We examined patterns of nutrient heterogeneity in the mineral soil (0–15 cm depth) of 13 southern Appalachian forest stands in western North Carolina .60 yr after abandonment from pasture or timber harvest to investigate the long-term effects of land use on the spatial distribution and supply of soil resources. We measured soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), acid-extractable phosphorus (P), potassiu...

For a cropping system to be sustainable, should not only the soil nitrogen (N) content be preserved but also the N runoff be minimised. Finding a simple but robust way to estimate N runoff would thus be a great advantage when evaluating cropping systems. In this study all major N flows in six different cropping systems, each covering 0.18 ha of a separately pipe drained field lysimeter, located...

The impact of elevated CO2 on terrestrial ecosystem C balance, both in sign or magnitude, is not clear because the resulting alterations in C input, plant nutrient demand and water use efficiency often have contrasting impacts on microbial decomposition processes. One major source of uncertainty stems from the impact of elevated CO2 on N availability to plants and microbes. We examined the effe...

To better understand the nature of the C flush that follows the rewetting of dry soil, we chemically characterized the water soluble pools following rewetting of soil dried to several different water potentials. To assess the impact that historical soil water status has on the size of the rewetting labile soluble pool, a laboratory water stress gradient was applied to soils that were collected ...

The sustainable use of grasslands in intensive farming systems aims to optimize nitrogen (N) inputs to increase crop yields and decrease harmful losses to the environment at the same time. To achieve this, simple optical sensors may provide a non-destructive, time- and cost-effective tool for estimating plant biomass in the field, considering spatial and temporal variability. However, the plant...

Using zeolite-rich tuffs for improving soil properties and crop N-use efficiency is becoming popular. However, the mechanistic understanding of their influence on N-processes still poor. This paper aims to shed new light how natural NH4+-enriched chabazite zeolites alter short-term N-ammonification nitrification rates with without use inhibitor (DMPP). We employed 15N pool dilution technique de...

Our knowledge of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics during stand development is not only essential for evaluating the role of secondary forests in the global terrestrial C cycle, but also crucial for understanding long-term C-N interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. However, a comprehensive understanding of forest C and N dynamics over age sequence remains elusive due to the diverse results ...

Black spruce (Picea mariana) forests represent the dominant vegetation type throughout the North American and Siberian taiga and are generally considered ro be pristine, N-limiting environments. The aim of this sludy was to investigate the fundamental underlying mechanisms which control N availabil~ty in these soils with particuiar reference to the dynamics of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) O...

Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that harbor rare and endemic plants and animals. In California, vernal pools are often associated with Mima mounds, roughly circular soil mounds, found in grassland landscapes. The processes that form and maintain the mound-pool complexes have not yet been conclusively identified, even though such information is necessary to understand the effects that land us...

Anaerobic digestion (AD) can generate biogas while simultaneously producing digestate which be used as fertilizer. Feedstocks for AD influence composition, in turn may affect carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) turn-over soils subsequently nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions after soil application. Assessment of greenhouse gas from digestates help to evaluate the overall sustainability an agricultural prod...