Do evergreen and deciduous trees have different effects on net N mineralization in soil?

Mueller, Kevin E.; Hobbie, Sarah E.; Oleksyn, Jacek; Reich, Peter B.; Eissenstat, David M.

doi:10.1890/11-1906.1

Cited by 45 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 61 publications

(77 reference statements)

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“…However, we also found no substantive differences in nitrogen mineralization between hemlock and hardwood control plots. The lack of major differences in soil pH or forest floor C:N is consistent with these findings, which are also supported by recent meta-analyses (Mueller et al, 2012). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Foundation species loss affects vegetation structure more than ecosystem function in a northeastern USA forest

Orwig

Plotkin

Davidson

et al. 2013

PeerJ

107

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Loss of foundation tree species rapidly alters ecological processes in forested ecosystems. Tsuga canadensis, an hypothesized foundation species of eastern North American forests, is declining throughout much of its range due to infestation by the nonnative insect Adelges tsugae and by removal through pre-emptive salvage logging. In replicate 0.81-ha plots, T. canadensis was cut and removed, or killed in place by girdling to simulate adelgid damage. Control plots included undisturbed hemlock and mid-successional hardwood stands that represent expected forest composition in 50–100 years. Vegetation richness, understory vegetation cover, soil carbon flux, and nitrogen cycling were measured for two years prior to, and five years following, application of experimental treatments. Litterfall and coarse woody debris (CWD), including snags, stumps, and fallen logs and branches, have been measured since treatments were applied. Overstory basal area was reduced 60%–70% in girdled and logged plots. Mean cover and richness did not change in hardwood or hemlock control plots but increased rapidly in girdled and logged plots. Following logging, litterfall immediately decreased then slowly increased, whereas in girdled plots, there was a short pulse of hemlock litterfall as trees died. CWD volume remained relatively constant throughout but was 3–4× higher in logged plots. Logging and girdling resulted in small, short-term changes in ecosystem dynamics due to rapid regrowth of vegetation but in general, interannual variability exceeded differences among treatments. Soil carbon flux in girdled plots showed the strongest response: 35% lower than controls after three years and slowly increasing thereafter. Ammonium availability increased immediately after logging and two years after girdling, due to increased light and soil temperatures and nutrient pulses from leaf-fall and reduced uptake following tree death. The results from this study illuminate ecological processes underlying patterns observed consistently in region-wide studies of adelgid-infested hemlock stands. Mechanisms of T. canadensis loss determine rates, magnitudes, and trajectories of ecological changes in hemlock forests. Logging causes abrupt, large changes in vegetation structure whereas girdling (and by inference, A. tsugae) causes sustained, smaller changes. Ecosystem processes depend more on vegetation cover per se than on species composition. We conclude that the loss of this late-successional foundation species will have long-lasting impacts on forest structure but subtle impacts on ecosystem function.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Foundation species loss affects vegetation structure more than ecosystem function in a northeastern USA forest

Orwig

Plotkin

Davidson

et al. 2013

PeerJ

107

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“…Effect size estimates and subsequent inferences in meta‐analyses may be dependent on how individual observations are weighted (Ma & Chen, ; Mueller, Hobbie, Oleksyn, Reich, & Eissenstat, ). In our dataset (Data ), sampling variance was not reported for a significant number of studies, and weightings based on sampling variances could assign extreme importance to a few individual observations, and consequently average ln RR would be largely determined by a small number of studies (Ma & Chen, ; Pittelkow et al., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intensive forest harvesting increases susceptibility of northern forest soils to carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus loss

Hume

Chen

Taylor

2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Understanding the impact of forest harvesting is critical to sustainable forest management, yet there remains much uncertainty regarding how harvesting affects soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) dynamics. Here, we conducted a global meta‐analysis of 808 observations from 49 studies to test the effects of harvesting on the stocks and concentrations of soil C, N and P and C:N:P ratios relative to uncut control stands. With all harvesting intensities combined, C stock was unaffected by harvesting in either the forest floor or mineral soil, while harvesting reduced forest floor [C], [N] and [P] and C:N ratio, increased the mineral soil [C] and C:N ratio, but reduced mineral soil N stock. The impacts of harvesting on forest floor C and N stocks, C:P and N:P and mineral soil [C] and [N] changed from no effects by partial, stem‐only and whole‐tree harvesting (WTH) to significantly negative effects by the harvesting coupled with fire. Stem‐only and WTH similarly reduced forest floor [P]. The negative effects of harvesting were most pronounced in conifer stands. Soil [C], [N] and C:N decreased with time since harvesting, but soil [P] did not, resulting in an increase in forest floor N:P. Synthesis and applications. Our findings highlight the importance of harvest intensity and rotation length on long‐term soil nutrient availability when managing forests. Furthermore, the lag in the recovery of phosphorus concentration following harvesting may indicate a decoupling of the phosphorus cycle from those of carbon and nitrogen, and a potential concern in managed forests.

