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Elsevier, Forest Ecology and Management, 3(262), p. 571-578, 2011

DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2011.04.027

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Gross N transformations were little affected by 4years of simulated N and S depositions in an aspen-white spruce dominated boreal forest in Alberta, Canada

Journal article published in 2011 by Yi Cheng, Zu-Cong Cai, Jin-Bo Zhang, Scott X. Chang ORCID
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

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Abstract

The effects of 4years of simulated nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) depositions on gross N transformations in a boreal forest soil in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) in Alberta, Canada, were investigated using the 15N pool dilution method. Gross NH4+ transformation rates in the organic layer tended to decline (P<0.10, marginal statistical significance, same below) in the order of control (CK, i.e., no N or S addition), +N (30kgNha-1yr-1), +S (30kgSha-1yr-1), and +NS treatments, with an opposite trend in the mineral soil. Gross NH4+ immobilization rates were generally higher than gross N mineralization rates across the treatments, suggesting that the studied soil still had potential for microbial immobilization of NH4+, even after 4years of elevated levels of simulated N and S depositions. For both soil layers, N addition tended to increase (P<0.10) the gross nitrification and NO3- immobilization rates. In contrast, S addition reduced (P<0.001) and increased (P<0.001) gross nitrification as well as tended (P<0.10) to reduce and increase gross NO3- immobilization rates in the organic and mineral soils, respectively. Gross nitrification and gross NO3- immobilization rates were tightly coupled in both soil layers. The combination of rapid NH4+ cycling, negligible net nitrification rates and the small NO3- pool size after 4years of elevated N and S depositions observed here suggest that the risk of NO3- leaching would be low in the studied boreal forest soil, consistent with N leaching measurements in other concurrent studies at the site that are reported elsewhere.