Abstract
The Ferrous Wheel Hypothesis (Davidson et al. 2003) postulates the abiotic formation of dissolved organic N (DON) in forest floors, by the fast reaction of NO2− with dissolved organic C (DOC). We investigated the abiotic reaction of NO2− with dissolved organic matter extracted from six different forest floors under oxic conditions. Solutions differed in DOC concentrations (15–60 mg L−1), NO2− concentrations (0, 2, 20 mg NO2−-N L−1) and DOC/DON ratio (13.4–25.4). Concentrations of added NO2− never decreased within 60 min, therefore, no DON formation from added NO2− took place in any of the samples. Our results suggest that the reaction of NO2− with natural DOC in forest floors is rather unlikely.
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