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- Title
Precipitation variability does not affect soil respiration and nitrogen dynamics in the understorey of a Mediterranean oak woodland.
- Authors
Jongen, Marjan; Lecomte, Xavier; Unger, Stephan; Fangueiro, David; Pereira, João
- Abstract
Background and aims: Future climate scenarios for the Mediterranean imply increasing precipitation variability. This study presents a large-scale water manipulation experiment simulating changes in precipitation variability, aiming at a better understanding of the effects of rainfall patterns on soil C and N cycling and understorey productivity in a Mediterranean oak woodland. Methods: We used rain-out shelters to achieve (1) a normal dry period (7 days), and (2) a dry period increased three-fold (21 days), without altering total annual precipitation inputs. Results: The temporal patterns of soil respiration ( R) and soil inorganic N were not affected by treatment. However, water infiltration and N leaching increased with large infrequent watering events. R and soil NH-N correlated with soil temperature, with soil NO-N being influenced by leaching. Conclusions: The lack of significant treatment effects on either R or soil inorganic N can be explained by (1) minor differences in plant productivity between the treatments, suggesting equal plant N demand, and (2) the absence of moisture dependence of R and soil NH-N. Increased N leaching with large infrequent precipitation events may have longer-term consequences for ecosystem functioning. Our results contribute to an improved understanding of possible climate change effects on key ecosystem processes in Mediterranean ecosystems.
- Subjects
METEOROLOGICAL precipitation; SOIL respiration; CARBON cycle; NITROGEN cycle; SOIL moisture; SOIL leaching
- Publication
Plant & Soil, 2013, Vol 372, Issue 1/2, p235
- ISSN
0032-079X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11104-013-1728-7