Nitrogen cycling and proton fluxes in an acid forest soil

Ironhill, near Liphook, UK, was the site of a forest fumigation experiment. Nitrogen cycling within the humoferric podzol soil was a component of the study into the impacts of sulphur dioxide and ozone on coniferous trees. Variation in total soil N and N mineralisation was too great to determine impacts from the fumigant gases. Differences in the nitrogen mineralisation potential of the soils were unrelated to the initial levels of mineral or total N, or to pH. Mineralisation potential was affected by temperature and a Q₁₀ of approximately 3 was demonstrated. Mineralisation potential was reduced in very dry soils, but the wetting of these dry soils did not result in enhanced mineralisation, relative to fresh samples of equivalent moisture content. Nitrification potential was detected in this forest soil of pH 3 (in 0.01 m CaCl₂).The soil N data and those from the analysis of N within vegetation were used to prepare N budgets for the second and third seasons' growth of a mixed conifer forest; by the third year, N appeared to limit tree growth.The relative magnitude of proton fluxes from plant growth, nitrification and atmospheric inputs was estimated. Acidity generated from the balance of cations and anions in plant uptake, and soil N transformations was estimated to be comparable to that from `acid rain'. This comparison was based on only parts of the N cycle because they may occur remotely, in time or space, from other transformations of N. The comparison is valid, therefore, at the scale of individual trees or small-scale experimental plots, but at forest scale, wet and dry deposition were predicted to be the more significant for ecosystem acidification.     

Effect of temperature on nitrogen transformation in Hawaiian soils

Summary In a field experiment soil samples buried at the warmer temperature regime nitrified added ammonium faster than soils buried at the cooler temperature regime. Nitrification occurred more rapidly under both regimes in a soil which had developed in a warm climatic zone than in two other soils developed under cooler conditions.The rate of nitrification of added ammonium in soils incubated at 5, 15, 25 and 40°C in the laboratory increased with increase in the temperature up to 25°C in three out of four soils. In the fourth soil nitrification was as active at 40°C as at 25°C. The temperature range for appreciable nitrification to occur in a soil was related to the environmental conditions where the soil was formed.Mineralization of organic nitrogen occurred to a greater extent at 40°C than at three lower incubating temperatures of 5, 15, and 25°C. Rapid and active mineralization was associated with high organic matter and C/N ratio in soils     

Nitrification in soils of secondary vegetational successions from Eucalyptus forest and grassland to cool temperate rainforest in Tasmania

Rates of nitrification in well drained granitic soils from forest stands and grassland of differing successional status and from beneath isolated individuals of several tree species were compared in a series of laboratory experiments. Fresh samples were perfused with distilled water or nutrient solution for 10 to 14 weeks at 20°C. The following treatments were applied to the soils singly and in combination: 200 and 400 g N g^–1 as (NH₄)₂SO₄; 100 g P g^–1 as KH₂PO₄; 4000 g CaCO₃ g^–1; inoculation of non-nitrifying soil with nitrifying soil; perfusion of nitrifying soil with leachate from non-nitrifying soil.Nitrification was absent or occurred at only a low rate in many soils; it generally increased as succession proceeded from nature grassland or eucalypt forest towards climax temperate rainforest, but decreased in mature climax forests. However, the influence of individual tree species was often paramount. Nitrification was stimulated by disturbance of a stand by disease. A possible inhibitor of nitrification in a rainforest soil could not be removed by leaching with water, nor transferred via the leachate to a nitrifying soil. Addition of P was without effect on either total amount of nitrate produced or on net mineralisation of soil N, but sometimes increased the rate of nitrification of added ammonium. Non-nitrifying rainforest soil of pH 4.3 was induced to nitrify only after addition of (NH₄)₂SO₄, inoculation with a nitrifying soil, and addition of CaCO₃ to raise pH by 3 units. However, once nitrification had commenced it could continue with little change in rate while pH decreased to a value of 3.4.It was concluded that rate of nitrification is dependent upon the presence of particular tree species in a stand, upon its history of disturbance, and hence in part upon the stand's successional status. It is not limited by pHper se within the range found in these soils, although an increase in pH may be necessary to initiate nitrification. In some soils the rate of nitrification may be limited by the level of ammonium substrate, and nitrifiers are virtually absent from others. Overall microbial activity is limited by lack of utilisable carbon substrate.     

