Nitrogen transformations in feather moss and forest floor layers of interior Alaska black spruce ecosystems

1984 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Weber ◽  
K. Van Cleve
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Nitrogen Transformations ◽  
Organic Matter Quality ◽  
Available N ◽  
Moss Species ◽  
Feather Moss ◽  
Interior Alaska

Permafrost-free and permafrost-dominated black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) ecosystems in interior Alaska were treated with low addition levels of high enrichment isotope (<1% of the total nitrogen pool with 99 at.% excess 15N) to describe nitrogen dynamics through pools of selected forest floor components. A thick carpet of mosses, made up primarily of the feather moss species Hylocomiumsplendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. and Pleuroziumschreberi (B.S.G.) Mitt, seemed to play a vital role in the nitrogen economy of the forest floor. Nitrogen, quickly immobilized in the moss layers (green, brown) and retained there, was released very slowly to the lower organic layers (021 + 022) where most of the vascular plant roots were located. 15N uptake by the vascular understory was minimal, as was15Nexport via the soil solution. Periodic mineralization episodes, more frequent and dynamic at the permafrost-free site (where C/N ratios were lower), were largely restricted to the moss layers since available N fractions in deeper forest floor layers incorporated little label over the 3-year period. In the lower layers of the forest floor (021 + 022) temperature rather than organic matter quality appeared to be the overriding factor controlling N flow.

Nitrogen dynamics in the forest floor of interior Alaska black spruce ecosystems

1981 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Weber ◽  
K. Van Cleve
Keyword(s):  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Nitrogen Dynamics ◽  
Nitrogen Pool ◽  
Feather Moss ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Moss Layer ◽  
High Enrichment

Low addition levels of high enrichment isotope (>1% of the total nitrogen pool with 99 at.% excess 15N) were used to follow nitrogen movement through selected forest floor components of permafrost-free and permafrost-dominated black spruce ecosystems in subarctic Alaska. The nitrogen pool examined in this study was the total nitrogen pool. 15N was retained most effectively by the feather moss layer (Pleuroziumschreberi (BSG.) Mitt. and Hylocomiumsplendens (Hedw.) BSG.) on both black spruce sites. Twenty-eight months after isotope application the feather moss layer still contained over 90% of the 15N that could be recovered. The limited movement of 15N between feather moss layers and underlying forest floor horizons appeared to be slightly affected by climatological events. Differences in 15N movement patterns between permafrost-free and permafrost-dominated black spruce sites are discussed in terms of precipitation, soil temperature, and biological controls.

Survival and Growth of Planted Black Spruce, Alder, Aspen and Willow After Fire on Black Spruce/Feather Moss Sites in Interior Alaska

1987 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Zasada ◽  
Rodney A. Norum ◽  
Christian E. Teutsch ◽  
Roseann Densmore
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Balsam Poplar ◽  
Feather Moss ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Broad Leaved Species

Seedlings of black spruce, aspen, green alder, and grayleaf willow planted on black spruce/feather moss sites in the boreal forest in interior Alaska survived and grew relatively well over a 6-year period after prescribed burning. Survival of black spruce was significantly greater than that of the broad-leaved species, but height growth was significantly less. Development of feltleaf willow and balsam poplar from unrooted cuttings was poor. Severity of burn appeared to have an important effect on height growth of all species but not on seedling survival. Key words: Planting, Picea, Alnus, Populus, Salix, microsite.

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.

