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Seasonal changes in microbial nitrogen in an old broadleaf forest and in a neighbouring young plantation

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Abstract

Soil microorganisms are actively involved in many processes of the soil N cycle and are strong competitors with plants for soil N. Therefore, microbial dynamics are important factors in controlling forest productivity. Nevertheless, they are poorly studied especially in relation to forest age, which can produce strong effects on the microbial community by affecting the forest floor environment. In the present study, seasonal variations of soil microbial N (Nmic) were monitored in an old floodplain hardwood forest (270 years) and in a young hardwood plantation (19 years) in two soil horizons (0–15 and 15–30 cm). Although the differences according to time of sampling and soil horizon were statistically significant, Nmic was significantly higher in old than in young forest, especially for the deeper soil layer. However, the highest percentage of total N (Ntot) immobilised in microbial biomass was found in the surface soil layer of the young plantation. Soil organic C (Corg) explained 23% of the spatial–temporal variation of Nmic over all sampling periods in the old forest, whereas the linear combination of Ntot, total extractable soil N (Ntotex) and the C/N ratio explained 59% of variation in Nmic when considering only the growing season. In contrast, Corg and Ntotex explained 59% of variation in Nmic in the young stand when considering all sampling periods and 75% when the analysis was limited to growing season. Soil moisture did not show any significant correlation with Nmic in either site. The sensitivity of Nmic to variation in Corg and Ntot seems to be affected by forest age, being higher in young than in old forest. Finally our results indicate that during the growing season, when the Ntotex availability is low, the dynamics of Nmic and Ntotex are temporally interdependent, suggesting the existence of a reciprocal control whose mechanisms deserve to be elucidated.

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Acknowledgements

We thank two anonymous reviewers for their perceptive comments and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara (Italy) that funded part of this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Colture Arboree, Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy

    Giustino Tonon & Pietro Boldreghini

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroambientali, Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 40, 40127, Bologna, Italy

    Paola Gioacchini

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  1. Giustino Tonon
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  2. Pietro Boldreghini
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  3. Paola Gioacchini
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Correspondence to Giustino Tonon.

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Tonon, G., Boldreghini, P. & Gioacchini, P. Seasonal changes in microbial nitrogen in an old broadleaf forest and in a neighbouring young plantation. Biol Fertil Soils 41, 101–108 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-004-0813-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-004-0813-8

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