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Effects of previous nitrogen addition on chlorine in forest soil, soil solution and biomass

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Abstract

There is increasing evidence that forests and forest soil contribute to the signature of chlorine composition in water bodies. However, little is known about the potential effects of land management activities on chlorine biogeochemistry. This study examines the effects of previous nitrogen addition on chlorine chemistry in a Pinus sylvestris L. forest located in south-central Sweden (60°00′N, 13°43′E). Repeated addition of nitrogen to study plots over a 20-year period resulted in total additions of 0, 450 and 900 kg N ha−1. Soil samples were collected before harvesting, and soil solution and biomass were sampled following final felling. Contrary to previous findings, we found no clear evidence that previous addition of nitrogen had hampered the formation of organic chlorine in the organic soil layer. We suggest that the effects of nitrogen addition on chlorination processes are not seen in the surface soil, but are instead manifested in the migration of organic matter in the mineral soil. Soil organic matter from the E-horizon had a lower chlorination degree in the nitrogen-amended plots than in the control plots. In addition, we observed lower Cl− levels in the seedling needles following high nitrogen fertilization (900 N) than in 450 N or control. These results add on the importance of studying chlorine dynamics with focus on what chlorinated soil organic matter can be resistant to degradation compared to average soil organic matter and what can be leached as a result of harvesting and available for vegetation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the land owner, Bergvik and Stora Enso, for hosting the experiment, and for adapting their procedures to accommodate the experimental design. We wish to thank Lars-Åke Dahl, Thomas Hjerpe, Hagos Lundström, Sten Nordlund and Ove Nyberg for valuable field work. The study was partly financed by grants from The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning. Teresia Svensson also thanks Knut and Alice Wallenberg’s Foundation for travel stipend. We would like to thank Monica Petersson and the students Maria Fredriksson, Karin Fredriksson, Emilia Karlsson, Viktor Lundborg, Isabella Nyiri and David Törngren for much appreciated assistance in sample analysis. Finally we would like to thank the anonymous referees for constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Thematic Studies, Water and Environmental Studies, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden

    Svensson Teresia & Sandén Per

  2. Skogforsk, The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden, Uppsala Science Park, 751 83, Uppsala, Sweden

    Högbom Lars, Johansson Karin & Ring Eva

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  1. Svensson Teresia
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  2. Högbom Lars
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  3. Johansson Karin
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  4. Sandén Per
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  5. Ring Eva
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Correspondence to Svensson Teresia.

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Responsible Editor: Dale Johnson

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Teresia, S., Lars, H., Karin, J. et al. Effects of previous nitrogen addition on chlorine in forest soil, soil solution and biomass. Biogeochemistry 116, 3–13 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-013-9888-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-013-9888-3

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