◽  
K. Van Cleve ◽  
J. D. Levison
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Soil Chemistry ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Available P ◽  
Ph Effects ◽  
Quaking Aspen ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Surface Mineral

Soil chemical properties were studied after a wildfire in stands of white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss), black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), paper birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.), and quaking aspen (Populustremuloides Michx.). Samples of the forest floor and surface 5 cm of mineral soil were collected from burned sites and unburned controls and analyzed soon after the fire. With the exception of soil pH, effects of the fire on soil chemistry differed among the four forest types. Generally, amounts of exchangeable K, Ca, and Mg did not appreciably increase in the forest floor and surface mineral soil except in heavily burned areas in white spruce and black spruce. Fire reduced amounts of N by about 50% in white spruce, aspen, and birch forest floors. In black spruce, quantities of N were slightly higher in heavily burned locations. Forest floor C:N ratios were substantially lower in heavily burned locations in white spruce and black spruce than in unburned controls. Burning did not have a marked influence on supplies of available P in the forest floor, except in heavily burned black spruce, where average amounts were 12.50 g/m2 versus only 0.46 g/m2 in the control. Burning caused more moderate gains in available P in surface mineral soils under aspen and white spruce. We concluded that fire caused marked short-term changes in soil chemistry in the four forest types. How long these changes will persist is unknown.

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