Abstract
Comparisons were made of total and microbial C and N pools and C and N metabolism in litter and mineral soil of a mountain beech ( Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides) forest, ca. 100 m below timberline, and an adjacent tussock grassland (dominated by Chionochloa pallens), ca. 100 m above timberline, in Canterbury, New Zealand. Mean annual precipitation at the sites is ca. 1600 mm and mean annual air temperature ca. 6°C. The silt loam soils are Andic Dystrochrepts. Total C and N and microbial C and N contents in litter and mineral soil (0–50 cm depth) differed appreciably in the two ecosystems and were 1.41, 2.00, 1.71 and 1.98 times, respectively, greater on an area basis at the grassland than at the forest site. Ratios of microbial C-to-total C, microbial N-to-total N and microbial C-to-N generally declined with profile depth. CO 2C production, per unit of total C, and metabolic quotients (qCO 2 values) tended to be greater in mineral soil from the forest than from the grassland. CO 2C production, calculated on an area basis to 50 cm depth of mineral soil, was similar in both ecosystems. Net N mineralization (during 0–56 days at 25°C) was appreciable in the forest litter, but absent in tussock litter; it was similar in both systems at 0–10 cm and 20–50 cm depths of mineral soil, but was lower in the forest than in the grassland at 10–20 cm depth. Nitrification was not detected in the litter samples and was either absent or very low in the samples of mineral soil. Results, overall, show that marked differences in soil and microbial properties can occur in adjacent, indigenous ecosystems in almost the same climatic environment. Although soil microbial biomass levels were lower in the forest than in the grassland, the potential metabolic activity of the component microorganisms tended to be greater in the forest. The relevance of these results to the turnover of organic matter in these ecosystems is briefly discussed.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
