The effect of plant species on soil nitrogen mineralization

Van der Krift, TAJ Berendse, F

Taj. Van Der Krift et F. Berendse, The effect of plant species on soil nitrogen mineralization, J ECOLOGY, 89(4), 2001, pp. 555-561

22

INGLESE

Article

Environment/Ecology

JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

0022-0477 → ACNP

89

4

2001

555 - 561

ISI

0022-0477(200108)89:4<555:TEOPSO>2.0.ZU;2-Y

1 To ascertain the influence of different plant species on nitrogen (N) cyc ling, we performed a long-term garden experiment with six grasses and five dicots with different potential growth rates, that are adapted to habitats with different nutrient supplies. We measured in situ N mineralization and nitrification of the soil under monocultures of each species during the fou rth year of the experiment. 2 We focused on the effects of the different species on (i) annual net N mi neralization; (ii) the seasonal pattern of N mineralization; and (iii) the fraction of the total N mineralization that is nitrified. Our hypothesis wa s that plant species of nutrient-rich habitats would enhance the N minerali zation compared with species of nutrient-poor habitats. 3 The results demonstrate a strong influence of the species on net N minera lization and net nitrification, both of which fluctuated strongly during th e year. Overall, species from high fertility habitats increased N mineraliz ation and nitrification more than species from low fertility habitats. Abou t 90% of the mineralized ammonium was oxidized to nitrate. There was no sig nificant difference in this proportion in the plots of species from nutrien t-rich, moderate and nutrient-poor habitats.