The management of populations of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in acid-infertile soils of a savanna ecosystem

Topsoil stockpiled for 4 years resulted in an accumulation of NH₄-N at depths of 1m or more in mound, as measured by an ammonia gas-sensing electrode. When leached with water these soils were also found to contain high concentrations of dissolved organic C below 1m. Both NH₄-N and DOC were products of microbial mineralisation of soil organic matter that accumulated under anaerobic conditions. When these soils were restored a flush of decomposition took place, fuelled by labile organic matter and soluble nitrogen.Stockpiled soil which underwent an ammonium-rich perfusion regime in the laboratory indicated that in-mound soils rapidly attained greater nitrification potential than surface mound soils and also had greater potential for further mineralisation of organic matter to NH₄-N. This further production was seen as a contribution from the bacterial flush, stimulated by the large labile-C pool already present.As the bulk of stored soil was anaerobic, restored soils were seen as potentially wasteful of their N-reserves; the fate of nitrogen and soluble carbon compounds in restored soils is discussed.     

Mineralisation of nitrogen from an incorporated catch crop at low temperatures: experiment and simulation

The release of nitrogen from incorporated catch crop material in winter is strongly influenced by soil temperatures. A laboratory experiment was carried out to investigate this influence in the range of 1-15 °C. Samples of sandy soil or a mixture of sandy soil with rye shoots were incubated at 1-5-10-15 °C, and samples of sandy soil with rye roots were incubated at 5-10-15 °C. Concentrations of N_min (NH₄ ⁺-N and NO₃ ^--N) were measured after 0-1-2-4-7-10 weeks for the sandy soil and the sandy soil:rye shoot mixture, and after 0-2-7-10 weeks for the sandy soil:rye root mixture. At 1 °C, 20% of total organic N in the crop material had been mineralised after ten weeks, indicating that mineralisation at low temperatures is not negligible. Maximum mineralisation occurred at 15 °C; after ten weeks, it was 39% of total applied organic nitrogen from shoot and 35% from root material. The time course of mineralisation was calculated using an exponential decay function. It was found that the influence of temperature in the range 1-15 °C could be described by the Arrhenius equation, stating a linear increase of ln(k) with T^-1, k being the relative mineralisation rate in day^-1 and T the temperature (°C). A simulation model was developed in which decomposition, mineralisation and nitrification were modelled as one step processes, following first order kinetics. The relative decomposition rate was influenced by soil temperature and soil moisture content, and the mineralisation of N was calculated from the decomposition of C, the C to N ratio of the catch crop material and the C to N ratio of the microbial biomass. The model was validated first with the results of the experiment. The model was further validated with the results of an independent field experiment, with temperatures fluctuating between 3 and 20 °C. The simulated time course of mineralisation differed significantly from the experimental values, due to an underestimation of the mineralisation during the first weeks of incubation.     

High abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in acidified subtropical forest soils in southern China after long-term N deposition

Nitrification has been believed to be performed only by autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) until the recent discovery of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA). Meanwhile, it has been questioned whether AOB are significantly responsible for NH(3) oxidation in acidic forest soils. Here, we investigated nitrifying communities and their activity in highly acidified soils of three subtropical forests in southern China that had received chronic high atmospheric N deposition. Nitrifying communities were analyzed using PCR- and culture (most probable number)-based approaches. Nitrification activity was analyzed by measuring gross soil nitrification rates using a (15) N isotope dilution technique. AOB were not detected in the three forest soils: neither via PCR of 16S rRNA and ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) genes nor via culture-based approaches. In contrast, an extraordinary abundance of the putative archaeal amoA was detected (3.2?×?10(8) -1.2?×?10(9) g?soil(-1) ). Moreover, this abundance was correlated with gross soil nitrification rates. This indicates that amoA-possessing archaea rather than bacteria were predominantly responsible for nitrification of the soils. Furthermore, sequences of the genus Nitrospira, a dominant group of soil NOB, were detected. Thus, nitrification of acidified subtropical forest soils in southern China could be performed by a combination of AOA and NOB.     

