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.

Organic matter and mineral distribution in an old-growth Acersaccharum forest near the northern limit of its range

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1332-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. K. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Cu Content ◽  
Base Soil

Two sites, both supporting old-growth Acersaccharum Marsh, dominated forest on rugged topography in central northern Ontario, were compared in terms of organic matter and N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu content in the tree- and field-layer phytomass, the forest floor, and the mineral soil. One site was on a shallow, low-base, Precambrian-derived till, and the other was on a till of somewhat higher base status. Gross and net growth of the overstory tree layer were also determined. Total phytomass values for the two stands at the beginning of the study period were 245 000 and 210 000 kg•ha−1, respectively. Gross growth was largely offset by mortality in both stands, producing a rough equilibrium with regard to net increment. Growth before mortality was on the order of 2.4–2.5 m3•ha−1•year−1 in terms of gross total wood volume or 3700–3900 kg•ha−1•year−1 in terms of phytomass, and it was slightly greater in percent terms on the higher base site. In addition to that in the phytomass, organic matter in the forest floor and mineral soil to a depth of 1 m also contributed to the total organic matter content of 638 000–642 000 kg•ha−1 (equivalent to 34 8000–353 000 kg•ha−1 of C) on both sites and was distributed as follows: 29–34% in phytomass, 5% in the forest floor, and 61–66% in mineral soil. The order of abundance of elements in the phytomass was similar on both sites: Ca > N > K > Mg > S > Mn > P > Fe > Zn > Cu, with accumulation in the phytomass in rough proportion to occurrence in the soil. A more base-rich parent material would appear to be the origin of 1452 kg•ha−1 of Ca estimated to be in the phytomass and forest floor on the higher base soil, compared with 1250 kg•ha−1 in the phytomass and forest floor on the lower base soil.

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.

Fungal and arboreal biomass in a western Oregon Douglas-fir ecosystem: distribution patterns and turnover

1979 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Fogel ◽  
Gary Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Oregon Coast Range ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
Soil Hyphae

The allocation of biomass and the turnover time of various components were measured from August 1976 to August 1977 in a young, second-growth Douglas-fir stand in the Oregon Coast Range. Allocation of biomass among the tree components was 14 732 kg foliage ha−1, 30 455 kg branches ha−1, 212 941 kg boles ha−1, 49 289 kg nonmycorrhizal roots ha−1, and 15 015 kg host portion of mycorrhizae ha−1. Biomass allocation of fungal components was 10 009 kg mycorrhizal mantles ha−1, 2785 kg Cenococcumgeophilum sclerotia ha−1, 65 kg sporocarps ha−1, 369 kg litter hyphae ha−1, and 6666 kg soil hyphae ha−1. The forest floor was composed of 6970 kg fine (<2 mm) litter ha−1, 6564 kg coarse (2–25 mm) litter ha−1, and 5500 kg log (>25 mm) litter ha−1. Soil organic matter (<0.494 mm) was 87 600 kg ha−1. Total annual stand throughput was 30 324 kg ha−1, excluding soil organic matter throughput. Of this total, 50.5% was accounted for by fungal throughput, 39.5% by tree throughput, and 10.0% by forest floor throughput.

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.

Nutrient cycling in relation to decomposition and organic-matter quality in taiga ecosystems

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 795-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Flanagan ◽  
K. Van Cleve
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Fungal Biomass ◽  
Microbial Respiration ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Substrate Quality ◽  
Respiration Rates ◽  
Forest Floors

A variety of evergreen and deciduous forests in the taiga of interior Alaska were studied over a 5-year period to examine how the chemical quality of forest-floor organic matter affected its rate of decomposition and mineral cycling within and outside the tree vegetation. Litterbag and respiration studies were used to monitor decomposition. Natural forest-floor substrates and others altered by addition of N, P, and K fertilizer and glucose as a carbon source were studied in the laboratory and field for rates of weight loss and O2 consumption. Forest floors differing in C/N ratios, including those deficient in N, were used to measure substrate quality influences on seedling growth, nutrient content, and tannin content. Microbial (bacteria and fungi) biomass was measured across a range of forest types along with pH, base saturation total pool sizes of N and P, and annual mineralization of organic matter per square metre. Under identical moisture and temperature conditions average respiration rates in evergreen forest-floor L, F, and H substrates were 1.8, 2.8, and 2.0 times less than in the corresponding deciduous forest horizons, respectively. Birch L and F horizons had respiration rates 11.5 times higher than the corresponding black spruce layers. Weight losses in birch L, F, and H horizons were 6, 3, and 2 times higher, respectively, than in the corresponding black spruce substrates. Substrates had a quality-dependent decay rate which did not change when they were relocated within or between sites indicating that measured field climatic differences were not as influential on decay rates as substrate quality components. Fungal biomass was significantly correlated with the quantity of organic matter in all sites (n = 15, r = 0.62) but correlations were better for deciduous (n = 9, r = 0.89), and evergreen (n = 6, r = 0.82) forests separately. Strong correlations exist also between grams of organic matter decayed per square metre per year and fungal biomass (n = 13, r = 0.86), and fungal biomass and grams of N and P mineralized per square metre per year (n = 14, r = 0.95) and (n = 11, r = 0.94, respectively). Seedlings on mineral-deficient substrates produced more tannins than the controls, and seedlings on substrates with widening C/N ratios had successively less tissue with lower N content, and proportionally more roots. Nitrogen content of litter fall in increasingly nitrogen-poor forest floors was correspondingly lower. Nitrogen content of litter fall on N rich forest floors and N fertilized forest floors was proportionately higher. Nitrogen withdrawal in leaves at senescence was inversely correlated with grams N mineralized per square metre per year in forest floors. Fertilization did not influence microbial processes in the field, though lab studies indicated a negative influence of NH4, P, and K on microbial respiration. Glucose added in the laboratory and field markedly increased forest-floor microbial respiration. In vitro glucose-induced increases in respiration were not influenced by addition of ammonium nitrate and were significantly depressed by addition of P and K. In the field, fertilization had no effect on either glucose-induced respiration or microbial biomass.

