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Mineralization responses at near-zero temperatures in three alpine soils

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Abstract

Cold-season processes are known to contribute substantially to annual carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) budgets in continental high elevation and high-latitude soils, but their role in more temperate alpine ecosystems has seldom been characterized. We used a 4-month lab incubation to describe temperature (−2, 0, 5°C) and moisture [50, 90% water-holding capacity (WHC)] effects on soil C and N dynamics in two wet and one dry meadow soil from the Sierra Nevada, California. The soils varied in their capacity to process N at and below 0°C. Only the dry meadow soil mineralized N at −2°C, but the wet meadow soils switched from net N consumption at −2°C to net N mineralization at temperatures ≥0°C. When the latter soils were incubated at −2°C at either moisture level (50 or 90% WHC), net NO3 − production decreased even as NH4 + continued to accumulate. The same pattern occurred in saturated (90% WHC) soils at warmer temperatures (≥0°C), suggesting that dissimilatory processes could control N cycling in these soils when they are frozen.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Lina Somait for extensive help in the lab. Kevin Skeen and Annie Esperanza helped with field logistics and sample collection. Aimee Davingnon and Julie Butera assisted with the experimental setup. Funding for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation’s Ecosystems Program (Award no. 0089839). Logistical support was provided by the National Park Service, Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park.

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Author notes

  1. Amy E. Miller

    Present address: National Park Service, 240 West 5th Ave., Anchorage, AK, 99501, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Computational Earth System Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    Amy E. Miller & John M. Melack

  2. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    Joshua P. Schimel, Allen P. Doyle & John M. Melack

  3. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    James O. Sickman

  4. Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Thomas Meixner

  5. Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309-0450, USA

    Amy E. Miller

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  1. Amy E. Miller
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Correspondence to Amy E. Miller.

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Miller, A.E., Schimel, J.P., Sickman, J.O. et al. Mineralization responses at near-zero temperatures in three alpine soils. Biogeochemistry 84, 233–245 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-007-9112-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-007-9112-4

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