Mineralization of soil nitrogen in three forest communities from the New England region of New South Wales

Nitrogen (N) mineralization rates and the temperature response patterns of mineral N production in surface (0–7.6 cm) soils were compared in laboratory incubation studies based on disturbed, composite samples. Seasonal variation in the field levels of mineral N, and mineralization potential of intact (7.6 × 5.6 cm diameter) soil cores, were also investigated. Ammonification proceeded rapidly in each soil. Nitrification did not occur in grassy forest (GF) soil but was active in both layered forest (LF) and mossy forest (MF) soils, especially the former. Total mineral N production was greatest in MF and least in LF. Ammonification in disturbed samples was maximal at 50°C in all three soils with a secondary peak at 10°C in LF soil. Nitrification in LF and MF soils was most rapid at 25°C. Several species of ammonifying bacteria with different temperature optima were isolated, indicating that the process of ammonification is a composite of the activities of a variety of decomposer microbes. Mean field levels of mineral N and NH₄–N throughout the year were greatest in MF and least in LF. Seasonal fluctuations in NH₄–N were evident, concentrations being universally low in mid-winter (about 1.5 μgg^-1), increasing to a maximum in late summer (about 5 μg g^-1 in LF: 16–18 μg g^-1 in GF and MF). Field levels of NO₃–N were more constant and never more than 5 μg g^-1 in any community. Both total mineralization and ammonification in intact cores were greatest in MF and least in LF while nitrification was greatest in LF and almost negligible in GF, thus confirming the results obtained with disturbed samples. The potential for mineralization was large in mid-winter when the amount of mineral N was very low, and small in late summer when field levels were higher: this is interpreted as indicating that seasonal climatic factors regulate the availability of substrates for decomposers. Spatial variability in field levels of mineral N and mineral N production in the laboratory was evidenced by significant ‘sampling site’ effects in each community: however, at the sampling intensity used, the presence of bark mounds around Eucalyptus saligna trees could not be shown to affect these attributes. The inability of GF soil to nitrify when incubated in the laboratory could not be ascribed to a high C/N ratio, low pH, lack of substrate ammonium, or a low population of autotrophic nitrifying bacteria. No attempt was made to investigate the presence of allelopathic nitrification inhibitors. No evidence was obtained to support the view that nitrification is atypical of climax communities in situ. The most productive forest (LF) had the greatest capacity to nitrify and the least productive community (GF) the smallest capacity to do so.     

Nitrification potentials in early successional black locust and in mixed hardwood forest stands in the southern Appalachians,USA

Soil nitrogen mineralisation and nitrification potentials, and soil solution chemistry were measured in black locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia L.), in pine-mixed hardwood stands on an early successional watershed (WS6), and in an older growth oak-hickory forest located on an adjacent, mixed hardwood watershed (WS14) at Coweeta Hydrologic laboratory, in the southern Appalachian mountains, U.S.A. Nitrification potentials were higher in black locust and pine-mixed hardwood early successional stands than in the oak-hickory forest of the older growth watershed. Ammonification rates were the main factor controlling nitrification in the early successional stands. There was no evidence of inhibition of nitrification in soils from the older growth oak-hickory forest site.Within the early successional watershed, black locust sites had net mineralisation and nitrification rates at least twice as high as those in the pine mixed-hardwood stands. Concentrations of exchangeable nitrate in the soil of black locust stands were higher than in pine-mixed hardwoods at 0–15 cm in March and they were also higher at 0–15, 16–30 and 31–45 cm depth in the black locust dominated sites in July. Soil solution nitrate concentrations were higher under black locust than under pine-mixed hardwoods. Areas dominated by the nitrogen fixing black locust had greater nitrogen mineralisation and nitrification rates, resulting in higher potential for leaching losses of nitrate from the soil column in the early successional watershed.     

