Effects of Simulated Acid Precipitation on Decomposition and Leaching of Organic Carbon in Forest Soils

Chang, Fu-Hsian; Alexander, Martin

doi:10.1097/00010694-198409000-00006

Cited by 33 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Instead of direct toxicity of protons or anions, reduction in the availability of carbon for microbes has been suggested to be the main reason for the adverse effects of acidification (15,33). Reduced substrate availability of heterotrophs may thus determine microbial activity; this situation may be evidenced as lowered respiration rate or bacterial activity, as shown in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure of a Microbial Community in Soil after Prolonged Addition of Low Levels of Simulated Acid Rain

Pennanen

Fritze

Vanhala

et al. 1998

Appl Environ Microbiol

177

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humus samples were collected 12 growing seasons after the start of a simulated acid rain experiment situated in the subarctic environment. The acid rain was simulated with H2SO4, a combination of H2SO4 and HNO3, and HNO3 at two levels of moderate acidic loads close to the natural anthropogenic pollution levels of southern Scandinavia. The higher levels of acid applications resulted in acidification, as defined by humus chemistry. The concentrations of base cations decreased, while the concentrations of exchangeable H+, Al, and Fe increased. Humus pH decreased from 3.83 to 3.65. Basal respiration decreased with decreasing humus pH, and total microbial biomass, measured by substrate-induced respiration and total amount of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA), decreased slightly. An altered PLFA pattern indicated a change in the microbial community structure at the higher levels of acid applications. In general, branched fatty acids, typical of gram-positive bacteria, increased in the acid plots. PLFA analysis performed on the bacterial community growing on agar plates also showed that the relative amount of PLFA specific for gram-positive bacteria increased due to the acidification. The changed bacterial community was adapted to the more acidic environment in the acid-treated plots, even though bacterial growth rates, estimated by thymidine and leucine incorporation, decreased with pH. Fungal activity (measured as acetate incorporation into ergosterol) was not affected. This result indicates that bacteria were more affected than fungi by the acidification. The capacity of the bacterial community to utilize 95 different carbon sources was variable and only showed weak correlations to pH. Differences in the toxicities of H2SO4 and HNO3 for the microbial community were not found.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure of a Microbial Community in Soil after Prolonged Addition of Low Levels of Simulated Acid Rain

Pennanen

Fritze

Vanhala

et al. 1998

Appl Environ Microbiol

177

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This hypothesis is currently being tested in a watershed experiment at Hubbard Brook. Anthropogenic acidification of precipitation during the past 50 yr may have resulted in decreased mobility of organic anions in soil (Krug andFrink 1983, Chang andAlexander 1984). If this decrease has in fact occurred, fluxes of dissolved organic carbon from the forest floor to the B horizon were probably larger prior to acidification, and hence the average turnover time of organic carbon would have been more rapid than 360 yr.…”

Section: Control Of Doc Concentrations In Soil Solution-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin, Composition, and Flux of Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Hubbard Brook Valley

McDowell¹,

Likens²

1988

Ecological Monographs

611

314

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. Ecological Society of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Ecological Monographs.Abstract. The concentration, composition, and flux of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were measured in the Hubbard Brook Valley, New Hampshire. Data on precipitation, throughfall, soil solution, streamside seeps, stream water, and lake water are presented for 1976-1980. Characterization of DOC included analysis of phenolics, monomeric and polymeric carbohydrates, carboxylic acids, primary amines, and aldehydes.DOC concentrations increased with passage of water through the forest canopy and forest floor, decreased due to abiotic sorption in the mineral soil, and remained relatively low in most "downstream" ecosystems (streamside seeps, streams, and Mirror Lake). Average flux of DOC is estimated as 16, 47, 263, 54, 23, and 20 kg-ha-' yr-i in precipitation, throughfall, soil solution (E, upper B, and B horizons), and streamflow, respectively. The composition of DOC, in particular the relative proportions of carbohydrates, appears to be related to the degree of biological activity at a given site in the landscape. Carbohydrates are particularly high in both absolute and relative terms in throughfall and lake water, which are the areas of highest photosynthetic activity within the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, respectively.

show abstract

“…The different rain quality did not have any significant effect on amounts of DOC leached from the lysimeters. In naturally acidic soils acid rain is expected to decrease the amount of organic carbon in the soil solution due to decreased dissociation of organic acids (Chang and Alexander, 1984;David et al, 1989). However, with a change in precipitation pH from 5.3 to 4.3 one would not expect any significant change in leaching of organic carbon.…”

Section: Anionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lysimeter Study on the Effects of Different Rain Qualities on Element Fluxes from Shallow Mountain Soils in Southern Norway

Strand

Abrahamsen

Stuanes

2005

Water Air Soil Pollut

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study focuses on fluxes of elements from, and changes in the soil properties of shallow organic material rich soil as a result of changes in precipitation acidity. Intact soil columns including natural vegetation from two areas (one exposed to acidic precipitation and one unpolluted) were used in a lysimeter experiment. The lysimeters were watered with simulated normal rain (pH 5.3) or simulated acidic rain (pH 4.3) for four years. Sulphuric acid and ammonium nitrate were used to regulate the quality of the simulated rain. Significantly more SO 4 2− was leached from lysimeters receiving acid rain. Rain acidity had no significant effect on NO 3 − leaching. Significantly more Mg 2+ was leached from lysimeters receiving acid rain, but this only applied for the soils from the unpolluted area. Four years of treatment did not cause any significant effect on the soil acidity and the amounts of base cations in the soil. The more acidic rain did, however, cause a significant lower cation exchange capacity. For the soils from the polluted area the acid precipitation did cause a lowering of the exchangeable K + in the upper 5 cm of the soil. Different quality of the soil organic material indicated by different vegetation types appeared to cause significant differences in the amount of components leached from the soil, but did not cause any difference in response to the different rain qualities.

show abstract

Effects of Simulated Acid Precipitation on Decomposition and Leaching of Organic Carbon in Forest Soils

Cited by 33 publications

References 0 publications

Structure of a Microbial Community in Soil after Prolonged Addition of Low Levels of Simulated Acid Rain

Structure of a Microbial Community in Soil after Prolonged Addition of Low Levels of Simulated Acid Rain

Origin, Composition, and Flux of Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Hubbard Brook Valley

Lysimeter Study on the Effects of Different Rain Qualities on Element Fluxes from Shallow Mountain Soils in Southern Norway

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About