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Implications of seasonal variation in nitrate export from forested ecosystems: a review from the hydrological perspective of ecosystem dynamics

  • Ohshima Award
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Ecological Research

Abstract

In recent decades, the seasonal variation in NO3 − discharge from forest ecosystems has been used increasingly by ecologists and hydrologists as a diagnostic indicator of the nutrient status of ecosystems. Major factors underlying the seasonal patterns of stream NO3 − concentration include seasonal variations in (1) ecosystem nutrient demand, (2) solute transport capability of the hydrological condition, and (3) in-stream nutrient usage and supply. In this article I show how case studies have helped elucidate the dominant controlling factors by comparing data from Japanese catchments with previously compiled data from studies in North America and Europe. Moreover, I explain the different influences that hydrological and biogeochemical controls exert in regions with rainy (Japan) and dry (northeastern United States and Europe) summers. The seasonal variation in hydrological conditions is the predominant controlling factor in Japanese forests, whereas nutrient demand may predominate in the northeastern United States and Europe. I emphasize the importance of comparing seasonal patterns among regions with differing climates to obtain more universal explanations of seasonal variations in NO3 −-related biogeochemical and hydrological dynamics in a forest ecosystem. In addition, multi-scale investigations will be needed to provide insight into the relative contributions of hillslope biogeochemical effects and in-stream biological activities.

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Acknowledgments

This review was based on research supported by grants (18380093, 19658060) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan; a grant for Global Environment Research (D-0909, D-1102) from the Ministry of the Environment, Japan; and a grant for environmental research from the Nihon Seimei Foundation and the Asahi Glass Foundation. The author would like to thank Dr. Lina Koyama for her suggestions of relevant literature. The author also thanks Dr. Naoki Kachi for allowing the opportunity to present the ideas and concepts contained in this article. Finally, the author sincerely thanks Dr. Naoko Tokuchi not only for her many valuable contributions to this manuscript but also for her mentorship, which opened the author’s eyes to new horizon of forest biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology.

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  1. Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Nobuhito Ohte

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  1. Nobuhito Ohte
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Correspondence to Nobuhito Ohte.

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Nobuhito Ohte is the recipient of the 4th Yasuyuki Ohshima Award.

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Ohte, N. Implications of seasonal variation in nitrate export from forested ecosystems: a review from the hydrological perspective of ecosystem dynamics. Ecol Res 27, 657–665 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-0956-2

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