The Chemical Composition of Soil From Cultivated Land and From Land Abandoned to Grass and Weeds

Prince, A. L.; Toth, S. J.; Blair, A. W.

doi:10.1097/00010694-193811000-00003

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…The positive influence of legumes is likely caused by their fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. This supports suggestions that legumes are important in the accumulation of soil organic matter in old fields (Prince et al 1938, Odum 1960, Ritchie and Tilman 1995 and areas undergoing primary succession (Crocker and Major 1955). The negative influence of C 3 grass and forb abundance on both carbon and nitrogen accumulation might either be caused by their relatively rapidly decomposing litter (Swift et al 1979), or by their lower productivity relative to C 4 grasses (Tilman and Wedin 1991).…”

Section: Rate Of Carbon and Nitrogen Accumulation Related To Soil Carsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Finally, studies of abandoned agricultural fields suggest that soil organic matter increases after cessation of farming (Prince et al 1938, Inouye et al 1987a, Burke et al 1995, much as it accumulates during primary succession (Crocker andMajor 1955, Olson 1958). The agricultural abandonment of large areas, like the eastern United States (Hart 1968), has the potential to be a significant sink for carbon (Fan et al 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dynamics of Soil Nitrogen and Carbon Accumulation for 61 Years After Agricultural Abandonment

Knops

Tilman

2000

Ecology

496

281

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We used two independent methods to determine the dynamics of soil carbon and nitrogen following abandonment of agricultural fields on a Minnesota sand plain. First, we used a chronosequence of 19 fields abandoned from 1927 to 1982 to infer soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Second, we directly observed dynamics of carbon and nitrogen over a 12‐yr period in 1900 permanent plots in these fields. These observed dynamics were used in a differential equation model to predict soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. The two methods yielded similar results. Resampling the 1900 plots showed that the rates of accumulation of nitrogen and carbon over 12 yr depended on ambient carbon and nitrogen levels in the soil, with rates of accumulation declining at higher carbon and nitrogen levels. A dynamic model fitted to the observed rates of change predicted logistic dynamics for nitrogen and carbon accumulation. On average, agricultural practices resulted in a 75% loss of soil nitrogen and an 89% loss of soil carbon at the time of abandonment. Recovery to 95% of the preagricultural levels is predicted to require 180 yr for nitrogen and 230 yr for carbon. This model accurately predicted the soil carbon, nitrogen, and carbon:nitrogen ratio patterns observed in the chronosequence of old fields, suggesting that the chronosequence may be indicative of actual changes in soil carbon and nitrogen. Our results suggest that the rate of carbon accumulation was controlled by the rate of nitrogen accumulation, which in turn depended on atmospheric nitrogen deposition and symbiotic nitrogen fixation by legumes. Our data support the hypothesis that these abandoned fields initially retain essentially all nitrogen and have a closed nitrogen cycle. Multiple regression suggests that vegetation composition had a significant influence on the rates of accumulation of both nitrogen and carbon; legumes increased these rates, and C3 grasses and forbs decreased them. C4 grasses increased the C:N ratio of the soil organic matter and thereby increased the rate of carbon accumulation, but not nitrogen accumulation.

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Section: Rate Of Carbon and Nitrogen Accumulation Related To Soil Carsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Soil Nitrogen and Carbon Accumulation for 61 Years After Agricultural Abandonment

Knops

Tilman

2000

Ecology

496

281

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“…Agriculture's effects on soils share some characteristics with clearcutting and fire, often including initial organic carbon and nitrogen losses due to faster decomposition or leaching (Schimel, 1986;Guo and Gifford, 2002;Murty et al, 2002;Houghton and Goodale, 2004), generally followed by gradual recovery (Prince et al, 1938;Inouye et al, 1987;Johnston et al, 1996;Hooker and Compton, 2003, but see Brye et al, 2002 andFalkengren-Grerup et al, 2006). The processes driving these losses and gains are similarly shaped by colonizing vegetation (Compton et al, 1998;Knops and Tilman, 2000) and soil texture (Bauer and Black, 1981;Campbell and Souster, 1982;Burke et al, 1995;Richter et al, 1999).…”

Section: Farmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farms, fires, and forestry: Disturbance legacies in the soils of the Northwest Wisconsin (USA) Sand Plain

Grossmann

Mladenoff

2008

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…Studies of secondary succession are numerous in plant ecology, but few of these have examined changes in soil organic matter. Prince et al (1938) noted that fields abandoned from agriculture in New Jersey showed increases in soil organic matter ranging from 84% in surface horizons to 63% in the subsoil over a 30-year interval of recovery. Billings (1938) shows linear accumulations of soil organic matter during secondary succes sion on the Piedmont of North Carolina, with increases of 246% in the surface soil and 149% in the A2 horizon.…”

Section: Abandonment Of Agricultural Landsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Soil Carbon Storage and Associated Properties with Disturbance and Recovery

Schlesinger¹

1986

The Changing Carbon Cycle

231

167

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The Chemical Composition of Soil From Cultivated Land and From Land Abandoned to Grass and Weeds

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Dynamics of Soil Nitrogen and Carbon Accumulation for 61 Years After Agricultural Abandonment

Dynamics of Soil Nitrogen and Carbon Accumulation for 61 Years After Agricultural Abandonment

Farms, fires, and forestry: Disturbance legacies in the soils of the Northwest Wisconsin (USA) Sand Plain

Changes in Soil Carbon Storage and Associated Properties with Disturbance and Recovery

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