Abstract
Rates of nitrification in well drained granitic soils from forest stands and grassland of differing successional status and from beneath isolated individuals of several tree species were compared in a series of laboratory experiments. Fresh samples were perfused with distilled water or nutrient solution for 10 to 14 weeks at 20°C. The following treatments were applied to the soils singly and in combination: 200 and 400 μg N g−1 as (NH4)2SO4; 100 μg P g−1 as KH2PO4; 4000 μg CaCO3 g−1; inoculation of non-nitrifying soil with nitrifying soil; perfusion of nitrifying soil with leachate from non-nitrifying soil.
Nitrification was absent or occurred at only a low rate in many soils; it generally increased as succession proceeded from nature grassland or eucalypt forest towards climax temperate rainforest, but decreased in mature climax forests. However, the influence of individual tree species was often paramount. Nitrification was stimulated by disturbance of a stand by disease. A possible inhibitor of nitrification in a rainforest soil could not be removed by leaching with water, nor transferred via the leachate to a nitrifying soil. Addition of P was without effect on either total amount of nitrate produced or on net mineralisation of soil N, but sometimes increased the rate of nitrification of added ammonium. Non-nitrifying rainforest soil of pH 4.3 was induced to nitrify only after addition of (NH4)2SO4, inoculation with a nitrifying soil, and addition of CaCO3 to raise pH by 3 units. However, once nitrification had commenced it could continue with little change in rate while pH decreased to a value of 3.4.
It was concluded that rate of nitrification is dependent upon the presence of particular tree species in a stand, upon its history of disturbance, and hence in part upon the stand's successional status. It is not limited by pHper se within the range found in these soils, although an increase in pH may be necessary to initiate nitrification. In some soils the rate of nitrification may be limited by the level of ammonium substrate, and nitrifiers are virtually absent from others. Overall microbial activity is limited by lack of utilisable carbon substrate.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams M A and Attiwill P M 1984 Role of Acacia sp. in nutrient balance and cycling in regeneratedEucalyptus regnans F. Muell. forests. II Field studies of acetylene reduction. Aust. J. Bot. 32, 217–223.
Audus L J 1946 A new soil perfusion apparatus. Nature. 148, 419.
Baldwin I T, Olson R K and Reiners W A 1983 Protein binding phenolics and the inhibition of nitrification in subalpine balsam fir soils. Soil. Biol. Biochem. 15, 419–423.
Barritt N W 1933 The nitrification process in soils and biological filters. Ann. Appl. Biol. 20, 165–184.
Bernier B and Roberge M R 1962 (Etudein vitro sur la mineralisation de l'azote organique dans les humus forestiers. Contribution No 9, Forest Research Foundation, Universite laval, Quebec, Canada, pp 47.
Boughey A S, Munro P E, Meiklejohn J, Strang R M and Swift M J 1964 Antibiotic reactions between African savanna species. Nature 203, 1302–1303.
Bremner J M 1965 Inorganic forms of nitrogenIn Methods of Soil Analysis. Ed. C A Black. Am. Soc. Agron. Madison, Wis., USA.
Chase F E and Baker G 1956 A comparison of microbial activity in an Ontario forest soil under pine, hemlock, and maple cover. Can. J. Microbiol. 1, 45–54.
Corke C T 1858 Nitrogen transformations in Ontario forest podzols. N. Am. forest Soils Conf. 1, 16–21.
Ellis R C 1974 The seasonal pattern of nitrogen and carbon mineralisation in forest and pasture soils in southern Ontario. Can. J. Soil Sci. 54, 15–28.
Ellis R C 1985 The relationships among ecualypt forest, grassland, and rainforest in a highland area in north eastern Tasmania. Aust. J. Ecol. 10, 297–314.
Ellis R C and Graley A M 1987 Soil chemical properties as related to forest succession in a highland area in north east Tasmania. Aust. J. Ecol. 12, 307–317.
Hankinson T R and Schmidt E L 1984 Examination of an acid forest soil for ammonia and nitrite-oxidising autotrophic bacteria. Can. J. Microbiol. 30, 1125–1132.
