Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Impact Of Nitrification On Soil Acidification And Cation Leaching In A Red Alder Ecosystem, H. Van Miegroet, D. W. Cole

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The objectives of this study were to investigate the impacts of internal nitrification on soil and soil solution acidity and on the rate of nutrient export through NO3– mediated leaching. This was achieved by comparing soil chemical properties and soil solution composition within a naturally N-rich red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) ecosystem to those of an adjacent Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesil (Mirbel) Franco] forest where soil N levels were significantly lower and no measurable HNO3 production could be observed. In the red alder system, where > 100 kg ha–1 yr–1 of N were added through symbiotic N2 fixation, the net annual NO3– …