Abstract
Short thaw seasons, low soil temperatures, high moisture content, and low rates of evapotranspiration through much or all of growing seasons in the Arctic combine to slow both litter decomposition and soil organic matter turnover. As a result, most arctic soils are overlain by mats consisting of plant litter and partially decomposed organic matter. These organic mats serve to retain moisture, impede the progression of seasonal soil thawing, and maintain low soil temperatures. The consequently cold, wet soil conditions serve to severely constrain microbially mediated processes such as decomposition and nutrient mineralization and create an ecosystem “bottleneck” (Chapin et al., 1980) by lowering rates of nutrient supply to plant roots. As a result, rates of plant growth and nutrient cycling between plants and soils are exceedingly low in arctic ecosystems. This view is consistent with fertilization studies in various tundra types showing consistent increases in plant growth and net primary production (NPP—the amount of plant biomass produced annually in an ecosystem) in response to nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), or N plus P additions (e.g., Chapin and Shaver, 1985a; Haag, 1974; McCown, 1978; McKendrick, 1980; Ulrich and Gersper, 1978). Such studies suggest that the effects of low nutrient availability limit plant growth in the Arctic more than do the direct effects of cold conditions on plant processes.
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Nadelhoffer, K.J., Shaver, G.R., Giblin, A., Rastetter, E.B. (1997). Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Nutrient Cycling, Decomposition, and Productivity in Arctic Ecosystems. In: Oechel, W.C., et al. Global Change and Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems. Ecological Studies, vol 124. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2240-8_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2240-8_19
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