Partitioning Of Atmospheric Nitrogen Under Long Term Reduced Atmospheric Deposition Conditions In A Norway Spruce Forest Ecosystem

Download or read book Partitioning of Atmospheric Nitrogen Under Long-term Reduced Atmospheric Deposition Conditions in a Norway Spruce Forest Ecosystem written by Zhuo Feng and published by Universitätsverlag Göttingen. This book was released on 2010 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the past century, anthropogenic activities have increased N input drastically to terrestrial ecosystems and influenced the global N cycle. Especially temperate forest ecosystems are affected in their productivity, species composition, soil chemistry and water quality. N input to forest ecosystems is retained in trees and soil. Excessive N is leached out or released as gases. The retention of N input in soils is mainly influenced by the stability of soil organic matter (SOM). Many forests in central Europe and North America have been subjected to N saturation, i.e. excessive N appeared as nitrate in the leachate below the rooting zone. Reduction of atmospheric N emission and consequent atmospheric N deposition is proposed to be the only practical long-term solution to improve N-saturated forest ecosystems. However, responses of N-saturated forest ecosystems to reduced atmospheric N deposition have been seldom investigated. In the present study, atmospheric deposition was manipulated through roof constructions below the canopy of a mature Norway spruce forest on the Solling plateau in central Germany. A £^(5)N tracer field and a density fractionation laboratory experiment were conducted in the present study to investigate the influence of long-term reduced atmospheric N deposition on the partitioning of atmospheric N in different forest ecosystem compartments as well as on the partitioning of atmospheric N retained in the soil in different SOM pools.