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- Title
Forest floor contribution to phosphorus nutrition: experimental data.
- Authors
Jonard, Mathieu; Augusto, Laurent; Morel, Christian; Achat, David L.; Saur, Etienne
- Abstract
• Although accumulation of decomposing litter temporarily removes nutrients from active circulation, it creates a medium that is more suitable for nutrient uptake where soil conditions are unfavorable. • A pot experiment was conducted using labeling of isotopically exchangeable phosphate ions of the soil and applying the dilution principle to accurately assess the contribution of the forest floor to P nutrition of maritime pine seedlings (Pinus pinaster Aït.). Three-week-old maritime pine seedlings were planted in pots containing either mineral soil (MS) or mineral soil covered with a forest floor layer (MS+FF). • After 130 d, P uptake was still insignificant in the MS treatment while the P content of the seedlings in the MS+FF treatment increased tenfold with respect to the initial P content. In the latter treatment, the forest floor contributed 99.1% of the P supply to pine seedlings. • The higher P uptake from the forest floor than from the mineral soil may be explained by its lower ability to retain inorganic P, which enabled a higher concentration of inorganic P to be maintained in solution.
- Subjects
FORESTRY research; FOREST litter; TREE felling; FOREST soils; PINACEAE
- Publication
Annals of Forest Science (EDP Sciences), 2009, Vol 66, Issue 5, p1
- ISSN
1286-4560
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1051/forest/2009039