Abstract
Using both field and laboratory measurements of CO2 evolution as an index of decomposer activity, forest microcosms were used to evaluate the impact of simulated acidic precipitation on decomposition. The following pH treatments: 5.7, 4.5, 4.0, and 3.5 annual average were applied for a 30 mo period. No statistically significant effect of treatment on decomposition could be found in the field measurements. When the microcosm was partitioned into 01 and 02 litter, mineral soil (A and B horizons), and roots within the mineral soil horizons for laboratory determination of CO2 efflux, only the 02 litter exhibited a statistically significant decrease as a function of treatment. The data collected do not allow a complete evaluation of the potential impact of this decrease. However, efflux of CO2 from the 02 layer was small compared to the other layers, and this may account for the failure to detect a significant response in the field measurements. Although the field data did not exhibit a significant response, there is sufficient question concerning the 02 response to warrant additional investigation, especially since many plants derive a major portion of their nutritional requirements directly from the 02 litter layer.
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Kelly, J.M., Strickland, R.C. CO2 efflux from deciduous forest litter and soil in response to simulated acid rain treatment. Water Air Soil Pollut 23, 431–440 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284738
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284738