Abstract
Research on nutrient dynamics concentrates on direct or indirect measurement of processes with little definition of populations involved, mainly because of technical difficulties and lack of interdisciplinary understanding. As the young science of nutrient dynamics evolves and management of species and systems becomes more sophisticated, there is a need for the science to draw on both population and process ecology.
How? The paper explores three ways in which knowledge of the two disciplines can be combined: First, how the growth strategies of three perennial plants exploit and modify the spatial distribution of nutrients. Second, a population model of Carex bigelowii is used to calculate nutrient acquisition, retention and release, illustrating the potentially wider application of standard population techniques. Third, studies on litter decomposition, including interactions between litter types, show that understanding of processes is incomplete and potentially misleading without analysis of population responses.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anderson J M and Swift M J 1983 Decomposition in tropical forests. InTropical Rain Forest: Ecology and Management. Eds. S L Sutton, T C Whitmore and A C Chadwick. pp 287 – 309. Blackwell Scientific Publ., Oxford.
Anderson J M, Huish S A, Ineson P, Leonard M A and Splatt P R 1985 Interactions of invertebrates, micro-organisms and tree roots in nitrogen and mineral element fluxes in deciduous woodland soils. InEcological Interactions in Soil. Ed. A H Fitter, pp 377 – 392. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Ausmus B S, Edwards N T and Witkamp M 1976 Microbial immobilization of carbon, phosphorus and potassium: Implications for forest ecosystem processes. InThe Role of Terrestrial and Aquatic Organisms in Decomposition Processes. Eds. J M Anderson and A Macfadyen. pp 397 – 416. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Bolin B and Arrhenius E 1977 Nitrogen - an essential life factor and a growing environmental hazard. Ambioj6, 96 – 105.
Brown A H F and Harrison A F 1983 Effects of tree mixtures on earthworm populations and nitrogen and phosphorus status in Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands. InNew Trends in Soil Biology. Ed. P Lebrun. pp 101 – 108. Ottignies, Louv- ain-la-Neauve.
Callaghan T V 1976 Strategies of growth and population dynamics of tundra plants. 3. Growth and population dynamics of Carex bigelowiiin an alpine environment. Oikos 27, 402 – 413.
Callaghan T V 1980 Strategies of growth and population dynamics of tundra plants. 5. Age-related patterns of nutrient allocation in Lycopodium annotinumfrom Swedish Lapland. Oikos 35, 373 – 386.
Callaghan T V 1988 Physiological and demographic implica¬tions of modular construction in cold environments. InPlant Population Ecology. Eds. A J Davy, M J Hutchings and A R Watkinson, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp 111 – 135.
Callaghan T V, Headley A D, Svensson B M, Lixian L, Lee J A and Lindley D K 1986 Modular growth and function in the vascular cryptogram Lycopodium annotinum. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B. 228, 195 – 206.
Carlyle J C and Malcolm D C 1986 Nitrogen availability beneath pure spruce and mixed larch + spruce stands growing on a deep peat. I. Net N mineralisation measured by field and laboratory incubations. Plant and Soil 93, 95 – 114.
Carlyle J C and Malcolm D C 1986 Nitrogen availability beneath pure spruce and mixed larch + spruce stands growing on a deep peat. II. A comparison of N availability as measured by plant uptake and long-term laboratory incubations. Plant and Soil 93, 115 – 122.
Chapin F S III, Van Cleve K and Chapin M C 1979 Soil temperature and nutrient cycling in the tussock growth form of Eriophorum vaginatum. J. Ecol. 67, 169 – 189.
Chapin F S III and Tryon PR 1983 Habitat and leaf habit as determinants of growth, nutrient absorption and nutrient use by Alaskan taiga forest species. Can. J. For. Res. 13, 818 – 826.
Chapman K, Whittaker J B and Heal O W 1988 Metabolic and faunal activity in litters of tree mixtures compared with pure stands. Agric. Ecosystems Environ. 24, 33 – 40.
Chapman K C 1986 Interactions between tree species: decomposition and nutrient release from litters. Unpub. Ph.D. thesis, University of Lancaster.
Clarholm M 1985 Possible roles for roots, bacterial, protozoa and fungi in supplying nitrogen to plants. InEcological Interactions in Soil. Ed. A H Fitter, pp 355 – 365. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Coleman D CM 985 Through a ped darkly: An ecological assessment of root-soil-microbial-faunal interactions. In Ecological Interactions in soil. Ed. A H Fitter, pp 1–21. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Defoliart L S, Griffith M, Chapin F S III and Jonasson S 1988 Seasonal patterns of photosynthesis and nutrient storage in Eriophorum vaginaiumL. on Arctic sedge. Functional Ecology 2, 185 – 194.
Fetcher N and Shaver G R 1982 Growth and tillering patterns within tussocks of Eriophorum vaginatum. Holarctic Ecology 5, 180 – 186.
Grime J P 1979 Plant Strategies and Vegetation Processes. Wiley & Sons, New York.
Headley A D, Callaghan T V and Lee J A 1988a Water uptake and movement in the clonal plants Lycopodium annotinumL. and Diphasiastrum complanatum(L.) Holub. New Phytol. 110, 487 – 502.
Headley A D, Callaghan T V and Lee J A 1988b Phosphate and nitrate movement in the evergreen clonal plants Lycopodium annotinum L. and Diphasiastrum complanatum (L.) Holub.
New Phytol. 110, 487–495.
Heal O W and Ineson P 1984 Carbon and energy flow in terrestrial ecosystems — relevance to microflora. InCurrent Perspectives in Microbial Ecology. Ed. M J Klug and C A Reddy. pp 394 – 404. American Society for Microbiology, Washington.
Herrera R, Jordan C F, Klinge H and Medina E 1978 Amazonian ecosystems: Their structure and functioning with particular emphasis on nutrients. Interciencia 3, 223 – 231.
Huhta V 1979 Effects of liming and deciduous litter on earthworms (Lumbricidae) populations of a spruce forest, with an inoculation experiment on Allolobophora caligonosa. Pedobiologia 19, 340 – 345.
Jonsdottir I S and Callaghan T V 1988 Interrelationships between different generations of interconnected tillers of Carex bigelowii. Oikos. 52, 120 – 128.
Karlsson S 1982 Ecology of a deciduous and evergreen dwarf shrub: Vaccinium uliginosumand Vaccinium vitis-idaeain subarctic Fennoscandia. PhD. Thesis, University of Lund, Sweden.
Kershaw K A 1962 Quantitative ecological studies from Landmannahellir, Iceland. II. The rhizome behaviour of Carex bigelowiiand Calamagrostis neglecta. J. Ecol. 50, 171 – 179.
Mark A F, Fetcher N, Shaver G R and Chapin F S III 1985 Estimated ages of mature tussocks of Eriophorum vaginatumalong a latitudinal gradient in central Alaska, USA. Arct. Alp. Res. 17, pp 1 – 5.
Rorison I H, Peterkin J H and Clarkson D T 1983 Nitrogen source, temperature and the growth of herbaceous plants. InNitrogen as an Ecological Factor. Eds. J A Lee, S McNeill and I H Rorison. pp 189 – 209. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Satchell J E 1963 Nitrogen turnover by a woodland population of Lumbricus terrestris. In Soil Organisms. Eds. J Doeksen and J van der Drift, pp 60 – 66. North Holland Publishing Company, Amsterdam.
Slade A J and Hutchings M J 1987 The effects of nutrient availability on foraging in the clonal herb Glechoma hederacea. J. Ecol. 75, 639 – 650.
Smith RAH and Forrest G I 1978 Field estimates of primary production. InProduction Ecology of British Moors and Montane Grasslands. Eds. O W Heal and D F Perkins, pp 17 – 37. Springer Verlag, Berlin.
Springett J A 1985 Effect of introducing Allolobophora longaUde on root distribution and some soil properties on New Zealand pastures. InEcological Interactions in Soil. Ed. A H Fitter, pp 399 – 405. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Svensson B M and Callaghan T V 1988 Apical dominance and the simulation of metapopulation dynamics in Lycopodium annotinum. Oikos 51, 331 – 342.
Swift M J 1984 Microbial diversity and decomposer niches. InCurrent Perspectives in Microbial Ecology. Eds. M J Klug and C A Reddy. pp 8 – 16. American Society for Microbiology, Washington.
Visser S 1985 Role of soil invertebrates in determining the composition of soil microbial communities. InEcological Interactions in Soil. Ed. A H Fitter, pp 297 – 317. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Vitousek P M and Reiners W A 1975 Ecosystem succession and nutrient retention: A hypothesis. Bioscience 25, 376 – 381.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Heal, O.W., Callaghan, T.V., Chapman, K. (1989). Can Population and Process Ecology be Combined to Understand Nutrient Cycling?. In: Clarholm, M., Bergström, L. (eds) Ecology of Arable Land — Perspectives and Challenges. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 39. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1021-8_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1021-8_20
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6950-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1021-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive