Journalartikel

Jahr der Veröffentlichung: 2008

Seiten: 543-548

Zeitschrift: Nature Geoscience

Bandnummer: 1

Heftnummer: 8

ISSN: 1752-0894

eISSN: 1752-0908

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo252

Verlag: Nature Research

Abstract: 
Nitrogen cycling is an important aspect of forest ecosystem functioning. Pristine temperate rainforests have been shown to produce large amounts of bioavailable nitrogen, but despite high nitrogen turnover rates, loss of bioavailable nitrogen is minimal in these ecosystems. This tight nitrogen coupling is achieved through fierce competition for bioavailable nitrogen by abiotic processes, soil microbes and plant roots, all of which transfer bioavailable nitrogen to stable nitrogen sinks, such as soil organic matter and above-ground forest vegetation. Here, we use a combination of in situ (15)N isotope dilution and (15)N tracer techniques in volcanic soils of a temperate evergreen rainforest in southern Chile to further unravel retention mechanisms for bioavailable nitrogen. We find three processes that contribute significantly to nitrogen bioavailability in rainforest soils: heterotrophic nitrate production, nitrate turnover into ammonium and into a pool of dissolved organic nitrogen that is not prone to leaching loss, and finally, the decoupling of dissolved inorganic nitrogen turnover and leaching losses of dissolved organic nitrogen. Identification of these biogeochemical processes helps explain the retention of bioavailable nitrogen in pristine temperate rainforests.

Harvard-Zitierstil: Huygens, D., Boeckx, P., Templer, P., Paulino, L., Van Cleemput, O., Oyarzun, C., et al. (2008) Mechanisms for retention of bioavailable nitrogen in volcanic rainforest soils, Nature Geoscience, 1(8), pp. 543-548. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo252

APA-Zitierstil: Huygens, D., Boeckx, P., Templer, P., Paulino, L., Van Cleemput, O., Oyarzun, C., Müller, C., & Godoy, R. (2008). Mechanisms for retention of bioavailable nitrogen in volcanic rainforest soils. Nature Geoscience. 1(8), 543-548. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo252