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EFFECTS OF H ION ON ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: EFFECTS ON HERBACEOUS BIOMASS, MINERALIZATION, NITRIFIERS AND NITRIFICATION IN A FOREST COMMUNITY
Author(s) -
Lodhi M. A. K.
Publication year - 1982
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.1537-2197.1982.tb13281.x
Subject(s) - nitrification , deciduous , mineralization (soil science) , nutrient , agronomy , biology , ecosystem , ammonium , biomass (ecology) , ecology , herbaceous plant , nitrosomonas , biogeochemical cycle , environmental chemistry , nitrate , soil water , chemistry , nitrite , nitrogen , organic chemistry
The effects of H ion were studied by lowering the soil pH in a deciduous forest. Increased H + burden significantly reduced the dry mass of herbaceous vegetation. Increased H + significantly mobilized Ca (226%) and Mg (244%) to the deeper soil profile, thus reducing uptake of those nutrients by intact vegetation. Moreover, the low pH also had a drastic impact on nitrifiers and nitrification. The 70% reduction in NO ‐ 3 ‐N was directly related to the reduction in numbers of Nitrosomonas (91%) and Nitrobacter (100%). Ammonium N also declined under H + stress, indicating a reduction in N‐mineralization process. It was hypothesized that increased H + stress in deciduous forests may deplete major nutrients, mobilize micronutrients, reduce soil microbial populations and decrease plant biomass. Thus a deciduous forest may evolve into a nutrient‐poor soil ecosystem and may shift toward a “semi‐podzol ecosystem.”