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Influence of tree species on gross and net N transformations in forest soils

Influence de l’essence forestière sur la minéralisation brute et nette de l’azote du sol

Annals of Forest Science volume 64, pages 151–158 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

We compared N fluxes in a 150-year-old Fagus sylvatica coppice and five adjacent 25-year-old plantations of Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Quercus petraea, Pinus laricio and Pseudotsuga menziesii. We measured net N mineralization fluxes in the upper mineral horizon (A1, 0–5 cm) for 4 weeks and gross N mineralization fluxes for two days. Gross rates were measured during the 48-h period after addition of 15NH4 and 15NO3. Mineralization was measured by the 15NH4 dilution technique and gross nitrification by 15NO3 production from the addition of 15NH4, and by 15NO3 dilution. Net and gross N mineralization was lower in the soil of the old coppice, than in the plantations, both on a soil weight and organic nitrogen basis. Gross nitrification was also very low. Gross nitrification measured by NO3 dilution was slightly higher than measured by 15NO3 production from the addition of 15NH4. In the plantations, gross and net mineralization and nitrification from pool dilution were lowest in the spruce stand and highest in the beech and Corsican pine stands. We concluded that: (1) the low net mineralization in the soil of the old coppice was related to low gross rate of mineralization rather than to the concurrent effect of microbial immobilisation of mineral N; (2) the absence of nitrate in the old coppice was not related to the low rate of mineralization nor to the absence of nitrifyers, but most probably to the inhibition of nitrifyers in the moder humus; (3) substituting the old coppice by young stands favours nitrifyer communities; and (4) heterotrophic nitrifyers may bypass the ammonification step in these acid soils, but further research is needed to check this process and to characterize the microbial communities.

Résumé

Nous avons mesuré les flux de minéralisation nette d’azote au cours d’une incubation de quatre semaines et les flux bruts d’azote au cours d’une incubation de deux jours dans 6 sols prélevés dans une comparaison d’espèces forestières. Nous avons comparé les horizons A1 d’un taillis sous futaie (TSF) de Fagus sylvatica et de cinq plantations adjacentes de 25 ans de Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Quercus petraea, Pinus laricio et Pseudotsuga menziesii. Les taux bruts ont été mesurés 48 h après l’addition de 15NH4, et 15NO3. La minéralisation brute a été calculée à partir de la dilution de 15NH4 et la nitrification brute à partir de la dilution de 15NO3 mais aussi de la production de 15NO3 à partir de l’apport de 15NH4. La minéralisation brute et nette est la plus basse dans le TSF, exprimée par gramme de sol ou d’azote organique. La nitrification nette et brute mesurée par enrichissement en 15NO3 est très faible, mais la nitrification brute est sensiblement plus élevée lorsqu’on l’évalue par dilution isotopique du 15NO3. Dans les plantations, la minéralisation et la nitrification brute et nette sont plus faibles sous épicéa et plus élevées sous hêtre et pin Laricio. Nous en concluons que (1) la faible minéralisation d’azote dans le TSF est directement liée à une faible minéralisation brute et non à l’expression d’une immobilisation microbienne de l’azote minéral formé; (2) l’absence de nitrate dans le TSF n’est pas liée à l’absence de nitrifiants mais plutôt à l’inhibition de leur activité sous le moder; (3) la coupe rase du TSF et sa plantation entraîne une levée partielle ou totale de cette inhibition; et (4) l’activité de nitrifiants hétérotrophes sans libération intermédiaire de NH4 est possible dans ces sols acides. Des études plus approfondies devraient permettre de vérifier ce point et d’identifier ces populations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UR 1138 Biogéochimie des Écosystèmes Forestiers, INRA Nancy, 54280, Champenoux, France

    Bernd Zeller, Morgan Kunze, Micheline Colin-Belgrand, Séverine Bienaimé, Jacques Ranger & Etienne Dambrine

  2. Unité d’Agronomie Laon-Reims-Mons, INRA, rue F. Christ, 02007, Laon Cedex, France

    Sylvie Recous

  3. LIMOS UMR 7137, CNRS-UHP Nancy I, BP 239, 54506, Vandœuvre-les-Nancy Cedex, France

    Judicaël Moukoumi

Authors
  1. Bernd Zeller
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  2. Sylvie Recous
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  3. Morgan Kunze
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  4. Judicaël Moukoumi
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  5. Micheline Colin-Belgrand
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  6. Séverine Bienaimé
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  7. Jacques Ranger
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  8. Etienne Dambrine
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Correspondence to Etienne Dambrine.

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Zeller, B., Recous, S., Kunze, M. et al. Influence of tree species on gross and net N transformations in forest soils. Ann. For. Sci. 64, 151–158 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2006099

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Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X