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COMPARATIVE INHIBITION OF NITRIFIERS AND NITRIFICATION IN A FOREST COMMUNITY AS A RESULT OF THE ALLELOPATHIC NATURE OF VARIOUS TREE SPECIES
Author(s) -
Lodhi M. A. K.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1978.tb06181.x
Subject(s) - nitrification , nitrosomonas , biology , ammonium , nitrobacter , ecosystem , nitrogen , nitrate , allelopathy , nitrogen cycle , ecology , environmental chemistry , botany , chemistry , nitrite , germination , organic chemistry
Inhibition of nitrification and nitrifiers was significantly variable under different tree species in the same forest ecosystem. Nitrate nitrogen was always lower than ammonium nitrogen when compared under each species. On the other hand, low numbers of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter showed an inverse relationship with large amounts of ammonium in most samples. Aforementioned variation is due to the variable tree litter under different species, which in turn produces inhibitors of nitrification and nitrifiers. Inhibition of nitrification in natural ecosystems increases the amounts of ammonium nitrogen thus resulting in a conservation of energy, if plants utilize such nitrogen directly.