Artificial regeneration of trees and tall shrubs in experimentally burned upland black spruce/feather moss stands in Alaska

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 903-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Zasada ◽  
Rodney A. Norum ◽  
Robert M. Van Veldhuizen ◽  
Christian E. Teutsch
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Artificial Regeneration ◽  
Balsam Poplar ◽  
Feather Moss ◽  
Interior Alaska

Fall seed-dispersing species, birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.), alder (Alnuscrispa (Ait.) Pursh), and black spruce Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), and summer-seeding species, aspen (Populustremuloides Michx.), balsam poplar (P. balsamifera L.), feltleaf willow (Salixalaxensis (Anderss.) Cov.), Scouler willow (Salixscouleriana Barratt), and Bebb willow (Salixbebbiana Sarg.), were artificially sown on seedbeds created by experimental burning in the upland black spruce/feather moss forest types in interior Alaska. At least 40% of the seeds dispersed in the fall had germinated before dispersal of summer seeds began. Germination occurred on moderately and severely burned seedbeds but not on scorched and lightly burned surfaces. Seedling survival occurred almost exclusively on severely burned surfaces. After 3 years, 82% of the plots containing some severely burned surfaces and sown with seeds from species seeded in the fall were stocked whereas 32% of the plots sown with species seeded in the spring and with the same seedbed condition were stocked.

Productivity and nutrient cycling in taiga forest ecosystems

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 747-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Van Cleve ◽  
Lola Oliver ◽  
Robert Schlentner ◽  
Leslie A. Viereck ◽  
C. T. Dyrness
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Lignin Content ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Taiga Forest ◽  
Tree Production

This paper considers the productivity and nutrient cycling in examples of the major forest types in interior Alaska. These ecosystem properties are examined from the standpoint of the control exerted over them by soil temperature and forest-floor chemistry. We conclude that black spruce Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P. occupies the coldest, wettest sites which support tree growth in interior Alaska. Average seasonal heat sums (1132 ± 32 degree days (DD)) for all other forest types were significantly higher than those encountered for black spruce (640 ± 40 DD). In addition, black spruce ecosystems display the highest average seasonal forest-floor and mineral-soil moisture contents. Forest-floor chemistry interacts with soil temperature in black spruce to produce the most decay-resistant organic matter. In black spruce the material is characterized by the highest lignin content and widest C/N (44) and C/P (404) ratios. Across the range of forest types examined in this study, soil temperature is strongly related to net annual aboveground tree production and the annual tree requirement for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg. Forest floor C/N and C/P ratios are strongly related to annual tree N and P requirement and the C/N ratio to annual tree production. In all cases these controls act to produce, in black spruce, the smallest accumulation of tree biomass, standing crop of elements, annual production, and element requirement in aboveground tree components.

Bioassay of forest floor phosphorus supply for plant growth

1985 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Van Cleve ◽  
F. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
P Deficiency ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Rooting Medium ◽  
Forest Floors ◽  
Work Supports ◽  
Plant Bioassays

This paper considers the extent to which phosphorus (P) supply for plant use is controlled by the chemical quality of forest floor organic matter, independent of climate. Using plant bioassays, forest floor materials from representative examples of each of the major forest types in interior Alaska were examined for nutrient supplying power. The work supports conclusions reached in earlier studies which indicated that black spruce forest floors were highly nutrient limited compared with those of other interior Alaska forest types. In addition, floodplain white spruce forests may experience marked P deficiency because of dilution of the element by periodic siltation. Potential phosphorus supply for seedling growth was best described by P concentration of the rooting medium. The supply also was related to the concentrations of lignin and tannin which control forest floor decomposition and recycling of P within the microbial population.

Broadleaf Litter Controls Feather Moss Growth in Black Spruce and Birch Forests of Interior Alaska

Ecosystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Jean ◽  
April M. Melvin ◽  
Michelle C. Mack ◽  
Jill F. Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
Feather Moss ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Birch Forests

The importance of forest floor disturbance in the early regeneration patterns of the boreal forest of western and central Quebec: a wildfire versus logging comparison

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1353-1364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thuy Nguyen-Xuan ◽  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Dan Simard ◽  
Jim W Fyles ◽  
David Paré
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Forest Floor Disturbance