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“…certain polyphenols and terpenes (Northup et al, 1995;Schimel & Bennett, 2004;Smolander et al, 2012)]. The AM-ECM framework explains an appreciable number of differences in ecosystem functioning due to tree species (Phillips, Brzostek & Midgley, 2013), but it does not appear to be applicable in all cases (Koele et al, 2012) as illustrated by the large fluxes of mineral N produced under the ECM evergreen gymnosperm Pseudotsuga menziesii (Thomas & Prescott, 2000;Zeller et al, 2007;Trum et al, 2011;Mueller et al, 2012b). Indeed, whereas most EG species of the family Pinaceae are associated with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, DA species can be associated with ECM and/or arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Cornelissen et al, 2001).…”

Section: Nutrient Cycling As Influenced By Tree Species Groups (1mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Under this hypothesis, DA species associated with AM fungi (e.g. In the same way, the lack of consistency between the results of studies conducted in plantations and those conducted in 'natural' forests (Mueller et al, 2012b) suggests that some published studies are actually talking about a difference in ecological niches of tree species rather than a true effect on soil N mineralization. species of the genus Quercus).…”

Section: Nutrient Cycling As Influenced By Tree Species Groups (1mentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of evergreen gymnosperm and deciduous angiosperm tree species on the functioning of temperate and boreal forests

et al. 2014

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It has been recognized for a long time that the overstorey composition of a forest partly determines its biological and physical-chemical functioning. Here, we review evidence of the influence of evergreen gymnosperm (EG) tree species and deciduous angiosperm (DA) tree species on the water balance, physical-chemical soil properties and biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nutrients. We used scientific publications based on experimental designs where all species grew on the same parent material and initial soil, and were similar in stage of stand development, former land use and current management. We present the current state of the art, define knowledge gaps, and briefly discuss how selection of tree species can be used to mitigate pollution or enhance accumulation of stable organic carbon in the soil. The presence of EGs generally induces a lower rate of precipitation input into the soil than DAs, resulting in drier soil conditions and lower water discharge. Soil temperature is generally not different, or slightly lower, under an EG canopy compared to a DA canopy. Chemical properties, such as soil pH, can also be significantly modified by taxonomic groups of tree species. Biomass production is usually similar or lower in DA stands than in stands of EGs. Aboveground production of dead organic matter appears to be of the same order of magnitude between tree species groups growing on the same site. Some DAs induce more rapid decomposition of litter than EGs because of the chemical properties of their tissues, higher soil moisture and favourable conditions for earthworms. Forest floors consequently tend to be thicker in EG forests compared to DA forests. Many factors, such as litter lignin content, influence litter decomposition and it is difficult to identify specific litter-quality parameters that distinguish litter decomposition rates of EGs from DAs. Although it has been suggested that DAs can result in higher accumulation of soil carbon stocks, evidence from field studies does not show any obvious trend. Further research is required to clarify if accumulation of carbon in soils (i.e. forest floor + mineral soil) is different between the two types of trees. Production of belowground dead organic matter appears to be of similar magnitude in DA and EG forests, and root decomposition rate lower under EGs than DAs. However there are some discrepancies and still are insufficient data about belowground pools and processes that require further research. Relatively larger amounts of nutrients enter the soil-plant biogeochemical cycle under the influence of EGs than DAs, but recycling of nutrients appears to be slightly enhanced by DAs. Understanding the mechanisms underlying forest ecosystem functioning is essential to predicting the consequences of the expected tree species migration under global change. This knowledge can also be used as a mitigation tool regarding carbon sequestration or management of surface waters because the type of tree species affects forest growth, carbon, water and nutrient cycling.

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Do evergreen and deciduous trees have different effects on net N mineralization in soil?

Cited by 45 publications

References 61 publications

Foundation species loss affects vegetation structure more than ecosystem function in a northeastern USA forest

Foundation species loss affects vegetation structure more than ecosystem function in a northeastern USA forest

Intensive forest harvesting increases susceptibility of northern forest soils to carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus loss

Influences of evergreen gymnosperm and deciduous angiosperm tree species on the functioning of temperate and boreal forests

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