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Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2022

Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry of organic matter in Swedish forest soils and its relationship with climate, tree species, and soil texture

Spohn, Marie; Stendahl, Johan

Abstract

While the carbon (C) content of temperate and boreal forest soils is relatively well studied, much less is known about the ratios of C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) of the soil organic matter, as well as the abiotic and biotic factors that shape them. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore carbon, nitrogen, and organic phosphorus (OP) contents and element ratios in temperate and boreal forest soils and their relationships with climate, dominant tree species, and soil texture. For this purpose, we studied 309 forest soils located all over Sweden between 56 and 68 degrees N. The soils are a representative subsample of Swedish forest soils with a stand age > 60 years that were sampled for the Swedish Forest Soil Inventory. We found that the N stock of the organic layer increased by a factor of 7.5 from -2.0 to 7.5 degrees C mean annual temperature (MAT), which is almost twice as much as the increase in the organic layer stock along the MAT gradient. The increase in the N stock went along with an increase in the N : P ratio of the organic layer by a factor of 2.1 from -2.0 to 7.5 degrees C MAT (R-2 = 0.36, p < 0.001). Forests dominated by pine had higher C : N ratios in the organic layer and mineral soil down to a depth of 65 cm than forests dominated by spruce. Further, also the C : P ratio was increased in the pine-dominated forests compared to forests dominated by other tree species in the organic layer, while the C : OP ratio in the mineral soil was not elevated in pine forests. C, N, and OP contents in the mineral soil were higher in fine-textured soils than in coarse-textured soils by a factor of 2.3, 3.5, and 4.6, respectively. Thus, the effect of texture was stronger on OP than on N and C likely because OP adsorbs very rigidly to mineral surfaces. Further, we found that the P and K concentrations of the organic layer were inversely related to the organic layer stock, while the N : P ratio was positively related to the organic layer stock. Taken together, the results show that the N : P ratio of the organic layer was most strongly related to MAT. Further, the C : N ratio was most strongly related to dominant tree species even in the mineral subsoil. In contrast, the C : P ratio was only affected by dominant tree species in the organic layer, but the C : OP ratio in the mineral soil was hardly affected by tree species due to the strong effect of soil texture on the OP concentration.

Published in

Biogeosciences
2022, Volume: 19, number: 8, pages: 2171-2186
Publisher: COPERNICUS GESELLSCHAFT MBH