The nonvascular and vascular plant composition of the early regenerating vegetation present following wildfires and clear-cut logging has been compared separately in three areas of the black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) - feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt.)) forest of western and central Quebec. In each area, a detrended correspondence analysis successfully differentiated the burned and logged stands along the first ordination axis. This separation mainly resulted from the greater abundance of pioneer species or lichens after fire and the greater abundance of residual species after clear-cutting. Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated to relate variables characterizing physical disturbance of the forest floor and general site conditions to the two first differentiating axes. Variables characterizing forest floor disturbance severity were strongly associated with the first ordination axis in two of the study areas but not in the third one. The interpretation of compositional differences in the light of plant reproductive strategies led to the identification of regeneration patterns that illustrated the influence of disturbance type and severity on post-disturbance vegetation composition. These results suggest that certain forestry practices such as careful logging with the protection of regeneration and soil, scarification, and prescribed burning may differ in their capability to address sustainable forest management issues.

Sphagnum mosses limit total carbon consumption during fire in Alaskan black spruce forests

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 2328-2336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Shetler ◽  
Merritt R. Turetsky ◽  
Evan Kane ◽  
Eric Kasischke
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
High Water ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Sphagnum Mosses ◽  
Spruce Forests ◽  
Feather Moss ◽  
Soil Organic Layer

The high water retention of hummock-forming Sphagnum species minimizes soil moisture fluctuations and might protect forest floor organic matter from burning during wildfire. We hypothesized that Sphagnum cover reduces overall forest floor organic matter consumption during wildfire compared with other ground-layer vegetation. We characterized variability in soil organic layer depth and organic matter stocks in two pairs of burned and unburned black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) stands in interior Alaska. In the unburned stands, microsites dominated by Sphagnum had more than twice as much soil organic matter·m–2 as microsites dominated by feather moss and (or) lichens. Whereas 20% of soil organic matter was consumed during fire in microsites dominated by Sphagnum, 45% was consumed in microsites dominated by the feather moss and (or) lichens. Across 79 recently burned black spruce stands, unburned moss abundance (primarily remnant Sphagnum hummocks), landscape position (backslope, flat upland, flat lowland classes), and the interaction among these variables explained 60% of postfire organic soil depths. We suggest that “Sphagnum sheep” could serve as a useful visual indicator of variability in postfire soil carbon stocks in boreal black spruce forests. Sphagnum mosses are important ecosystem engineers not only for their influence on decomposition rates, but also for their effect on fuel consumption and fire patterning.

Patterns of translocation of carbon in four common moss species in a black spruce (Piceamariana) dominated forest in interior Alaska

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 869-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Skre ◽  
W. C. Oechel ◽  
P. M. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Specific Activity ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Moss Species ◽  
Carbohydrate Analysis ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Storage Polysaccharide ◽  
Combustion Technique ◽  
Peak Summer ◽  
Growing Shoot

The patterns of translocation of carbon in different-age tissues of four common moss species in a black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) dominated forest near Fairbanks, Alaska, were studied by 14C labelling and carbohydrate analysis. A simple, in-vial combustion technique was developed for combustion of small (< 10 mg) radioactively labelled samples of plant tissue. The method was used to measure specific activity of 14C in moss tissue 2 h and 5, 15, and 25 days after labelling with 14CO2 gas in sealed chambers. The procedure was repeated three times during the summer. Patterns of 14C translocation varied by species; Polytrichumcommune Hedw. retained the most label after 2 h and Sphagnumsubsecundum Nees. the least. Polytrichumcommune had the second-highest fraction of 14C in brown tissue after 35 days and S. subsecundum the highest. Hylocomiumsplendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. and Pleuroziumschreberi (Brid.) Mitt, did not show consistent patterns of translocation 2 h or 35 days after labelling. 14C was found to accumulate in the growing shoot tips and in the brown tissue of all four species. Loss of 14C because of respiration was high in all four species during the first labelling period indicating high rates of photosynthesis and growth during the peak summer season. The carbohydrate analysis indicated that the increase in 14C activity in brown tissue by the end of the season was due to translocation for storage. In all species there was a strong increase in the storage polysaccharide content by the end of the season after the growth was finished, especially in brown tissue.

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