Carbon and nitrogen status of litterfall, litter decomposition and soil in even-aged larch, red pine and rigitaeda pine plantations

Choonsig Kim, Jaeyeob Jeong, Hyun Seo Cho, Yowhan Son

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) status in forest ecosystems can change upon establishment of plantations because different tree species have different nutrient cycling mechanisms. This study was carried out to evaluate C and N status of litterfall, litter decomposition and soil in three adjacent plantations consisting of one deciduous (larch: Larix leptolepis) and two evergreen (red pine: Pinus densiflora; rigitaeda pine: P. rigida × P. taeda) species planted in the same year (1963). Both the pine plantations showed comparatively higher C input from needle litter but significantly lower N concentration and input than the larch plantation (P < 0.05). During the decomposition process, the deciduous larch needle litter showed low C concentration and C remaining in soil, but high N concentration and N remaining in soil compared to the two evergreen pine needle litters. However, the soil C and N concentration and their content at a soil depth of 0-10 cm were not affected significantly (P > 0.05) by the plantation type. These results demonstrate the existence of considerable variation in C and N status resulting from needle litter input and litter decomposition in these three plantations grown at sites with similar environmental conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)403-409
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Plant Research
Volume123
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Keywords

  • Carbon
  • Needle litter
  • Nitrogen
  • Soil carbon
  • Tree species effects

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Plant Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Carbon and nitrogen status of litterfall, litter decomposition and soil in even-aged larch, red pine and rigitaeda pine plantations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this