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The natural abundance of 15N in litter and soil profiles under six temperate tree species: N cycling depends on tree species traits and site fertility

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Abstract

Aims

We investigated the influence of tree species on the natural 15N abundance in forest stands under elevated ambient N deposition.

Methods

We analysed δ15N in litter, the forest floor and three mineral soil horizons along with ecosystem N status variables at six sites planted three decades ago with five European broadleaved tree species and Norway spruce.

Results

Litter δ15N and 15N enrichment factor (δ15Nlitter–δ15Nsoil) were positively correlated with N status based on soil and litter N pools, nitrification, subsoil nitrate concentration and forest growth. Tree species differences were also significant for these N variables and for the litter δ15N and enrichment factor. Litter from ash and sycamore maple with high N status and low fungal mycelia activity was enriched in 15N (+0.9 delta units) relative to other tree species (European beech, pedunculate oak, lime and Norway spruce) even though the latter species leached more nitrate.

Conclusions

The δ15N pattern reflected tree species related traits affecting the N cycling as well as site fertility and former land use, and possibly differences in N leaching. The tree species δ15N patterns reflected fractionation caused by uptake of N through mycorrhiza rather than due to nitrate leaching or other N transformation processes.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was obtained from the Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Research Council (project no. 23-03-0195), Nordic Council of Ministers (SNS), and the Villum Kann Rasmussen Foundation (grant number VKR-09b-015). Bruno Bilde-Jørgensen, Forest & Landscape Denmark is thanked for providing data on forest production. The laboratory staff at Forest & Landscape Denmark, Håkan Wallmark at the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences (Umeå) is thanked for skillful laboratory work. A grant from SLU (to P.H.) covered the costs of most isotope analyses; Anders Michelsen at the University of Copenhagen is thanked for his contribution to the isotope determinations on fresh needles of spruce. We finally wish to thank the anonymous reviewers. Their inspiring and dedicated work enabled us to refine the data interpretation and greatly improved the final manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. Lars Ola Nilsson

    Present address: Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research, 9925, Svanvik, Norway

  2. Jesper Riis Christiansen

    Present address: Department of Forest Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

    Ingeborg Callesen, Lars Ola Nilsson, Inger Kappel Schmidt, Lars Vesterdal, Jesper Riis Christiansen & Per Gundersen

  2. Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Lyngby, Denmark

    Ingeborg Callesen & Per Ambus

  3. Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), 901 83, Umeå, Sweden

    Peter Högberg

  4. Skydebanegade 27, 4tv, 1709, Copenhagen V, Denmark

    Ingeborg Callesen

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  1. Ingeborg Callesen
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Correspondence to Ingeborg Callesen.

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Responsible Editor: Hans Lambers.

Original research paper in preparation for Plant & Soil.

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Callesen, I., Nilsson, L.O., Schmidt, I.K. et al. The natural abundance of 15N in litter and soil profiles under six temperate tree species: N cycling depends on tree species traits and site fertility. Plant Soil 368, 375–392 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1515-x

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