Effect of ash application on the decomposer food web and N mineralization in a Norway spruce plantation
Mortensen, Louise Hindborg ; Cruz-Paredes, Carla LU
; Qin, Jiayi
; Rønn, Regin
and Vestergård, Mette
(2020)
In Science of the Total Environment
715.
- Abstract
In the face of global climate change there is an increasing demand for biofuel, which exerts pressure on production and thus management of biofuel plantations. The intensification of whole-tree harvest from biofuel plantations increases export of nutrients. Returning ash from biofuel combustion to the forest plantations can amend the soil nutrient status and thus facilitate sustainable forest management. However, ash affects the forest floor decomposer food web, potentially changing organic matter turnover, carbon sequestration and nitrogen availability. Our aim was to examine the response of decomposer organisms, food web structure and nitrogen mineralization function after ash application. In a coniferous forest plantation amended... (More)
In the face of global climate change there is an increasing demand for biofuel, which exerts pressure on production and thus management of biofuel plantations. The intensification of whole-tree harvest from biofuel plantations increases export of nutrients. Returning ash from biofuel combustion to the forest plantations can amend the soil nutrient status and thus facilitate sustainable forest management. However, ash affects the forest floor decomposer food web, potentially changing organic matter turnover, carbon sequestration and nitrogen availability. Our aim was to examine the response of decomposer organisms, food web structure and nitrogen mineralization function after ash application. In a coniferous forest plantation amended with 0, 3, 4.5 or 6 t ash ha− 1, we sampled in several depths of the forest floor for key organisms of the decomposer food web (fungal biomass, 0–12 cm; bacteria, protozoa, nematodes and enchytraeids, 0–3 cm and 3–6 cm; microarthropods and earthworms, 0–5 cm), 2, 14 and 26 months after ash application. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to detangle the direct and indirect effects of ash application on organisms in the decomposer food web and on nitrogen availability. We found that ash increased the abundance of bacteria and protozoa, as well as the inorganic nitrogen pool at 0–3 cm depth, whereas the effect of ash was negligible at 3–6 cm depth. Earthworm abundance increased, whereas enchytraeid abundance decreased 2 years after ash application. The structural equation modelling showed that ash application stimulated the bacterial feeding pathway and increased nitrogen mineralization. Contrary, ash had a negative effect on fungal biomass at the first sampling, however, this effect subdued over time. Our results suggest that as the soil decomposer food web is resilient to ash application, this is a viable option for sustainable management of biofuel plantations.
(Less)
- author
- Mortensen, Louise Hindborg
; Cruz-Paredes, Carla
LU
; Qin, Jiayi
; Rønn, Regin
and Vestergård, Mette
- organization
- publishing date
- 2020-05-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Decomposer food web, Nitrogen mineralization, Soil organisms, Structural equation modelling, Sustainable forest management, Wood ash
- in
- Science of the Total Environment
- volume
- 715
- article number
- 136793
- pages
- 10 pages
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:32007873
- scopus:85078523317
- ISSN
- 0048-9697
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136793
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 10720881-d220-413d-80ec-8a89cfe4407c
- date added to LUP
- 2022-08-26 11:34:51
- date last changed
- 2024-04-04 00:53:45
@article{10720881-d220-413d-80ec-8a89cfe4407c,
abstract = {{<p>In the face of global climate change there is an increasing demand for biofuel, which exerts pressure on production and thus management of biofuel plantations. The intensification of whole-tree harvest from biofuel plantations increases export of nutrients. Returning ash from biofuel combustion to the forest plantations can amend the soil nutrient status and thus facilitate sustainable forest management. However, ash affects the forest floor decomposer food web, potentially changing organic matter turnover, carbon sequestration and nitrogen availability. Our aim was to examine the response of decomposer organisms, food web structure and nitrogen mineralization function after ash application. In a coniferous forest plantation amended with 0, 3, 4.5 or 6 t ash ha<sup>−</sup> <sup>1</sup>, we sampled in several depths of the forest floor for key organisms of the decomposer food web (fungal biomass, 0–12 cm; bacteria, protozoa, nematodes and enchytraeids, 0–3 cm and 3–6 cm; microarthropods and earthworms, 0–5 cm), 2, 14 and 26 months after ash application. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to detangle the direct and indirect effects of ash application on organisms in the decomposer food web and on nitrogen availability. We found that ash increased the abundance of bacteria and protozoa, as well as the inorganic nitrogen pool at 0–3 cm depth, whereas the effect of ash was negligible at 3–6 cm depth. Earthworm abundance increased, whereas enchytraeid abundance decreased 2 years after ash application. The structural equation modelling showed that ash application stimulated the bacterial feeding pathway and increased nitrogen mineralization. Contrary, ash had a negative effect on fungal biomass at the first sampling, however, this effect subdued over time. Our results suggest that as the soil decomposer food web is resilient to ash application, this is a viable option for sustainable management of biofuel plantations.</p>}},
author = {{Mortensen, Louise Hindborg and Cruz-Paredes, Carla and Qin, Jiayi and Rønn, Regin and Vestergård, Mette}},
issn = {{0048-9697}},
keywords = {{Decomposer food web; Nitrogen mineralization; Soil organisms; Structural equation modelling; Sustainable forest management; Wood ash}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{05}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
title = {{Effect of ash application on the decomposer food web and N mineralization in a Norway spruce plantation}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136793}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136793}},
volume = {{715}},
year = {{2020}},
}