Contrasting Litter Nutrient and Metal Inputs and Soil Chemistry among Five Common Eastern North American Tree Species

Abstract

Forest composition has been altered throughout Eastern North America, and changes in species dominance may alter nutrient cycling patterns, influencing nutrient availability and distribution in soils. To assess whether nutrients and metals in litterfall and soil differed among sites influenced by five common Ontario tree species (balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.), white pine (Pinus strobus L.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.)), litterfall and soil chemistry were measured at a managed forest in Central Ontario, Canada. Carbon (C) and macronutrient (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg)) inputs in litterfall varied significantly among sites, primarily due to differences in litterfall mass, which was greatest in deciduous-dominated sites, while differences in elemental concentrations played relatively minor roles. Trace metal inputs in litterfall also varied, with much higher zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) in litterfall within yellow birch dominated stands. Mineral soil oxide composition was very similar among sites, suggesting that differences in soil chemistry were influenced by forest composition rather than parent material. Litter in deciduous-dominated stands had lower C/N, and soils were less acidic than conifer-dominated sites. Deciduous stands also had much shorter elemental residence times in the organic horizons, especially for base cations (Ca, Mg, K) compared with conifer-dominated sites, although total soil nutrient pools were relatively consistent among sites. A change from stands with greater conifer abundance to mixed hardwoods has likely led to more rapid cycling of elements in forests, particularly for base cations. These differences are apparent at small scales (100 m2) in mixed forests that characterize many forested regions in Eastern North America and elsewhere.

Activity of 137Cs and 40K Isotopes in Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Birch (Betula pendula Roth) Stands of Different Ages in a Selected Area of Eastern Poland

“…The higher values of the potassium transfer coefficient recorded in deciduous stands compared to coniferous stands resulted from the faster mobilization of this element in deciduous forests. Deciduous stands have a much shorter residence time of basic cations, e.g., K in soil organic layers compared to coniferous tree habitats [50]. This is probably due to the faster decomposition of the litter of deciduous forests than coniferous ones [51].…”

Two Ramp Taxa, Allium tricoccum and A. burdickii, Differ in Abiotic Habitat Characteristics and Floristic Associates in Pennsylvania

“…For example, sugar maple was the most frequent and dominant tree species found at AT and AB sites (Appendix 1, Table 1). As the leaves from this species decompose, they can provide an annual calcium input (Dijkstra and Smits 2002;Moore et al 2015;Ott and Watmough 2021).…”

Supplementary material to "Reviews and syntheses: VOC emissions from soil cover in boreal and temperate natural ecosystems of the Northern Hemisphere "

“…In the literature, one can find only a few reports on this topic, some information of which is presented in Table S2. Analysis of works published in recent years shows that litter is measured in the framework of research on specific sites (Gomez-Armesto et al, 2020;Petritan et al, 2020;Jasińska et al, 2020;Brumme et al, 2021;Ott and Watmough, 2021). For a number of those studies cited in Table S3, the refinement of litter biomass is a subordinate task that allows to obtain, when recalculated, data on the mass of chemical elements, for example, C, N, P, Hg, etc., to describe their accumulation in litter and to establish the quantitative series of chemical elements and their ratio (C/N) (Jasi'nska et al, 2020).…”