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Edge Effects on Soil Acidification in Forests on Sandy Soils Under High Deposition Load

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Abstract

This study investigated how forest soil acidification is affected by edge proximity. We measured pH(KCl) and exchangeable K, Ca, Mg and Al concentrations of the mineral topsoil (0–30 cm) from the exposed edge to the interior (128 m from the edge) of three deciduous and four coniferous forest stands. From the front edge to the interior of the deciduous stands, the pH(KCl) values decreased at 0–5 cm soil depth (from 3.07 to 2.98) but increased at 5–10 cm (from 3.26 to 3.32) and 10–30 cm (from 3.48 to 3.75) depth. In the coniferous stands, pH(KCl) values declined from edge to interior at all soil depths, i.e. from 3.10 to 2.89, from 3.26 to 3.06 and from 3.54 to 3.31 at 0–5, 5–10 and 10–30 cm, respectively. The concentrations of exchangeable cations decreased from edge to interior, with larger differences in the coniferous (of up to 265 %) than in the deciduous stands (up to 99 %). At forest edges, enhanced soil acidification due to higher potentially acidifying deposition could be counteracted in the upper mineral soil by higher base cation throughfall and litterfall, faster litter decomposition, higher soil organic matter content, lower nitrate leaching from the soil and/or lime fertiliser drift. Nonetheless, deeper in the soil of the deciduous stands, these buffer processes seem unable to counteract soil acidification due to potentially acidifying deposition at the edges. Edge effects on soil acidity are important since they can translate into effects on plant communities, soil biota, nitrogen cycling and carbon sequestration.

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Acknowledgments

The authors greatly acknowledge the field and lab assistance by Luc Willems and Greet De bruyn and the statistical support by Lander Baeten. KW was funded by the Special Research Fund of Ghent University (BOF) and the Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT, Vlaanderen), ADS and JS were supported as postdoctoral fellows by the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO, Vlaanderen). We would like to thank the Agency for Nature and Forest and the private forest owners and their ground keepers for allowing access to their forests. We appreciate the valuable suggestions provided by the reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest & Nature Lab (ForNaLab), Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium

    Karen Wuyts, An De Schrijver, Jeroen Staelens & Kris Verheyen

  2. Research group Plant Production and Stress Tolerance (PeSTO), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium

    Karen Wuyts

  3. Laboratory of Applied Physical Chemistry (ISOFYS), Department of Applied Analytical and Physical Chemistry, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium

    Jeroen Staelens

  4. Flemish Environment Agency, Kronenburgstraat 45, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium

    Jeroen Staelens

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  1. Karen Wuyts
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  2. An De Schrijver
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  3. Jeroen Staelens
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  4. Kris Verheyen
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Correspondence to Karen Wuyts.

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Wuyts, K., De Schrijver, A., Staelens, J. et al. Edge Effects on Soil Acidification in Forests on Sandy Soils Under High Deposition Load. Water Air Soil Pollut 224, 1545 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-013-1545-x

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