RECORD
Effects of Adjacent Land Use on Nitrogen Dynamics at Forest Edges in Northern Idaho
- Title:
- Effects of Adjacent Land Use on Nitrogen Dynamics at Forest Edges in Northern Idaho
- Creator:
- Pocewicz, Amy; Morgan, Penelope; Kavanagh, Kathleen
- Date Created:
- 2007-03
- Description:
- The effects of immediately adjacent agricultural fertilization on nitrogen (N) at upland forest edges have not been previously studied. Our objective was to determine whether N from fertilized agriculture enters northern Idaho forest edges and significantly impacts their N status. We stratified 27 forest edge sampling sites by the N fertilization history of the adjacent land: current, historical, and never. We measured N stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N), N concentration (%N), and carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratios of conifer tree and deciduous shrub foliage, shrub roots, and bulk soil, as well as soil available N. Conifer foliage δ¹⁵N and %N, shrub root δ¹⁵N, and bulk soil N were greater and soil C/N ratios lower (P < 0.05) at forest edges than interiors, regardless of adjacent fertilization history. For shrub foliage and bulk soil δ¹⁵N, shrub root %N and C/N ratios, and soil nitrate, significant edge-interior differences were limited to forests bordering lands that had been fertilized currently or historically. Foliage and soil δ¹⁵N were most enriched at forest edges bordering currently fertilized agriculture, suggesting that these forests are receiving N fertilizer inputs. Shrub root %N was greater at forest edges bordering currently fertilized agriculture than at those bordering grasslands that had never been fertilized (P = 0.01). Elevated N at forest edges may increase vegetation growth, as well as susceptibility to disease and insects. The higher N we found at forest edges bordering agriculture may also be found elsewhere, given similar agricultural practices in other regions and the prevalence of forest fragmentation.
- Document Type:
- Research Article
- Subjects:
- UIEF forest edge edge trees fertilization nitrogen root nitrogen soil nitrogen forest ecology
- Location:
- UIEF
- Latitude:
- 46.869607
- Longitude:
- -116.733856
- Publisher:
- Springer-Verlag
- Department:
- Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences
- Type:
- Text
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- "Effects of Adjacent Land Use on Nitrogen Dynamics at Forest Edges in Northern Idaho ", UIEF Research Exchange, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/uief/items/uief_0193.html
Rights
- Rights:
- In copyright, educational use permitted.
- Standardized Rights:
- http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/