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Soluble soil aluminum alters the relative uptake of mineral nitrogen forms by six mature temperate broadleaf tree species: possible implications for watershed nitrate retention

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Abstract

Increased availability of monomeric aluminum (Al3+) in forest soils is an important adverse effect of acidic deposition that reduces root growth and inhibits nutrient uptake. There is evidence that Al3+ exposure interferes with NO3 − uptake. If true for overstory trees, the reduction in stand demand for NO3 − could increase NO3 − discharge in stream water. These effects may also differ between species that tolerate different levels of soil acidity. To examine these ideas, we measured changes in relative uptake of NO3 − and NH4 + by six tree species in situ under increased soil Al3+ using a 15N-labeling technique, and measured soluble soil Al levels in a separate whole-watershed acidification experiment in the Fernow Experimental Forest (WV). When exposed to added Al3+, the proportion of inorganic N acquired as NO3 − dropped 14% across species, but we did not detect a reduction in overall N uptake, nor did tree species differ in this response. In the long-term acidification experiment, we found that soluble soil Al was mostly in the free Al3+ form, and the concentration of Al3+ was ~65 μM higher (~250%) in the mineral soil of the acidified watershed vs. an untreated watershed. Thus, increased levels of soil Al3+ under acidic deposition cause a reduction in uptake of NO3 − by mature trees. When our 15N uptake results were applied to the watershed acidification experiment, they suggest that increased Al3+ exposure could reduce tree uptake of NO3 − by 7.73 kg N ha−1 year−1, and thus increase watershed NO3 − discharge.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Chris Walter, Joe Cararra, Katie Sesa, Hannah Hedrick, Leah Baldinger, Rachel Arrick, Jessica Graham, and Hoff Lindberg for their field and lab work on this project. We also thank Dr. Robert McKane for his aid in developing 15N labeling methods. We greatly appreciate Dr. James McGraw’s input on statistical analyses. Finally, we acknowledge the contributions of the USDA Forest Service Fernow Experimental Forest staff for the long-term management and support of this experiment. This work was supported by the Long-Term Research in Environmental Biology (LTREB) program at the National Science Foundation (Grant Nos. DEB-0417678 and DEB-1019522) and the WVU Department of Biology and Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, West Virginia University, 53 Campus Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Mark B. Burnham, Jonathan R. Cumming & William T. Peterjohn

  2. USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Mary Beth Adams

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  1. Mark B. Burnham
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  2. Jonathan R. Cumming
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  4. William T. Peterjohn
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Author contributions

MBB, JRC, and WTP conceived and designed the 15N-labeling experiment, MBA aided with site selection and soil analysis methodology for both the whole-watershed acidification study and the labeling experiment. MBB and WTP analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; MBA and JRC reviewed the manuscript and provided editorial advice and comments.

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Correspondence to Mark B. Burnham.

Additional information

Communicated by Jason P. Kaye.

We found that soil solution Al reduces the uptake of NO3 by mature trees. This effect and the impact on watershed NO3 export are novel findings important in areas impacted by acid deposition.

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Burnham, M.B., Cumming, J.R., Adams, M.B. et al. Soluble soil aluminum alters the relative uptake of mineral nitrogen forms by six mature temperate broadleaf tree species: possible implications for watershed nitrate retention. Oecologia 185, 327–337 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-3955-8

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