Disturbance Decouples Biogeochemical Cycles Across Forests of the Southeastern US

Biogeochemical cycles are inherently linked through the stoichiometric demands of the organisms that cycle the elements. Landscape disturbance can alter element availability and thus the rates of biogeochemical cycling. Nitrification is a fundamental biogeochemical process positively related to plant productivity and nitrogen loss from soils to aquatic systems, and the rate of nitrification is sensitive to both carbon and nitrogen availability. Yet how these controls influence nitrification rates at the landscape scale is not fully elucidated. We, therefore, sampled ten watersheds with different disturbance histories in the southern Appalachian Mountains to examine effects on potential net nitrification rates. Using linear mixed model selection (AIC), we narrowed a broad suite of putative explanatory variables into a set of models that best explained landscape patterns in potential net nitrification. Forest disturbance history determined whether nitrification and nitrogen mineralization were correlated, with the effect apparently mediated by microbially available carbon. Undisturbed forests had higher available carbon, which uncoupled potential net nitrification from potential net nitrogen mineralization. In contrast, disturbed watersheds had lower available carbon, and nitrification rates were strongly correlated to those of nitrogen mineralization. These data suggest that a history of disturbance at the landscape scale reduces soil carbon availability, which increases ammonium availability to nitrifiers at the micro-scale. Landscape-level soil carbon availability then appears to determine the coupling of autotrophic (nitrification) and heterotrophic (nitrogen mineralization) biogeochemical processes, and hence the relationship between carbon and nitrogen cycling in soils.     

Nitrification and mineralization potentials in a limed Ultisol in the humid tropics

Summary We studied the effect of liming on the rates of mineralization and nitrification in a coarse-textured kaolinitic Ultisol. Soil samples were taken from field plots which received lime rates from 0 to 4mt/ha three years prior to the study. The pH of the soil samples varied from 4.2 to 6.1. Ammonification of soil organic N and added urea source proceeded readily and was not affected by lime rate. Nitrification occurred in both limed and unlimed soils but the rate of nitrification depended upon the rate of lime application. Soil pH, exchangeable Ca and exchangeable A1 were significantly correlated with the amount of NO₃-N accumulated at the end of the 65 days incubation period. Nitrification of NH₄-N from ammonium sulfate was absent in soils receiving lower rates of lime which gave pH values ranging from 4.2 to 4.8. Added ammonium source was nitrified readily after a 3-week delay period in the soil (pH 6.1) which received a higher rate of lime (4 mt/ha).     

The effect of woodland soil translocation on carbon and nitrogen mineralisation processes

Two investigations into the translocation of temperate deciduous woodland soil were carried out in Kent, S. E. England, to study the effects on C and N mineralisation. In the field experiment, two translocation methods were compared: (i) placement, moving soil as an intact surface profile and (ii) loose-tipping in which the surface profile was mixed. These were implemented in winter both in situ (under the woodland canopy) and ex situ (soil moved to a receptor site outside woodland). In a second experiment, intact soil cores from the woodland site were subjected to different levels of disturbance in a polythene tunnel environment. Measurements of soil CO₂ evolution and N mineralisation in both experiments showed a clear seasonal pattern, strongly influenced by temperature. Over a 7-month period, cumulative net N mineralisation in the field was greater in the woodland controls and placement treatments than loose-tipping treatments. Soil CO₂ emissions were also greater in woodland control plots in the winter compared with ex situ treatments. Similarly, in the polythene tunnel environment, CO₂ emissions were highest in the undisturbed soil cores, while N mineralisation varied with soil depth but, across the whole profile, was also greater in the controls. We conclude that the mixing of organic rich topsoil with mineral subsoil in clayey soil may have protected the organic residues on the clay-silt surfaces, resulting in overall lower mineralisation rates in the disturbed soil. These results indicate that N mineralisation does not necessarily increase when soil translocation operations are carried out on clayey soils in winter. Placement methods appeared the most likely to conserve soil mineralisation processes close to those in undisturbed woodland soil, but depend greatly on the success of maintaining the soil profile intact. It appears that, on clayey soils, the development of vegetation at the receptor site is more likely to be determined by alterations in the light, soil temperature and moisture regime that will occur in open conditions after woodland translocation than from increased soil N supply.     

