Impact of common European tree species on the chemical and physicochemical properties of fine earth: an unusual pattern

Abstract

Case studies are necessary to assess the effects of changes to tree species on the physicochemical and chemical properties of soils. To achieve this, the fine earth under five tree species was investigated. This study was performed in the Breuil-Chenue experimental forest site located in the Morvan Mountains (France). This site contains two adjacent blocks with replicated stands. The native forest (old beech and oak coppice with standards) was partially clear-felled and replaced in 1976 with mono-specific plantations of European beech, Norway spruce, Laricio pine and Douglas fir. The same changes in soil properties were revealed in both blocks, thus confirming the tree species effect. The percentage of exchangeable acidity on the cation exchange capacity (CEC) was greater under spruce, Douglas fir and pine than under the other species. Spruce stands, and to a lesser extent those of Douglas fir and pine, had a less acidic soil pH than hardwood stands (which was unusual in view of the data in the literature) and smaller CEC values. The small quantities of carbon added to the soil under these tree species provide an explanation for these effects through a partial control of both CEC and pH. This case study thus demonstrated that the tree species effect was not unequivocal and different criteria are necessary for its interpretation. Tree species significantly influenced certain aspects of the chemical properties of topsoil and have the potential to have an impact on current soil fertility.

Effects of beech (Fagus sylvatica), ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and lime (Tilia spec.) on soil chemical properties in a mixed deciduous forest

“…Hansen et al (2009) figured that the accumulation of C and nutrients in the forest floor are basically controlled by decomposition of litterfall. Our results agree with the general observations that effects of tree species on soil chemical properties appear mainly in the topsoil (Augusto et al 2003;Hagen-Thorn et al 2004;Guckland et al 2009;Mareschal et al 2010). …”

“…Soil acidification Abbreviations BS% base saturation (%) C org organic carbon N t total nitrogen CEC cation exchange capacity LL (tree species) /LL total proportion of a leaf litter type to total leaf litterfall LL ash /LL totalIntroduction Tree species affect soils through many factors, such as the rates and distribution of nutrient and water inputs, outputs and cycling (Binkley and Giardina 1998). While the relative influence of conifers, as compared to hardwoods, on soil biochemical properties has often been analyzed (Augusto et al 2002;Berger et al 2009a, b;Mareschal et al 2010), research on soil chemical variations under different broadleaved species is a younger and less advanced field. The main findings of studies analyzing soil properties under broadleaved tree species are that pH and base saturation are lower in the topsoil under mullmoderforming species (including beech) compared to mullforming tree species (including ash and lime ;Nordén 1994;Neirynck et al 2000;Oostra et al 2006).…”

Mineral Types and Tree Species Determine the Functional and Taxonomic Structures of Forest Soil Bacterial Communities

“…This result indicates that the mineral weathering potential of bacterial communities may be influenced not only by mineral chemistry but also by the soil conditions (i.e., land cover effect). Vegetation cover is known to influence belowground bacterial communities through leaf litter degradation and root exudates (65,66) and to modify the soil physicochemical parameters (67). However, our results suggest that this land cover effect did occur on all the mineral types.…”

Effects of litter traits, soil biota, and soil chemistry on soil carbon stocks at a common garden with 14 tree species

“…aluminum and calcium containing) chemical species in soil (Augusto et al 2002;Binkley 1995;Binkley and Giardina 1998;Finzi et al 1998a, b;Hagen-Thorn et al 2004;Menyailo et al 2002a, b;Priha and Smolander 1999;Vesterdal et al 2008). Fewer studies have addressed how interactions among organic and lithogenic elements determine the impact of tree species on soil biogeochemistry (Dijkstra and Fitzhugh 2003; Hobbie et al 2007;Mareschal et al 2010;Moukoumi et al 2006;Reich et al 2005), despite evidence that many biogeochemical processes link soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles with those of aluminum (Al) and calcium (Ca) (Binkley and Richter 1987;Chadwick and Chorover 2001;Chorover et al 2007;Ross et al 2008;van Breemen et al 1983). The result is an incomplete understanding of how different tree species impact soils.…”