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Nitrogen Export from Forested Watersheds in the Oregon Coast Range: The Role of N2-fixing Red Alder

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Abstract

Variations in plant community composition across the landscape can influence nutrient retention and loss at the watershed scale. A striking example of plant species importance is the influence of N2-fixing red alder (Alnus rubra) on nutrient cycling in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. To understand the influence of red alder on watershed nutrient export, we studied the chemistry of 26 small watershed streams within the Salmon River basin of the Oregon Coast Range. Nitrate and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) concentrations were positively related to broadleaf cover (dominated by red alder: 94% of basal area), particularly when near-coastal sites were excluded (r 2 = 0.65 and 0.68 for nitrate-N and DON, respectively). Nitrate and DON concentrations were more strongly related to broadleaf cover within entire watersheds than broadleaf cover within the riparian area alone, which indicates that leaching from upland alder stands plays an important role in watershed nitrogen (N) export. Nitrate dominated over DON in hydrologic export (92% of total dissolved N), and nitrate and DON concentrations were strongly correlated. Annual N export was highly variable among watersheds (2.4–30.8 kg N ha−1 y−1), described by a multiple linear regression combining broadleaf and mixed broadleaf–conifer cover (r 2 = 0.74). Base cation concentrations were positively related to nitrate concentrations, which suggests that nitrate leaching increases cation losses. Our findings provide evidence for strong control of ecosystem function by a single plant species, where leaching from N saturated red alder stands is a major control on N export from these coastal watersheds.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Kathy Motter and the Willamette Research Station staff for water sample analysis, and Marjorie Storm and Joel Zumbolo for assistance with field sampling. We also thank Patti Haggerty and Gary Bishop for invaluable assistance with the GIS data, and Janet Ohmann and Matt Gregory for using their model to provide the CLAMS vegetation data by species. Sarah Greene of the Pacific Northwest Research Station provided field site access within Cascade Head Experimental Forest. Steven Perakis, Dan Binkley, and Phil Kaufmann gave us valuable comments on this manuscript. This work was funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and approved for publication after EPA review. Approval does not signify that the contents reflect the views of the agency, and the mention of trade names or commercial products does not imply endorsement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. US Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, USA

    Jana E. Compton, M. Robbins Church & William E. Hogsett

  2. River Ecosystems Group, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 8602, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Scott T. Larned

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  1. Jana E. Compton
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Compton, J., Church, M., Larned, S. et al. Nitrogen Export from Forested Watersheds in the Oregon Coast Range: The Role of N2-fixing Red Alder . Ecosystems 6, 773–785 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-002-0207-4

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