Abstract
We measured microbial turnover of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in 12 natural forest reserves in Austria, and estimated potential emission rates of nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and uptake rates of methane (CH4). The community composition of soil microorganisms was investigated using PLFA (phospholipid fatty acid) analysis and molecular tools, and we examined the biodiversity of selected taxa of micro-, meso- and macrofauna. These characterizations of natural forests provide reference data for evaluating soil biology in managed, especially disturbed or damaged forests. Ecophysio-logical quotients were tested for their ability to make predictions about the carbon dynamics of forest soils. The 12 forests represented the six typical types in Central Europe: oak, beech, spruce-fir-beech, floodplain, and pine forests. Nitrogen turnover rates were high in moist soils with high pH. Nitrogen losses as nitrate or N2O were small unless N deposition exceeded 30 kg ha−1 yr−1. The fastest turnover of C and N occurred in the floodplain forests, based on microbial quotients, xylanase activity, the relative thickness of litter layer and 15N abundance in the organic soil. Carbon turnover was slowest in the beech forests on acidic bedrock, and slow turnover may lead to the largest net C accumulation. Tree species had distinct effects on microbial communities, but high soil biodiversity in these natural forests may not be greater than in managed forests.
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Zechmeister-Boltenstern, S., Hackl, E., Bachmann, G., Pfeffer, M., Englisch, M. (2005). Nutrient Turnover, Greenhouse Gas Exchange and Biodiversity in Natural Forests of Central Europe. In: Binkley, D., Menyailo, O. (eds) Tree Species Effects on Soils: Implications for Global Change. NATO Science Series IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences, vol 55. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3447-4_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3447-4_3
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