The distribution of nitrogen and phosphorus in forest floor layers of oak-hickory forests of varying productivity

Abstract

The forest floor plays a major role in the storage and recycling of nutrients which, in turn, are important in maintaining the growth and productivity of forest ecosystems. The development of forest floor organic layers as influenced by litter quality and site quality is unclear. Previous studies in this lab have shown that the size and distribution of available nutrient pools in the forest floor fractions are related to site productivity. The objectives of this project are to: (1) determine the biomass distributions of forest floor organic fractions across oak-hickory forest sites along a productivity gradient, (2) determine the distribution of nitrogen and phosphorus in these fractions, and (3) determine the relative contribution of nutrients from each forest floor fraction to the available nutrient pool as site productivity changes. Each forest floor-soil core was grossly separated into O_i, O_e, O_a, and mineral soil (A) layers in the field. In the laboratory, the O_a and A layers were further separated into size fractions via wet sieving and flotation. Biomass, total N, and total P were determined for each fraction.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings, 10th Central Hardwood Forest Conference

Citation

Rodkey, Karyn S.; Kaczmarek, Donald J.; Pope, Phillip E. 1995. The distribution of nitrogen and phosphorus in forest floor layers of oak-hickory forests of varying productivity. In: Gottschalk, Kurt W.; Fosbroke, Sandra L. C., ed. Proceedings, 10th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 1995 March 5-8; Morgantown, WV.: Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-197. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 94-108