Dynamics of the internal soil nitrogen cycles under moder and mull forest floor types on a slope in a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis> D. Don plantation

To examine the influence of microbial carbon (C) availability on the internal soil nitrogen (N) cycles under moder and mull forest floor types within the same slope sequence, surface mineral soils (0–5cm depth) taken at upper (moder-type forest floor) and lower (mull-type forest floor) positions on a slope in a Cryptomeria japonica D. Don plantation were incubated for 300days. During the incubation, changes in net and gross N transformations, the organic C and N pools, and microbial respiration were monitored. Despite relatively small differences in net N mineralization in both soils, very rapid rates of gross N transformations were found in mull soil during the initial 15days of the experiment. A rapid net nitrification occurred after days 150 and 100 in moder and mull soils, respectively, presumably because of decreased microbial C availability. However, a rapid net nitrification also occurred in the mull soil during the initial 15days when microbial C availability was high, and gross nitrification was detected in both soils, except at day 0 in the moder soil. Changes in gross N transformations and in organic C and N pools over the experiment suggested that the start of rapid net nitrification might be influenced not only by microbial C availability, but also by the microbial availability of N relative to C.     

Nitrogen mineralization in acid sulfate soils

Summary Mineralization of soil nitrogen studies with two acid sulfate soils under anaerobic and aerobic incubation at 30°C for 2 weeks showed that the mineral N was released and accumulated entirely as NH ₄ ⁺ in both soils. Nitrification did not occur in either of the soils under conditions that stimulate nitrification. The acid sulfate soils studied release good amounts of mineralizable N, and, because of lack of nitrifying activity, denitrification may not be a serious problem in these soils.     

Fluxes of nitrous oxide from boreal peatlands as affected by peatland type,water table level and nitrification capacity

Peat soils with high nitrogen content are potential sources of nitrous oxide (N₂O). Fluxes of nitrous oxide were measuredin situ on nine virgin and ten drained peatlands of different hydrology and nutrient status. Numbers of nitrifying bacteria were estimated in different layers of the peat profiles with a most-probable-number technique. Nitrification potentials were determined in soil slurries of pH 4 and 6 from the profiles of six peat soils. Many virgin peatlands showed low N₂O uptake. Lowering of the water table generally increased the average fluxes of N₂O from the soils, although more in minerotrophic (nutrient rich) than in ombrotrophic (nutrient poor) sites. Ammonium oxidizing bacteria were found on only two sites but nitrite oxidizers were detected in almost all peat profiles. More nitrite oxidizers were found in drained than in virgin peat profiles. Nitrification was enhanced after lowering of the water table in minerotrophic peat but not in ombrotrophic peat. The N₂O fluxes correlated positively with the numbers of nitrite oxidizers, nitrification potential, N, P and Ca content and pH of the soil and negatively with the level of water table (expressed as negative values) and K content of the soil.     

