Decomposition of 15N-labelled beech litter and fate of nitrogen derived from litter in a beech forest

Zeller, Bernd; Colin-Belgrand, Micheline; Dambrine, Étienne; Martin, Francis; Bottner, P.

doi:10.1007/pl00008860

Cited by 112 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This indicates a bidirectional transfer of N across the litter/soil interface resulting in a dilution of the 15 N in the leaves. Zeller et al (2000) described a similar fate in decomposing beech litter. The 15 N that was mobilized from the decomposing leaf litter was observed in all of the measured soil and plant pools, resulting in atom % 15 N concentrations that were usually slightly higher than the reference, but not significantly different (Figs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

The fate of nitrogen in gypsy moth frass deposited to an oak forest floor

et al. 2002

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Forest defoliation by insects can lead to severe disruptions of the nitrogen (N) cycle resulting in elevated NO levels in stream water. To trace the movement of insect-mobilized N in a forest soil, N-labeled gypsy moth frass orN-labeled oak leaf litter was added to trenched plots in an oak forest over 29 months. Nitrogen movement from the frass or litter was measured in the available, mineralizable, microbial and total soil pools. Uptake of N by oak seedlings and inorganic N leaching losses were also measured. No significant differences were found between the frass or leaf treatments for total N in any of the pools. Significant differences were found among the treatments in the distribution of theN tracer. Forty percent of the N added as frass became incorporated in the soils, with less than 1% found in oak seedlings. Almost 80% ofN added as leaves remained in the undecomposed leaf material after 2 years. Less than 0.001% of the added N was leached in both treatments. Our data indicate that N in frass is mobilized more quickly than N in leaf litter. However, this frass N may be largely unavailable to plants and microorganisms as little of it was found in the extractable, microbial, or readily mineralizable pools.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

The fate of nitrogen in gypsy moth frass deposited to an oak forest floor

et al. 2002

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“…Moreover, the above evidence suggest that the observed improvement of the soil is the result of the afforestation with the black locust, which appears to be primarily responsible for the increase in soil organic C and total N, according to previous reports by Rice et al (2004), Keskin & Makineci (2009) and Yük-sek (2012). We hypothesized that the low Corg/Ntotal ratio observed at the control sites (3.16 ± 0.24) may be due to the rapid breakdown of nitrogen-containing compounds and intensive carbon mineralization, i.e., the higher degree of decomposition of the organic matter (Zeller et al 2000, Diekow et al 2005. On the other hand, the high Corg/Ntotal ratio found in soils from afforested sites can be explained by higher inputs of soil organic carbon, as revealed by the significantly higher soil organic C content in the afforestation sites compared with the control sites (Tab.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) afforestation on soil microbial biomass and activity

