Abstract
AbstractA study was conducted on the Beaver Creek Experimental Watersheds south of Flagstaff, Arizona to determine the effect of Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii Nutt.) in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) forests on some physical, N, and C properties of the forest floor and upper soil layers. Samples of L, F, and H layers of the forest floor and of the 0‐ to 5‐, 5‐ to 15‐, and 15‐ to 30‐cm soil layers were collected from randomly chosen replicated plots in five stand types representing a range in oak basal area from 0 to 75% of total basal area.Weight, density, and thickness of L, F, and H layers responded differentially to change in oak basal area. These responses are attributed to structural features and decay characteristics of pine and oak leaf litter. With increasing oak in the stand, percentage N increased in all layers of the forest floor and in the upper 15 cm of soil. Amount of N increased in the H layer, the forest floor as a whole, and in the 0‐ to 5‐cm layer of soil. With increasing oak, percentage C remained the same in the forest floor, but increased significantly in the upper 15 cm of soil. Carbon/nitrogen ratio declined in L and F layers with increasing oak. Increased percentage C in 0‐ to 5‐ and 5‐ to 15‐cm soil layers with increased oak basal area coincided with decreased weight of these layers.
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