The role of monoterpenes in soil nitrogen cycling processes in ponderosa pine

The effects of select monoterpenes on nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification potentials were determined in four separate laboratory bioassays. The effect of increasing monoterpene addition was an initial reduction in NO₃ ^–-N production (nitrification inhibition), followed by a reduction in the sum of NH₄ ⁺-N and NO₃ ^–-N (inhibition of net N mineralization and net immobilization at high monoterpene additions. Monoterpenes could produce this pattern by inhibiting nitrification, reducing net N mineralization, enhancing immobilization of NO₃ ^–-N relative to NH₄ ⁺-N, and/or stimulating overall net immobilization of N by carbon-rich material.Initial monoterpene concentrations in the assay soils were about 5% of the added amount and were below detection after incubation in most samples.Potential N mineralization-immobilization, nitrification, and soil monoterpene concentrations were determined by soil horizon for four collections from a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) stand in New Mexico. Concentrations of monoterpenes declined exponentially with soil depth and varied greatly within a horizon. Monoterpene content of the forest floor was not correlated with forest floor biomass. Net N mineralization was inversely correlated with total monoterpene content of all sampled horizons. Nitrification was greatest in the mineral soil, intermediate in the F-H horizon, and never occurred in the L horizon. Nitrification in the mineral soil was inversely correlated with the amount of monoterpenes in the L horizon that contain terminal unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds (r ² = 0.37, P 0.01). This pattern in the field corresponded to the pattern shown in the laboratory assays with increasing monoterpene additions.     

Short-term carbon and nitrogen mineralisation in soil amended with winery and distillery organic wastes

The aim of this work was to study the influence of the organic wastes derived from the winery and distillery industry (grape stalk (GS), grape marc (GM), wine lees (WL) and exhausted grape marc (EG)) and the soil type (clayey-loam (S1), loam (S2) and sandy textured (S3)) on different soil characteristics, especially the carbon and nitrogen mineralisation. The evolution of C mineralisation fitted a first-order kinetic for all amended soils. An initial increase was observed in the specific respiration (qCO(2)) at the beginning of the experiment. However, afterwards, the evolution in the qCO(2) was to tend towards the values of the control soil due to the pattern of the soil to recover its initial equilibrium status. The addition of these materials in the soils produced a slight increase of the inorganic nitrogen content, except in the case of GS and EG in most of the studied soils. The use of GS as amendment produced an inhibition in the N mineralisation in the three types of soils studied. Organic matter mineralisation was probably influenced by soil type, the sandy soil favouring more the N and C mineralisation processes than the clayey-loam and loam soils.     

Soil acidity and nutrient deficiency in central Amazonian heath forest soils

Experiments were carried out to test the effects of liming and nutrient additions on plant growth and soil processes such as C and N mineralisation in three contrasting forest types in central Amazonia: the stunted facies of heath forest (SHF), the tall facies of heath forest (THF) and the surrounding lowland evergreen rain forest (LERF). Calcium-carbonate additions increased soil respiration in the field plots in the SHF; in laboratory incubations, soil respiration was higher in the SHF when soils were fertilised with N, and in THF and LERF after S additions. The addition of N alone or in different combinations generally induced a net immobilisation of soil N. Net nitrification increased during the incubation in SHF and THF soils fertilised with N+P, and in LERF soils fertilised with either N, or P, or CaCO₃. In a field experiment using ingrowth bags, a higher fine root production was observed in all forest types when bags were fertilised with CaCl₂ or CaCO₃, suggesting that Ca may be a limiting nutrient in these soils. Calcium-carbonate addition in a glasshouse bioassay experiment with rice showed an overall positive effect on the survival and growth of the seedlings. In other treatments where soil pH was not raised, the rice showed acute toxicity symptoms, poor root and shoot growth and high mortality. Similar results were yielded in a field experiment, using naturally established seedlings in the field plots in SHF, THF and LERF. It is concluded that the acute H⁺ ion toxicity is a major growth-limiting factor for non-adapted plants in heath forest soils in central Amazonia.     

Nitrification in some tropical soils

Summary Nitrification of soil N in 8 mineral and 2 histosols having a wide range in pH (3.4 to 8.6), organic C (1.22 to 22.70%) and total N (0.09 to 1.20%) was studied by measuring nitrate fromation under aerobic incubation of the soil samples at 30°C for 4 weeks. The amounts of NO₃-N produced in the soils varied from 0 to 123 μg/g of soil. Soil N in the two acid sulfate soils and one other acid soil did not nitrify under conditions that stimulate nitrification. Soils having pH more than 6.0 nitrified at a rapid rate and released NO₃-N ranging from 98 to 123 μg/g. The two organic soils differed considerably in their capacity to nitrify though the total amounts of mineral N released were similar in these soils. The amounts of NO₃-N formed in the soils was highly positively correlated with the soil pH but was not significantly correlated with the organic C of total N content of the soils. Statistical analysis also showed that nitrate formation was not significantly correlated with soil pH in soils having pH higher than 6.0.     

