Soil inorganic nitrogen pulses and leaf nitrogen resorption in two Pinus hartwegii Lindl. forests

Abstract Introduction: Nutrient movement in high mountain forests generates information on their functioning and response to climate change effects. Nitrogen dynamics in these ecosystems has been poorly studied. Objective: To quantify N reservoirs in forest litter, topsoil (0-10 cm) and needle litterfall, and to measure temporal concentrations of nitrate and ammonium in topsoil and N resorption (ReabsN) in the Jocotilán (JO) and Tláloc (TL) mountains of central Mexico. Materials and methods: A total of 108 (JO) and 128 (TL) soil and needle litterfall samples were collected for one year. N and ReabsN reservoirs were compared between mountains using the Wilcoxon test (P < 0.05). Temporal trends of soil moisture, N and ReabsN forms were analyzed with linear mixed models, setting time and mountain as fixed factors. Results and discussion: Gravimetric moisture, total N, and nitrate and ammonium concentrations were not different between mountains. Total inorganic N (ammonium + nitrate) in JO was higher than in TL (46 vs. 41 mg∙kg-1). N in needle litterfall and soil were higher in JO, but ReabsN in TL was higher (60 vs. 55 %). Soil moisture, ammonium and ReabsN had a seasonal pattern of cubic trend (P < 0.05), denoting N pulses. Conclusions: Forests showed differences in N dynamics in needle litterfall, resorption and soil inorganic forms of N, indicating that it is possible to differentiate their functioning according to this nutrient.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Torres-Duque,Fabiola, Gómez-Guerrero,Armando, Trejo-Téllez,Libia I., Reyes-Hernández,Valentín J., Correa-Díaz,Arian
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Coordinación de Revistas Institucionales 2022
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2007-40182022000200257
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Summary:Abstract Introduction: Nutrient movement in high mountain forests generates information on their functioning and response to climate change effects. Nitrogen dynamics in these ecosystems has been poorly studied. Objective: To quantify N reservoirs in forest litter, topsoil (0-10 cm) and needle litterfall, and to measure temporal concentrations of nitrate and ammonium in topsoil and N resorption (ReabsN) in the Jocotilán (JO) and Tláloc (TL) mountains of central Mexico. Materials and methods: A total of 108 (JO) and 128 (TL) soil and needle litterfall samples were collected for one year. N and ReabsN reservoirs were compared between mountains using the Wilcoxon test (P < 0.05). Temporal trends of soil moisture, N and ReabsN forms were analyzed with linear mixed models, setting time and mountain as fixed factors. Results and discussion: Gravimetric moisture, total N, and nitrate and ammonium concentrations were not different between mountains. Total inorganic N (ammonium + nitrate) in JO was higher than in TL (46 vs. 41 mg∙kg-1). N in needle litterfall and soil were higher in JO, but ReabsN in TL was higher (60 vs. 55 %). Soil moisture, ammonium and ReabsN had a seasonal pattern of cubic trend (P < 0.05), denoting N pulses. Conclusions: Forests showed differences in N dynamics in needle litterfall, resorption and soil inorganic forms of N, indicating that it is possible to differentiate their functioning according to this nutrient.