Abstract
Nitrogen-fixing tree species have larger effects on forest soils than other species, and these effects include consistent increases in soil organic matter and carbon (C). Across 19 case studies, an increase of 1 g N was associated with an increase of 12 to 15 g C. Few studies have examined the mechanisms behind the accumulation of soil C; documented processes include reduced decomposition of older, stabilized soil C, increased rates of formation of stabilized soil C, and higher rates of input of C in detritus. The influences of N-fixing trees on stabilized soil C may not derive directly from the increased supply of N, as fertilization with inorganic N did not alter soil C. More experimentation is needed on the influence of N-fixing trees on the soil biotic community, as the soil microbes and invertebrates may hold the key to the influence of N-fixation on soil C.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Berg B 2000 Litter decomposition and organic matter turnover in northern forest soils. For. Ecol. Manage. 133, 13–22.
Binkley D and Sollins P 1990 Acidification of soils in mixtures of conifers and red alder. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 54, 1427–1433.
Binkley D and Giardina C 1998 Why trees affect soils in temperate and tropical forests: the warp and woof of tree/soil interactions. Biogeochemistry 42, 89–106.
Binkley D and Ryan M 1998 Net primary production and nutrient cycling in replicated stands of Eucalyptus saligna and Albizia falcataria. For. Ecol. Manage. 112, 79–85.
Binkley D, Giardina C and Bashkin M 2000 Soil phosphorus pools and supply under the influence of Eucalyptus saligna and nitrogen-fixing Albizia falcataria. For. Ecol. Manage. 128, 241–247.
Binkley D 1983 Interaction of site fertility and red alder on ecosystem production in Douglas-fir plantations. For. Ecol. Manage. 5, 215–227.
Binkley D, Sollins P, Bell R, Sachs D and Myrold D 1992 Biogeochemistry of adjacent conifer and alder/conifer ecosystems. Ecology 73, 2022–2034.
Binkley D, Lousier J D and Cromack K Jr 1984 Ecosystem effects of Sitka alder in a Douglas-fir plantation. For. Sci. 30, 26–35.
Binkley D 1982 Nitrogen fixation and net primary production in a young Sitka alder ecosystem. Can. J. Bot. 60, 281–286.
Binkley D, Kaye J, Barry M and Ryan M G 2004 First rotation changes in soil carbon and nitrogen in a Eucalyptus plantation in Hawaii. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 68, 1713–1719.
Bormann B T and DeBell D S 1981 Nitrogen content and other soil properties related to age of red alder stands. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 45, 428–432.
Carrierro M, Sinsabaugh R, Repert D and Parkhurst D 2000 Microbial enzyme shifts explain litter decay responses to simulated nitrogen deposition. Ecology 81, 2359–2365.
Compton J E and Cole D W 1998 Phosphorus cycling and soil P fractions in Douglas-fir and red alder stands. For. Ecol. Manage. 110, 101–112.
Forrester D I 2004 Mixed-species plantations of nitrogen-fixing and non-nitrogen-fixing trees. PhD dissertation. Australian National University, Canberra. 196 pp.
Homann P S, Van Miegroet H and Cole D W 1992 Cation distribution, cycling and removal from mineral soil in Douglas-fir and red alder forests. Biogeochemistry 16, 121–150.
Johnson D W 1995 Soil properties beneath ceanothus and pine stands in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 59, 918–924.
Johnson D W and Lindberg SE 1992 Atmospheric deposition and forest nutrient cycling. Springer-Verlag, New York. 707 pp.
Kaye J P, Resh S C, Kaye M W and Chimner R A 2000 Nutrient and carbon dynamics in a replacement series of Eucalyptus and Albizia trees. Ecology 81, 3267–3273.
Kaye J, Binkley D, Zou X and Parrotta J 2002 Non-labile 15Nitrogen retention beneath three tree species in a subtropical plantation. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 66, 612–619.
Mailly D and Margolis H A 1992 Forest floor and mineral soil development in Casuarina equisetifolia plantations on the coastal sand dunes of Senegal. For. Ecol. Manage. 55, 259–278.
Pares A 2002 Soil organic carbon sequestration in mixed and monospecific plantations of Eucalyptus globulus ssp. Pseudoglobulus and Acacia mearnsii. Honours thesis. Australian National University, Canberra. 79 pp.
Resh S, Binkley D and Parrotta J 2002 Greater soil carbon sequestration under nitrogen-fixing trees compared with Eucalyptus species. Ecosystems 5, 217–231.
Rhoades C and Binkley D 1996 Factors influencing decline in soil pH in Hawaiian Eucalyptus and Albizia plantations. For. Ecol. Manage. 80, 47–56.
Rothe A, Cromack K Jr, Resh S C, Makineci E and Son Y 2002 Soil carbon and nitrogen changes under Douglas-fir with and without red alder. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 66, 1988–1995.
Zou X 1993 Species effects on earthworm density in tropical tree plantations in Hawaii. Biol. Fert. Soils. 15, 35–38.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 Springer
About this paper
Cite this paper
Binkley, D. (2005). How Nitrogen-Fixing Trees Change Soil Carbon. In: Binkley, D., Menyailo, O. (eds) Tree Species Effects on Soils: Implications for Global Change. NATO Science Series IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences, vol 55. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3447-4_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3447-4_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-3445-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-3447-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)