Tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests.
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that plants often have species-specific effects on soil properties. In high elevation forests in the Southern Rocky Mountains, North America, areas that are dominated by a single tree species are often adjacent to areas dominated by another tree species. Here,...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:921869cafab94ca78a08aeaafd7df4a3 2023-05-15T18:50:36+02:00 Tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests. Edward Ayres Heidi Steltzer Sarah Berg Matthew D Wallenstein Breana L Simmons Diana H Wall 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005964 https://doaj.org/article/921869cafab94ca78a08aeaafd7df4a3 EN eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2694365?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203 1932-6203 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005964 https://doaj.org/article/921869cafab94ca78a08aeaafd7df4a3 PLoS ONE, Vol 4, Iss 6, p e5964 (2009) Medicine R Science Q article 2009 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005964 2022-12-31T05:25:34Z BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that plants often have species-specific effects on soil properties. In high elevation forests in the Southern Rocky Mountains, North America, areas that are dominated by a single tree species are often adjacent to areas dominated by another tree species. Here, we assessed soil properties beneath adjacent stands of trembling aspen, lodgepole pine, and Engelmann spruce, which are dominant tree species in this region and are distributed widely in North America. We hypothesized that soil properties would differ among stands dominated by different tree species and expected that aspen stands would have higher soil temperatures due to their open structure, which, combined with higher quality litter, would result in increased soil respiration rates, nitrogen availability, and microbial biomass, and differences in soil faunal community composition. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We assessed soil physical, chemical, and biological properties at four sites where stands of aspen, pine, and spruce occurred in close proximity to one-another in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado. Leaf litter quality differed among the tree species, with the highest nitrogen (N) concentration and lowest lignin:N in aspen litter. Nitrogen concentration was similar in pine and spruce litter, but lignin:N was highest in pine litter. Soil temperature and moisture were highest in aspen stands, which, in combination with higher litter quality, probably contributed to faster soil respiration rates from stands of aspen. Soil carbon and N content, ammonium concentration, and microbial biomass did not differ among tree species, but nitrate concentration was highest in aspen soil and lowest in spruce soil. In addition, soil fungal, bacterial, and nematode community composition and rotifer, collembolan, and mesostigmatid mite abundance differed among the tree species, while the total abundance of nematodes, tardigrades, oribatid mites, and prostigmatid mites did not. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Although some soil ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Mite Rotifer Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles San Juan PLoS ONE 4 6 e5964 |
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Medicine R Science Q Edward Ayres Heidi Steltzer Sarah Berg Matthew D Wallenstein Breana L Simmons Diana H Wall Tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests. |
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Medicine R Science Q |
description |
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that plants often have species-specific effects on soil properties. In high elevation forests in the Southern Rocky Mountains, North America, areas that are dominated by a single tree species are often adjacent to areas dominated by another tree species. Here, we assessed soil properties beneath adjacent stands of trembling aspen, lodgepole pine, and Engelmann spruce, which are dominant tree species in this region and are distributed widely in North America. We hypothesized that soil properties would differ among stands dominated by different tree species and expected that aspen stands would have higher soil temperatures due to their open structure, which, combined with higher quality litter, would result in increased soil respiration rates, nitrogen availability, and microbial biomass, and differences in soil faunal community composition. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We assessed soil physical, chemical, and biological properties at four sites where stands of aspen, pine, and spruce occurred in close proximity to one-another in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado. Leaf litter quality differed among the tree species, with the highest nitrogen (N) concentration and lowest lignin:N in aspen litter. Nitrogen concentration was similar in pine and spruce litter, but lignin:N was highest in pine litter. Soil temperature and moisture were highest in aspen stands, which, in combination with higher litter quality, probably contributed to faster soil respiration rates from stands of aspen. Soil carbon and N content, ammonium concentration, and microbial biomass did not differ among tree species, but nitrate concentration was highest in aspen soil and lowest in spruce soil. In addition, soil fungal, bacterial, and nematode community composition and rotifer, collembolan, and mesostigmatid mite abundance differed among the tree species, while the total abundance of nematodes, tardigrades, oribatid mites, and prostigmatid mites did not. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Although some soil ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Edward Ayres Heidi Steltzer Sarah Berg Matthew D Wallenstein Breana L Simmons Diana H Wall |
author_facet |
Edward Ayres Heidi Steltzer Sarah Berg Matthew D Wallenstein Breana L Simmons Diana H Wall |
author_sort |
Edward Ayres |
title |
Tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests. |
title_short |
Tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests. |
title_full |
Tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests. |
title_fullStr |
Tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests. |
title_sort |
tree species traits influence soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in high elevation forests. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005964 https://doaj.org/article/921869cafab94ca78a08aeaafd7df4a3 |
geographic |
San Juan |
geographic_facet |
San Juan |
genre |
Mite Rotifer |
genre_facet |
Mite Rotifer |
op_source |
PLoS ONE, Vol 4, Iss 6, p e5964 (2009) |
op_relation |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2694365?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203 1932-6203 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005964 https://doaj.org/article/921869cafab94ca78a08aeaafd7df4a3 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005964 |
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PLoS ONE |
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4 |
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e5964 |
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