Previous research has shown that experimental perturbations of arctic ecosystems simulating direct and indirect effects of predicted environmental changes have led to strong responses in the plant communities, mostly associated with increased plant nutrient availability. Similarly, changes in decomposition and nutrient mineralization are likely to occur if the soil warms and the soil moisture conditions are altered. Plant and microbial responses have usually been investigated separately, and few, if any, studies have addressed simultaneous responses to environmental changes in plants and soil microorganisms, except in models.We measured simultaneous responses in biomass, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) incorporation in plants and microorganisms after five years of factorial fertilizer addition, air warming, and shading. We expected increased N and P uptake by microorganisms after fertilizer addition and also after warming, due to increases in mineralization rates in warmer soils. Plant productivity and N and P uptake were expected to increase after fertilizer addition but less after warming, because microbes were expected to absorb most of the extra released nutrients. Shading was expected to decrease plant production and also microbial biomass, due to the reduced production of labile carbon (C) in plant root exudates associated with reduced photosynthesis.We found that the plants responded strongly to fertilizer addition by increased biomass accumulation and N and P uptake. They responded less to warming, but more than expected, showing a decline in N and P concentrations in many cases. There were few significant responses to shading. The strongest response was found in combined fertilizer addition and warming treatments. All functional vascular plant groups responded similarly. However, mosses declined under those conditions when vascular plant growth was most pronounced.Contrary to our expectation, microbial C, N, and P did not increase after warming, but microbial N and P increased after shading. As expected, fertilizer addition led to increased microbial P content, whereas microbial N either increased or did not change. In general, microbial C did not change in any treatment. The microbes accumulated extra N and P only when soil inorganic N or P levels increased, suggesting that the soil microorganisms absorbed extra nutrients only in cases of declining N and P sink strength in plants.

The soil microbial carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pools were quantified in the organic horizon of soils from an arctic/alpine low-altitude heath and a high-altitude fellfield by the fumigation-extraction method before and after factorial addition of sugar, NPK fertilizer and benomyl, a fungicide. In unamended soil, microbial C, N and P made up 3.3-3.6%, 6.1-7.3% and 34.7% of the total soil C, N and P content, respectively. The inorganic extractable N pool was below 0.1% and the inorganic extractable P content slightly less than 1% of the total soil pool sizes. Benomyl addition in spring and summer did not affect microbial C or nutrient content analysed in the autumn. Sugar amendments increased microbial C by 15 and 37% in the two soils, respectively, but did not affect the microbial nutrient content, whereas inorganic N and P either declined significantly or tended to decline. The increased microbial C indicates that the microbial biomass also increased but without a proportional enhancement of N and P uptake. NPK addition did not affect the amount of microbial C but almost doubled the microbial N pool and more than doubled the P pool. A separate study has shown that CO evolution increased by more than 50% after sugar amendment and by about 30% after NPK and NK additions to one of the soils. Hence, the microbial biomass did not increase in response to NPK addition, but the microbes immobilized large amounts of the added nutrients and, judging by the increased CO evolution, their activity increased. We conclude: (1) that microbial biomass production in these soils is stimulated by labile carbon and that the microbial activity is stimulated by both labile C and by nutrients (N); (2) that the microbial biomass is a strong sink for nutrients and that the microbial community probably can withdraw substantial amounts of nutrients from the inorganic, plant-available pool, at least periodically; (3) that temporary declines in microbial populations are likely to release a flush of inorganic nutrients to the soil, particularly P of which the microbial biomass contained more than one third of the total soil pool; and (4) that the mobilization-immobilization cycles of nutrients coupled to the population dynamics of soil organisms can be a significant regulating factor for the nutrient supply to the primary producers, which are usually strongly nutrient-limited in arctic ecosystems.

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 Ecology. Abstract. Previous research has shown that experimental perturbations of arctic ecosystems simulating direct and indirect effects of predicted environmental changes have led to strong responses in the plant communities, mostly associated with increased plant nutrient availability. Similarly, changes in decomposition and nutrient mineralization are likely to occur if the soil warms and the soil moisture conditions are altered. Plant and microbial responses have usually been investigated separately, and few, if any, studies have addressed simultaneous responses to environmental changes in plants and soil microorganisms, except in models.We measured simultaneous responses in biomass, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) incorporation in plants and microorganisms after five years of factorial fertilizer addition, air warming, and shading. We expected increased N and P uptake by microorganisms after fertilizer addition and also after warming, due to increases in mineralization rates in warmer soils. Plant productivity and N and P uptake were expected to increase after fertilizer addition but less after warming, because microbes were expected to absorb most of the extra released nutrients. Shading was expected to decrease plant production and also microbial biomass, due to the reduced production of labile carbon (C) in plant root exudates associated with reduced photosynthesis.We found that the plants responded strongly to fertilizer addition by increased biomass accumulation and N and P uptake. They responded less to warming, but more than expected, showing a decline in N and P concentrations in many cases. There were few significant responses to shading. The strongest response was found in combined fertilizer addition and warming treatments. All functional vascular plant groups responded similarly. However, mosses declined under those conditions when vascular plant growth was most pronounced.Contrary to our expectation, microbial C, N, and P did not increase after warming, but microbial N and P increased after shading. As expected, fertilizer addition led to increased microbial P content, whereas microbial N either increased or did not change. In general, microbial C did not change in any treatment. The microbes accumulated extra N and P only when soil inorganic N or P levels increased, suggesting that the soil microorganisms absorbed extra nutrients only in cases of declining N and P sink strength in plants.

The endurance during sustained contraction of elbow, flexors, elbow extensors, and back extensors was tested in 3 human subjects. The force level used was varied between ca. 15 and ca. 75% of maximal isometric strength (IS). The clearance of 133Xe from contracting muscles was registered during and after the endurance test. In this way it was possible to determine whether muscle blood flow (MBF) was increased or had stopped during the contraction. Experiments with artificial ischaemia of the upper arm together with MBF measurements showed that MBF was of no importance for continuing sustained contractions above a certain force level, which was 50,25, and 40% of IS for elbow flexors, elbow extensors and back extensors, respectively. However, the level, where longer lasting ( greater than 15 min) sustained contraction is possible is directly related to MBF. These levels were 22, 15, and 20% IS for elbow flexors, elbow extensors, and back extensors, respectively.

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