Lamb D 1980 Soil nitrogen mineralisation in a secondary rainforest succession. Oecologia 47, 257–263.
Lees H and Quastel J H 1946 Biochemistry of nitrification in soil. Biochem. 40, 803–828.
Lodhi M A K 1977 The influence and comparison of individual forest trees on soil properties and possible inhibition of nitrification due to intact vegetation. Am. J. Bot. 64, 260–264.
Lohdi M A K 1978 Comparative inhibition of nitrifiers and nitrification in a forest community as a result of the allelopathic nature of various tree species. Am. J. Bot. 65, 1135–1137.
Lossaint P 1961 Etudein vitro de l'influence des Litieres forestieres sur la mineralisation de l'azote organique dans un mull acidie. Compte rendus 253, 2245–2247, Academie des Sciences, Paris.
Meek C S and Lipmann C B 1922 The relation of the reaction and of salt content of the medium on nitrifying bacteria. J. Gen. Physiol. 5, 195–204.
Meiklejohn J 1962 Microbiology of the nitrogen cycle in some Ghana soils. Empire J. Expt. Agric. 30, 115–126.
Munro P E 1966 Inhibition of nitrifiers by grass root extracts. J. Appl. Ecol. 3, 231–238.
O'Connor K F, Robinson J B and Jackman R H 1962 Bacterial conditions and nutrient availability in a tussock grassland soil under different cultural treatments. Trs. Joint Meet. of Commissions IV, V. of Int. Soc. Soil Sci. Palmerston North, New Zealand, 177–182.
Purchase B S 1974 The influence of phosphate deficiency on nitrification. Plant and Soil 41, 541–547.
Rice E L and Pancholy S K 1972 Inhibition of nitrification by climax ecosystems. Am. J. Bot. 59, 1033–1040.
Rice E L and Pancholy S K 1973 Inhibition of nitrification by climax ecosystems. ii. Additional evidence and possible role of tannins. Am. J. Bot. 60, 691–702.
Richards B N, Smith J E N, White G J and Charley J L 1985 Mineralisation of soil nitrogen in three forest communities from the New England region of New South Wales. Aust. J. Ecol. 10, 429–441.
Richardson H L 1938 The nitrogen cycle in grassland soils: With special reference to the Rothamsted Park grass experiment. J. Agric. Sci. 28, 73–121.
Robertson G P 1982 Nitrification in forested ecosystems. Phil. Trans. R. soc. Lond. B 296, 455–457.
Robertson G P 1984 Nitrification and nitrogen mineralisation in a lowland rainforest succession in Costa Rica, Central America. Oecologia 61, 99–104.
Robertson G P and Vitousek P M 1981 Nitrification potentials in primary and secondary succession. Ecology 62, 376–386.
Sahrawat K L, Keenay D R and Adams S S 1985 Rate of aerobic nitrogen transformations in six acid climax forest soils and the effect of phosphorous and CaCO3. For Sci. 31, 680–684.
Theron J J 1963 The mineralisation of nitrogen in soils under grass. S. Afr. J. Agric. Sci. 6, 155–164.
Turner D P, and Franz E H 1985 The influence of western hemlock and western red cedar on microbial numbers, nitrogen mineralisation, and nitrification. Plant and Soil 88, 259–267.
Walker N and Wickramasinghe K N 1979 Nitrification and autotrophic nitrifying bacteria in acid tea soils. Soil Biol. Biochem. 11, 231–236.
Watson S W, Valois F W and Waterbury J B 1981 The family nitrobacteracea.In The Prokaryotes Ed. M P Starr et al. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York.
Weber D F and Gainey P L 1962 Relative sensitivity of nitrifying organisms to hydrogen ions in soils and in solutions. Soil Sci. 94, 138–145.
West A W and Sparling G P 1986 Modifications to the substrate-induced respiration method to permit measurement of microbial biomass in soils of differing water contents. J. Microb. Meth. 5, 177–189.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ellis, R.C., Pennington, P.I. Nitrification in soils of secondary vegetational successions from Eucalyptus forest and grassland to cool temperate rainforest in Tasmania. Plant Soil 115, 59–73 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02220695
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02220695