Nitrification and occurrence of Nitrobacter by MPN-PCR in low and high nitrifying coniferous forest soils

The nitrification of three coniferous forest soils was investigated: a podzol (Fontainebleau, France) with low N deposition and no nitrate accumulation, an acid mull (Haldon, UK) with low N deposition and moderate nitrate accumulation, and a podzol (Wekerom, The Netherlands) with high N deposition and high nitrate accumulation. Twenty-one months in situ lysimeter experiments and short-term and long-term in vitro incubations were performed to respectively establish the status of NO ₃ ^- accumulation and potential nitrification of these soils. These complementary approaches allowed to conclude that the absence of NO ₃ ^- accumulation in Fontainebleau soil was effectively due to a lack of nitrifing activity in the whole profile while the high NO ₃ ^- accumulation observed in the Wekerom soil essentially resulted from an active nitrifying activity in the Oh horizon of this soil. For the Haldon soil, the inadequacy between the lysimeter and the short-term in vitro experiment was discussed.Surprisingly, relatively high densities of the nitrite-oxidiser Nitrobacter (enumerated by PCR-MPN technique) were found in all the studied horizons of the three soils. Moreover, a long-term incubation experiment showed that inhibition of nitrification in the Oh Fontainebleau soil could be removed after submitting the soil samples to constant conditions during 82 days. This demonstrates that in these soils, ammonium-oxidisers (as well as nitrite-oxidisers) are present and that extrinsic factors were involved in the inhibition of nitrification.     

Factors influencing spatial variability in nitrogen processing in nitrogen-saturated soils

Nitrogen (N) saturation is an environmental concern for forests in the eastern U.S. Although several watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF), West Virginia exhibit symptoms of N saturation, many watersheds display a high degree of spatial variability in soil N processing. This study examined the effects of temperature on net N mineralization and nitrification in N-saturated soils from FEF, and how these effects varied between high N-processing vs. low N-processing soils collected from two watersheds, WS3 (fertilized with [NH4]2SO4) and WS4 (untreated control). Samples of forest floor material (O1 horizon) and mineral soil (to a 5-cm depth) were taken from three subplots within each of four plots that represented the extremes of highest and lowest rates of net N mineralization and nitrification (hereafter, high N and low N, respectively) of untreated WS4 and N-treated WS3: control/low N, control/high N, N-treated/low N, N-treated/high N. Forest floor material was analyzed for carbon (C), lignin, and N. Subsamples of mineral soil were extracted immediately with 1 N KCl and analyzed for NH4+ and NO3- to determine preincubation levels. Extracts were also analyzed for Mg, Ca, Al, and pH. To test the hypothesis that the lack of net nitrification observed in field incubations on the untreated/low N plot was the result of absence of nitrifier populations, we characterized the bacterial community involved in N cycling by amplification of amoA genes. Remaining soil was incubated for 28 d at three temperatures (10, 20, and 30 degrees C), followed by 1 N KCl extraction and analysis for NH4+ and NO3-. Net nitrification was essentially 100% of net N mineralization for all samples combined. Nitrification rates from lab incubations at all temperatures supported earlier observations based on field incubations. At 30 degrees C, rates from N-treated/high N were three times those of N-treated/low N. Highest rates were found for untreated/high N (two times greater than those of N-treated/high N), whereas untreated/low N exhibited no net nitrification. However, soils exhibiting no net nitrification tested positive for presence of nitrifying bacteria, causing us to reject our initial hypothesis. We hypothesize that nitrifier populations in such soil are being inhibited by a combination of low Ca to Al ratios in mineral soil and allelopathic interactions with mycorrhizae of ericaceous species in the herbaceous layer.