Bolat¹,

Kara²,

Şensoy³

et al. 2016

iForest

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© iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry IntroductionSoil health and quality may be successfully monitored through the use of two microbial indexes: (i) the microbial biomass, which is defined by the living component of soil organic matter, excluding the macrofauna and plant roots; and (ii) soil microbial respiration (basal respiration), which is described by the respiration without the addition of an organic substrate to soil (Jenkinson & Ladd 1981, Alef 1995, Sparling 1997. The microbial biomass is small and labile as compared with other ecosystem components; however, because of its key role in the mineralization of nutrients such as C, N, P and S, it is considered a reliable indicator of changes in soil characteristics (Jenkinson & Ladd 1981, Powlson et al. 1987, Balota et al. 2003. Balota et al. (2013) report that changes in the microbial properties of soil may lead to important changes in soil quality, thus affecting nutrient cycling and plant development. Haris (2003) clearly affirmed that the microbial community serves as an indicator of the re-establishment of connections between ecological functions of the biota in disturbed ecosystems. Despite the large variations in mineralogy, soil texture and land use type, extreme environments usually show low organic matter and very low microbial biomass contents, which indicate poor soil quality and limited site productivity (Sparling 1997, Guénon et al. 2013.Soil basal respiration is a well-established parameter to be measured through the decomposition process, and it is defined as the overall activity or energy spent by the indigenous microbial pool (Anderson & Domsch 1990, Sparling 1997. Insam et al. (1991) argued that soil basal respiration reflects the availability of slow-flowing C for microbial permanence and is a measure of basic turnover rates in soil.Robinia pesudoacacia L. (black locust or false acacia) is a deciduous, broad-leaved, light-demanding, medium-sized pioneer tree ranging in height 20-25 m. Black locust is regarded as an invasive, non-indigenous species in many parts of Europe, such as Germany, Italy and Turkey (Ansin & Özkan 1997, Cierjacks et al. 2013. It is well-adapted to grow on different types of soil and environmetal conditions, though it avoids compacted or wet soils. Indeed, its demand for aerated soil is the reason why black locust can be primarily found in disturbed sites from poor to fertile soils (Sabo 2000, Cierjacks et al. 2013. Black locust shows a rapid growth and adaptability, for it has been utilized for soil conservation or fuel wood, as well as for early reforestation of barren soils at disturbed sites (Landgraf et al. 2005, Keskin & Makineci 2009, Noh et al. 2010). However, in Turkey it has been long cultivated as an ornamental plant and it can be currently found in schoolyards, roadsides or other marginal lands (Ansin & Özkan 1997). This tree species is characterized by an extensive root system (Zhou & Shangguan 2005) nodulated by diverse nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium communities, providing the host with an advantage over na...

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“…During the course of litter decomposition, N release is balanced by the accumulation of external N through several processes such as immigration of fauna and fungi and throughfall deposition (Berg 1988;Zeller et al, 2000). The role of white-rot fungi in the input of external N was clearly shown by Zeller et al 2000 using combined 15 N and ergosterol analysis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin of the nitrogen assimilated by soil fauna living in decomposing beech litter

Caner

Zeller

Dambrine

et al. 2004

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

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We investigated the nitrogen source for main taxa of soil fauna in two beech forests of contrasted humus type using 15 N-labelled beech litter and 15 N analysis of soil fauna. 15 Nlabelled beech litter was deposited on the topsoil in December 2000 in four stands of different ages at Leinefelde (Germany) with mull humus and in one mature stand at Sorø (Denmark) with moder humus. The fate of the tracer isotope was measured in litter and soil, as well as in the soil fauna, and for each taxa, we calculated the proportion of N in the animal derived from the labelled substrate. Of the original N contained in the litter, 20% to 41% was lost after 9 months at Leinefelde, and only 10% at Sorø. This loss was counterbalanced by the incorporation of 24% to 31% external N at Leinefelde, and 31% at Sorø, partly originating from fungal colonisation of the added litter. The proportion of N assimilated from the labelled litter by the different soil animals varied in relation to their mobility and feeding preferences.Large and mobile soil animals, especially predators, derived on average less 15 N because they were also able to feed outside the labelled litter boxes. Detritivores assimilated at most 15% of their nitrogen content at Leinefelde and 11% at Sorø from the decomposing labelled litter.The most labelled taxa at Leinefelde were small fungivorous and coprophagous species, mainly isotomid Collembola such as Isotomiella and Folsomia. At Sorø, best labelled taxa were saprophagous species such as Enchytraeidae, Glomeridae and Phthiracaroidea. These low rates of 15 N assimilation indicate that fresh litter is not directly the main N source for soil animals. The results obtained suggest that soil fauna fed preferentially upon microorganisms colonising the litter at Leinefelde (mull) and from litter itself at Sorø (moder).

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Decomposition of 15N-labelled beech litter and fate of nitrogen derived from litter in a beech forest

Cited by 112 publications

References 29 publications

The fate of nitrogen in gypsy moth frass deposited to an oak forest floor

The fate of nitrogen in gypsy moth frass deposited to an oak forest floor

Influences of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) afforestation on soil microbial biomass and activity

Origin of the nitrogen assimilated by soil fauna living in decomposing beech litter

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