Abstract
Forest ecosystems in the Eastern USA are threatened by acid deposition rates that have increased dramatically since industrialization. We utilized two watersheds at the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia to examine long-term effects of acidification on ecological processes. One watershed has been treated with ammonium sulfate (approximately twice the ambient deposition rate) since 1989 to simulate elevated acidic deposition, while the other served as a control. Prior to treatment, both watersheds were similar in age and species composition. Ten dominant overstory Prunus serotina and Liriodendron tulipifera trees were selected and cored from each watershed to measure bolewood concentrations of essential elements through time. In addition, changes in tree species basal area were analyzed utilizing 50 long-term growth plots. Results of this experiment show lower calcium and magnesium concentration and increased acidic cation concentration for both species in the treated watershed, indicating a negative treatment effect. Growth response, measured through relative growth rates of cored trees and changes in basal area from growth plots, was not as conclusive and appeared to differ by species. The resulting difference in species response indicates that acidification sensitivity is something that land managers should consider when managing forests affected by acidification.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aber, J., McDowell, W., Nadelhoffer,K., Magill, A., Berntson, G., Kamakea, M., McNulty, S., Currie, W., Rustad, L., & Fernandez, I. (1998). Nitrogen saturation in temperate forest ecosystems. BioScience, 48, 921–934.
Adams, M. B., DeWalle, D. R., & Hom, J. L. (2006). The Fernow Watershed Acidification Study (pp. 17–279). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Adams, M. B., Kochenderfer, J. N., & Edwards, P. J. (2007). The Fernow Watershed Acidification Study: ecosystem acidification, nitrogen saturation, and base cation leaching. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 7, 267–273.
Ågren, G. I. & Bosatta, E. (1988). Nitrogen saturation of terrestrial ecosystems. Environmental Pollution, 54, 185–197.
Beauregard, S. L., Côté, B., & Houle, D. (2009). Application of compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND) to the dendrochemistry of three hardwoods in three geological regions of southern Quebec. Dendrochronologia, 28, 23–36.
Bilodeau-Gauthier, S., Houle, D., Gagnon, C., Côté, B., & Messier, C. (2008). Extractability of elements in sugar maple xylem along a gradient of soil acidity. Journal of Environmental Quality, 37, 871–879.
Bilodeau-Gauthier, S., Houle, D., Gagnon, C., Côté, B., & Messier, C. (2011). Assessment of sugar maple tree growth in relation to the partitioning of elements in xylem along a soil acidity gradient. Forest Ecology and Management, 261, 95–104.
DeForest, J. L., & McCarthy, B. C. (2011). Diminished soil quality in an old-growth, mixed mesophytic forest following chronic acid deposition. Northeastern Naturalist, 18, 177–184.
DeWalle, D. R., Tepp, J. S., Swistock, B. R., Sharpe, W. E., & Edwards, P. J. (1999). Tree-ring cation response to experimental watershed acidification in West Virginia and Maine. Journal of Environmental Quality, 28, 299–309.
DeWalle, D. R., Kochenderfer, J. N., Adams, M. B., Miller, G. W., Gilliam, F. S., Wood, F., et al. (2006). Vegetation and acidification, Chapter 5. In M. B. Adams, D. R. DeWalle, & J. L. Hom (Eds.), The Fernow Watershed Acidification Study (pp. 137–188). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Driscoll, C. T., Lawrence, G. B., Bulger, A. J., Butler, T. J., Cronan, C. S., Eagar, C., et al. (2001). Acidic deposition in the Northeastern United States: sources and inputs, ecosystem effects, and management strategies. Bio Science, 51, 180–198.
Edwards, P. J., Kochenderfer, J. N., Coble, D. W., & Adams, M. B. (2002). Soil leachate responses during 10 years of induced whole-watershed acidification. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 140, 99–118.
Elias, P. E., Burger, J. A., & Adams, M. B. (2009). Acid deposition effects on forest composition and growth on the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia. Forest Ecology and Management, 258, 2175–2182.
Greaver, T. L., Sullivan, T. J., Herrick, J. D., Barber, M. C., Baron, J. S., Cosby, B. J., et al. (2012). Ecological effects of nitrogen and sulfur air pollution in the US: what do we know? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 10, 365–372.
Holzmueller, E. J., Jose, S., & Jenkins, M. A. (2007). Influence of calcium, potassium, and magnesium on Cornus florida L. density and resistance to dogwood anthracnose. Plant and Soil, 290, 189–199.
Huang, C.-Y. L., & Shulte, E. E. (1985). Digestion of plant tissue for analysis by ICP emission spectroscopy. Community Soil Science Plant Analysis, 16, 943–958.
Jensen, N.K. (2012). Tree-ring chemistry and growth response to experimental watershed acidification. MS Thesis. Southern Illinois University.
Kochenderfer, J. N. (2006). Fernow and the Appalachian Hardwood Region, Chapter 2. In M. B. Adams, D. R. DeWalle, & J. L. Hom (Eds.), The Fernow Watershed Acidification Study (pp. 17–39). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Lautner, S., & Fromm, J. (2010). Calcium-dependent physiological processes in trees. Plant Biology, 12, 268–274.
Long, R. P., Horsley, S. B., Hallett, R. A., & Bailey, S. W. (2009). Sugar maple growth in relation to nutrition and stress in the northeastern United States. Ecological Applications, 19, 1454–1466.
Lu, X., Gilliam, F. S., Yu, G., Li, L., Mao, Q., Chen, H., et al. (2013). Long-term nitrogen addition decreases carbon leaching in nitrogen-rich forest ecosystems. Biogeosciences Discussions, 10, 1451–1481.
McClenahen, J. R., Vimmerstedt, J. P., & Scherzer, A. J. (1989). Elemental concentrations in tree rings by PIXE: statistical variability, mobility, and effects of altered soil chemistry. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 19, 880–888.
Schuler, T. M. (2004). Fifty years of partial harvesting in a mixed mesophytic forest: composition and productivity. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 34, 985–997.
Sharpe, W. E. (2002). Acid deposition explains sugar maple decline in the east. Bioscience, 52, 4–5.
Stoddard, J. L. (1994). Long-term changes in watershed retention of nitrogen: its causes and aquatic consequences. Advances in Chemistry, 237, 223–284.
Talhelm, A. F., Burton, A. J., Pregitzer, K. S., & Campione, M. A. (2013). Chronic nitrogen deposition reduces the abundance of dominant forest understory and groundcover species. Forest Ecology and Management, 293, 39–48.
Tominaga, K., J. Aherne, S.A. Watmough, M. Alveteg, B.J. Cosby, C.T. Driscoll, M. Posch, and A. Pourmokhtarian. (2010). Predicting acidification recovery at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire: evaluation of four models. Environmental Science and Technology, 44.
Watmough, S. A. (1997). An evaluation of the use of dendrochemical analyses in environmental monitoring. Environmental Review, 5, 181–201.
Watmough, S. A. (1999). Monitoring historical changes in soil and atmospheric trace metal levels by dendrochemical analysis. Environmental Pollution, 106, 391–403.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the USFS Fernow Experimental Forest and the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Program. Thanks to all who contributed to the study, including Dr. Charles Ruffner, Frederica Wood, Chris Cassidy, Robin Quinlivan, A&L Laboratory, and the Pennsylvania State Analytical Lab.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jensen, N.K., Holzmueller, E.J., Edwards, P.J. et al. Tree Response to Experimental Watershed Acidification. Water Air Soil Pollut 225, 2034 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2034-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2034-6