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.

Nutrient dynamics in the litter fall and forest floor of an 18-year-old loblolly pine plantation

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1109-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Lockaby ◽  
Jane Ellen Taylor-Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Pine Plantation ◽  
Rapid Decomposition ◽  
North Louisiana

Dry weight and N, P, K, Ca, and Mg concentrations were monitored in the litter fall and forest floor of a loblolly pine (Pinustaeda) plantation in north Louisiana for 2 years. Dry weights of both litter fall and forest floor were statistically stable during the sampling period, possibly indicating steady-state conditions. A comparison of litter fall with forest floor weights indicated rapid decomposition (floor turnover = 1.5 years) relative to that of other loblolly pine systems.

Decomposition, litter fall, and forest floor nutrient dynamics in relation to fire in eastern Ontario jack pine ecosystems

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 1496-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Equilibrium Conditions ◽  
Age Class ◽  
Eastern Ontario

Decomposition, litter fall, and nutrient and organic matter turnover rates were determined in five eastern Ontario jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) stands having various burning histories, including wildfire. The stands included a 65-year-old age-class (stand No. 1), two stands within this age-class that were treated with nonlethal understorey fires in 1962 and 1963 (stand Nos. 2 and 3, respectively), a 21-year-old age-class (stand No. 4), and an 8-year-old age-class (stand No. 5) created by experimental burning plots within the 21-year-old age-class. Overstorey and understorey litter decomposition was assessed separately using the litterbag (1-mm mesh size) technique over a 2-year period. Overstorey litter weight loss did not vary among stands and understorey litter lost significantly more weight (P < 0.05) in the older age-classes (stands 1,2, and 3) compared with the younger stands (stands 4 and 5). Litterbag nutrient dynamics between overstorey and understorey were significantly different (P < 0.05) for P, K, and Cain all stands. Magnesium and N dynamics were the same in both litter types on all treatments, as was Fe, except in the 65-year-old stand where significantly more Fe was accumulated in understorey litter (P < 0.04) at the end of the litterbag exposure period. Three-year averages of annual litter fall ranged from 119 kg•ha−1•year−1 in the 8-year-old age-class to 4182 kg•ha−1•year−1 in the older stands. Nutrient inputs through litter fall reflect the developmental stage occupied by the younger stands along a continuum leading to equilibrium conditions of the 65-year-old age-class. Forest floor nutrient and organic matter residence times (or annual fractional turnover) were longest (least amount cycled) in the 8-year-old stand (57.6 years for organic matter), indicating harsh environmental controls over nutrient dynamics. Recovery for the 21-year-old age-class to turnover rates approaching equilibrium conditions (10-year residence time for organic matter) was rapid, demonstrating ecosystem stability in its interaction with fire. Detrimental effects on ecosystem processes can be expected if a stand-replacing fire recurs during early stages of jack pine ecosystem development.

scholarly journals Effect of Plant Growth Regulators on Protease Activity in Forest Floor of Norway Spruce Stand

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 665
Author(s):  
Ladislav Holik ◽  
Jiří Volánek ◽  
Valerie Vranová
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Proteolytic Activity ◽  
Protease Activity ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Soil Microbial Activity ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Chlorocholine Chloride ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Native Soil ◽  
Transformation Processes

Soil proteases are involved in organic matter transformation processes and, thus, influence ecosystem nutrient turnovers. Phytohormones, similarly to proteases, are synthesized and secreted into soil by fungi and microorganisms, and regulate plant rhizosphere activity. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of auxins, cytokinins, ethephon, and chlorocholine chloride on spruce forest floor protease activity. It was concluded that the presence of auxins stimulated native proteolytic activity, specifically synthetic auxin 2-naphthoxyacetic acid (16% increase at added quantity of 5 μg) and naturally occurring indole-3-acetic acid (18%, 5 μg). On the contrary, cytokinins, ethephon and chlorocholine chloride inhibited native soil protease activity, where ethephon (36% decrease at 50 μg) and chlorocholine chloride (34%, 100 μg) showed the highest inhibitory effects. It was concluded that negative phytohormonal effects on native proteolytic activity may slow down organic matter decomposition rates and hence complicate plant nutrition. The study enhances the understanding of rhizosphere exudate effects on soil microbial activity and soil nitrogen cycle.

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