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Forest N Dynamics after 25 years of Whole Watershed N Enrichment: The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine
Author(s) -
Patel Kaizad F.,
Fernandez Ivan J.,
Nelson Sarah J.,
Gruselle MarieCécile,
Norton Stephen A.,
Weiskittel Aaron R.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2018.09.0348
Subject(s) - watershed , ecosystem , soil water , environmental science , biomass (ecology) , experimental forest , vegetation (pathology) , forest ecology , hydrology (agriculture) , hardwood , deposition (geology) , ecology , forestry , geography , soil science , biology , geology , medicine , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , pathology , machine learning , sediment , computer science
Core Ideas Chronic N enrichment increased N exports, although ecosystem N retention was still high. Soil was the largest ecosystem N pool, but it was not significantly altered by chronic N enrichment. Chronic N enrichment increased biomass N accumulation in hardwood but not in softwood stands. We examine the temporal trend of input–output N fluxes and net ecosystem N retention, and estimate a mass balance for ecosystem soil and vegetation pools, after 25 yr of chemical manipulation at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine (BBWM). The BBWM is a paired whole watershed manipulation experiment designed to study the effects of elevated N and S deposition on forest ecosystem function. Starting in 1989, 25.2 kg N ha −1 was added annually to the West Bear (treated) watershed. The N additions in West Bear stimulated N loss through stream exports, and West Bear retained 81% of the annual N inputs, compared to 94% retention in the reference, East Bear. After 25 yr of N additions, the West Bear watershed had accumulated ∼700 kg ha −1 more N than East Bear in soils and vegetation, with ∼10% of the accumulated N stored in forest biomass. The treatment increased recent biomass N accumulation rates in the hardwood stands, but not in the softwoods. Soils did not show detectable differences in total N content between watersheds, although the organic soils had greater N in West Bear. This paper presents a unique set of findings from one of the few long‐term whole forest ecosystem N enrichment studies in the world. While N dynamics were clearly altered in West Bear, with evidence of accelerated N cycling, the treated watershed did not attain an advanced stage of N saturation during the study period, based on the evidence from forest growth and stream N exports.