Changes to Extractable Soil Amino Compounds Under Elevated CO2 and Ozone in an Aspen Plantation
Abstract
Forests growing under elevated concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and ozone exhibit changes to root and foliar chemistry and quality that are related to changes in physiology, N limitation, and leaf damage. Additionally, there are documented changes to the activity of some understory invertebrate populations, and a variety of responses to soil organic matter ranging from accrual in the upper few centimeters to loss of soil C and N over the upper 20 cm. Under such conditions, however, the cycling of specific amino compounds is poorly understood. Knowledge of the role that new plant N plays in supporting soil microbial populations and soil C and N dynamics is important to fully understand relationships between N limitation under elevated CO2-induced productivity increases and available organic N pools in soil. We investigated the composition and concentration of hydrolysable amino compounds (amino acids and amino sugars) in litter, roots, soil, and earthworm fecal matter from the free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) sites at Rhinelander, WI. Under elevated CO2 amino acids, when normalized to total N, exhibited change in both amount (decrease) and composition among roots (<2mm) with depth over the upper 25 cm, however, root amino acids showed only minor changes with depth in the ambient and ozone treatments. Ozonated rings exhibited a lower release of amino compounds (with respect to total N) compared to ambient and elevated CO2, which may suggest poorer quality input. For soil organic matter extractable amino acids (normalized to total soil N) exhibited changes similar to roots among the treatment. These results indicate that CO2 and ozone significantly influence amino compound dynamics in both soil and input which should impact the overall ability to decompose and preserve soils in such environments.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AGUFM.B11A0473T
- Keywords:
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- 0428 BIOGEOSCIENCES / Carbon cycling;
- 0469 BIOGEOSCIENCES / Nitrogen cycling