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The influence of elevated nitrate concentration on rate of leaf decomposition in a stream
Author(s) -
MEYER JUDY L.,
JOHNSON CAROL
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
freshwater biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2427
pISSN - 0046-5070
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1983.tb00669.x
Subject(s) - nitrate , watershed , robinia , plant litter , environmental science , streams , nutrient , environmental chemistry , agronomy , chemistry , hydrology (agriculture) , ecology , biology , computer network , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science , engineering
SUMMARY.1 Leaf decomposition was compared in two streams at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina. U.S.A. One stream drains an undisturbed hardwood watershed, while the other drains a successional watershed subject to an insect outbreak. The successional watershed has elevated nitrate concentrations in the streamwater. 2 Both black locust ( Robinia pseudo‐acacia ) and sweet birch ( Betula lenta ) leaf litter decomposed 2.8 times more rapidly in the stream with high nitrate concentrations. 3 The more rapid decay rates appeared to be partly due to accelerated microbial processing in response to nitrate enrichment, because microbial biomass (as ATP) was higher in the nitrate‐enriched stream. 4 At each point in time, nitrogen and phosphorus content of the litter was lower in the high nitrate stream; however, there was no significant difference in nitrogen or phosphorus content at the same state of leaf decay in the two streams.