Nitrogen-fixing shrubs alter the accumulation of above- and below-ground organic carbon during primary succession at Glacier Bay, AK
Fastie CL and Chapin FS. 1995. Nitrogen-fixing shrubs alter the accumulation of above- and below-ground organic carbon during primary succession at Glacier Bay, AK. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 76(2):79
At Glacier Bay, Alaska, during the first 150 years of primary successsion dominated by nitrogen-fixing alder shrubs (Alnus sinuata), 3.5 +/- 0.1 tons/ha of nitrogen accumulates in the upper 50 cm of soil. Although conifer-dominated sites of similar age where alder shrubs have been less important accumulate only 2.3 +/- 0.1 tons/ha of nitrogen, the presence of alder does not affect the nitrogen pool in biomass which is approximately 0.5 tons/ha at both types of sites. Sites where alder has been important accumulate more carbon in soil (76 +/- 5 tons/ha) than other sites (66 +/- 5 tons/ha). The presence of alder has an insignificant effect on biomass carbon pools which are 125 to 160 tons/ha at both types of 150 year-old sites. Thus, nitrogen input by fixation affects the soil pools of nitrogen and carbon but not the biomass pools during the first 150 years of succession. During the next few decades, however, biomass carbon pools in highly productive young spruce forests where alder has been important will probably exceed biomass carbon pools at sites dominated by slower-growing conifers.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Fastie, Christopher; Chapin, F
- Units
- GLBA
- Keywords
- Biology, Ecology, Nutrients, organic chemistry