Nitrogen fixation in decaying chestnut logs

Cornaby, Barney W.; Waide, J. B.

doi:10.1007/bf00014813

Cited by 40 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…With wood having a high C:N ratio, these organisms have a competitive advantage in this niche. Nitrogen fixation in logs has been demonstrated by Cornaby and Waide (1973) and Roskoski (1975). The presence of nitrogen-fixing organisms may regulate the rate of wood decay.…”

Section: Role Of Bole and Branch Detritusmentioning

confidence: 88%

Detrital Dynamics in a Mature Oak Forest: Hutcheson Memorial Forest, New Jersey

Lang¹,

Forman²

1978

Ecology

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The William L. Hutcheson Memorial Forests is a mixed oak stand located on the New Jersey Piedmont, and is believed to have remained uncut and unburned for >250 yr. Abundant canopy gaps and large fallen boles indicate old—age status. Patterns of detritus distribution appear different from younger or disturbed forests. Consequently, we studied organic matter and element content in 12 distinct detritus components, litter deposition, element ratios, element turnover rates, and latitudinal oak forest detritus affinities. Total detrital organic matter (ash—free) was 27.6 kg/m2, with 86% located in the mineral soil horizons. Of the 3.8 kg/m2 of detritus lying above the mineral soil, 71% was in fallen boles and large branches. Detrital organic matter exceeds aboveground biomass. In the forest floor and associated decaying wood, N was the abundant element (81 g/m2), followed by Ca (22 g/m2), Mg (11 g/m2), K (10.5 g/m2), and P (4.5 g/m2). The thin humus layer, averaging 0.5 centimetres thick, had a much higher total element content per square metre than older detrital components due to high element concentration values. Concentrations of each element increased as branch diameter decreased, and as leaf, branch, and bole litter decomposed. Organic matter:element ratios exhibited the same trend as carbon:element ratios, a decrease with decreasing branch diameter, increasing forest floor depth, and increasing bole decay. Average annual litter deposition (ash—free) was 616 g/m2. Nitrogen, P, and K content of litter deposition was higher in summer than in autumn. Leaves returned the majority of each element followed by small branches and fruits. Forest—floor organic matter and element content increase along a latitudinal gradient of eastern oak forests. Organic matter and element turnover times of southern oak forests, including Hutcheson Forest, are similar, despite differing organic matter and element pools and deposition rates. One interesting aspect of detritus in an old, undisturbed forest is the pronounced role of detrital wood. Large decaying boles represent 10% of aboveground biomass and 9% of total detritus. These boles are a habitat and energy source for detritivores, influence seeding establishment and soil development, and affect hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles. Because of large carbon:element ratios and slow rates of decomposition, boles lying on the forest floor may exhibit a net accumulation and storage of elements until a critical carbon:element ratio is reached and net mineralization occurs. A time delay thus exists for element release which may provide regular elemental supply through time.

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Section: Role Of Bole and Branch Detritusmentioning

confidence: 88%

Detrital Dynamics in a Mature Oak Forest: Hutcheson Memorial Forest, New Jersey

Lang¹,

Forman²

1978

Ecology

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“…The large seasonal variability ( Fig. 3) suggests that many values reported from other forests worldwide should be viewed with caution because they are often based on material collected at only one point in time (e.g., Jorgensen and Wells 1971;Cornaby and Waide 1973;Jorgensen 1975;Silvester 1978;Larsen et al 1978), although some have used an experimentally determined Q10 to take into account annual variation in temperature (e.g., Granhall andLindberg 1978, 1980).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymbiotic nitrogen fixation in litter from Pacific Northwest forests

Heath¹,

Sollins²,

Perry³

et al. 1988

Can. J. For. Res.

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Asymbiotic nitrogen fixation in litter was assayed by acetylene reduction across a range of 25 forested sites in the Willamette Valley and Oregon Cascade and Coast ranges and periodically over a year at two Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) plantations in the Willamette Valley. Laboratory experiments showed that optimal conditions for N fixation by Douglas-fir litter were 200% moisture content and 22 °C. Annual fixation was 1.08 ± 0.13 kg/ha at one Willamette Valley plantation, 0.39 ± 0.06 kg/ha at the other. Fixation rates at the other 23 sites, which were sampled less frequently, ranged from 0 to 5 g N ha−1 day−1 and exceeded trace levels at only six sites, indicating annual totals much less than those at the Willamette Valley plantations. At four coastal and valley sites sampled by litter layer, older L layer Douglas-fir litter fixed the most N per gram dry weight. Percent N, percent C, and the C:N ratio of that litter layer did not differ significantly among sites or correlate with N-fixation rates. Forest-floor litter in most Northwest forests fixes no more than trace amounts of N, at most ~1 kg N ha−1 year−1. These amounts are smaller than N input from precipitation.

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“…Heterotrophs that spend scarce energy on nitrogen fixation therefore should be at a competitive disadvantage relative to other heterotrophs, even in systems where net primary prouction is nitrogen limited -and even though nitrogen fixation might ultimately increase the supply of labile organic carbon in those systems. The decomposition of wood, which has very low nitrogen concentrations, may be an exception; heterotrophic nitrogen fixation often is observed in decaying wood (Cornaby & Waide 1973;Roskoski 1980). Light availability may also play a major role in regulating nitrogen fixation in aquatic ecosystems (Levine & Lewis 1987: Smith, in press).…”

Section: Nitrogen Fixation and Nitrogen Limitationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Nitrogen limitation on land and in the sea: How can it occur?

1991

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Abstract. The widespread occurrence of nitrogen limitation to net primary production in terrestrial and marine ecosystems is something of a puzzle; it would seem that nitrogen fixers should have a substantial competitive advantage wherever nitrogen is limiting, and that their activity in turn should reverse limitation. Nevertheless, there is substantial evidence that nitrogen limits net primary production much of the time in most terrestrial biomes and many marine ecosystems.We examine both how the biogeochemistry of the nitrogen cycle could cause limitation to develop, and how nitrogen limitation could persist as a consequence of processes that prevent or reduce nitrogen fixation. Biogeochemical mechansism that favor nitrogen limitation include: -the substantial mobility of nitrogen across ecosystem boundaries, which favors nitogen limitation in the "source" ecosystem -especially where denitrification is important in sediments and soils, or in terrestrial ecosystems where fire is frequent; -differences in the biochemistry of nitrogen as opposed to phosphorus (with detrital N mostly carbon-bonded and detrital P mostly ester-bonded), which favor the development of nitrogen limitation where decomposition is slow, and allow the development of a positive feedback from nitrogen limitation to producers, to reduced decomposition of their detritus, and on to reduced nitrogen availability; and -other more specialized, but perhaps no less important, processes. A number of mechanisms could keep nitrogen fixation from reversing nitrogen limitation. These include: -energetic constraints on the colonization or activity of nitrogen fixers; -limitation of nitrogen fixers or fixation by another nutrient (phosphorus, molybdenum, or iron) -which would then represent the ultimate factor limiting net primary production; -other physical and ecological mechanisms. The possible importance of these and other processes is discussed for a wide range of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.

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Nitrogen fixation in decaying chestnut logs

Cited by 40 publications

References 3 publications

Detrital Dynamics in a Mature Oak Forest: Hutcheson Memorial Forest, New Jersey

Detrital Dynamics in a Mature Oak Forest: Hutcheson Memorial Forest, New Jersey

Asymbiotic nitrogen fixation in litter from Pacific Northwest forests

Nitrogen limitation on land and in the sea: How can it occur?

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