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Fine Roots vs. Needles: A Comparison of 13C and 15N Dynamics in a Ponderosa Pine Forest Soil

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Abstract

Plant allocation patterns may affect soil C and N storage due to differences in litter quality and the depth of plant C and N inputs into the soil. We studied the dynamics of dual-labeled (13C/15N) Pinus ponderosa needles and fine roots placed at two soil depths (O and A horizon) in a temperate conifer forest soil during 2 y. Input of C as fine roots resulted in much more C retained in soil (70.5 ± 2.2% of applied) compared with needle C (42.9 ± 1.3% of applied) after 1.5 y. Needles showed faster mass loss, rates of soil 13CO2 efflux, and more 15N immobilized into microbial biomass than did fine roots. The larger proportion of labile C compounds initially present in needles (17% more needle C was water soluble than in fine roots) likely contributed to its shorter C residence time and greater degree of transformation in the soil. A double exponential decay function best described the rate of 13C loss, with a smaller initial pulse of C loss from fine roots (S1k1) and a slower decay rate of the recalcitrant C pool for fine roots (0.03 y−1) compared with (0.19 y−1) for needles. Soil 13C respiration, representing heterotrophic respiration of litter C, was much more seasonal from the O horizon than from the A. However, offsetting seasonal patterns in 13C dynamics in the O horizon resulted in no net effect of soil depth on total 13C retention in the soil after 1.5 y for either litter. Almost 90% of applied litter N was retained in the soil after 1.5 y, independent of litter quality or soil depth. Very small amounts of 13C or 15N (<3% of applied) moved to the horizon above or below the placement depth (i.e., O to A or A to O). Our results suggest that plant allocation belowground to fine roots results in more C retained and less N mineralized compared with allocation aboveground to needles, primarily due to litter quality differences.

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Abbreviations

CFE:

chloroform fumigation extraction

DED:

double exponential decay

IRMS:

isotope ratio mass spectrometer

SED:

single exponential decay

SOM:

soil organic matter

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Bldg., Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States

    Jeffrey A. Bird

  2. Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Rd., Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States

    Margaret S. Torn

  3. Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Ecosystem Sciences Division, University of California, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States

    Jeffrey A. Bird

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  1. Jeffrey A. Bird
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Correspondence to Jeffrey A. Bird.

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Bird, J.A., Torn, M.S. Fine Roots vs. Needles: A Comparison of 13C and 15N Dynamics in a Ponderosa Pine Forest Soil. Biogeochemistry 79, 361–382 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-005-5632-y

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