Effects of soil fauna on leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus from experimental systems simulating coniferous forest floor |
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| Authors: | Setälä H Martikainen E Tyynismaa M Huhta V |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Jyväskylä, SF-40100 Jyväskylä, Finland |
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| Abstract: | Summary Long-term experiments (97–98 weeks) were carried out in macrocosm systems simulating the complexity of coniferous forest soil. The macrocosms were partially sterilized by freezing, thawing and drying, then re-inoculated with microbes alone or microbes + soil fauna. Removable microcosms containing birch litter, spruce litter, or humus were inserted into the substrate humus in the macrocosms. Two experiments used organic matter only, and in the third there was mineral soil below the humus. The macrocosms were incubated in climate chambers that simulated both summer and winter conditions. At 4- to 6-week intervals the substrates were irrigated for analyses of pH, total N, NH
4
+
–N, NO
3
–
–N, and PO
4
3–
–P in the leachates. At the end of each growing season a destructive sampling was performed, including analyses of KCl-extractable N and P.Leaching of NH
4
+
and PO
4
3–
from both the litter and the total systems was significantly enhanced by the soil fauna. There were also differences in mineralization of N and P between the refaunated systems, apparently due to divergent development of the faunal communities. In general, fauna affected KCl-extractable nutrients from the litter positively, although this effect was less evident than in the leaching water. In the humus and mineral soil the fauna significantly increased the release of N and P, especially in the later stages of the experiments. Soil pH was higher in the presence of fauna, but there was no difference in the pH of the leachates. Not only invertebrate-microbial interactions, but also mutual relationships among fauna were important in the nutrient dynamics. |
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| Keywords: | Soil fauna Raw humus Forest soil Mineralization Nutrient leaching Microcosm |
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