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Noble DT, MacDougall AS, Levison J. Impacts of soil, climate, and phenology on retention of dissolved agricultural nutrients by permanent-cover buffers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160532. [PMID: 36455728 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient losses from farms affects environmental and human health, but retention by riparian buffers can vary by nutrient identity, flow path, soil texture, seasonality, and buffer width. On conventional farms with corn, we test the relationships between levels of dissolved nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in downslope surface-water, and flow paths relating to porewater in soils (to 40 cm deep), groundwater of the saturated zone (to 2.5 m deep), soil nutrient pools, and changes in plant biomass and tissue quality by season. We found that the major drivers of surface-water nutrients were multi-factor and nutrient-specific, variously relating to soil, climate, vegetation uptake, and tiling on clay soils. N retention was best explained by soil type, with 10 times more surface-water N in the sand versus clay setting, despite identical fertilization rates on corn. P retention was best explained by precipitation and time of year. Vegetation uptake was strongest for shallow-soil porewater, and was greatest in buffers where root biomass was 20 times greater by weight. We were unable to detect any impact of vegetative uptake on groundwater nutrients. Overall, peak nutrient inputs to surface-water were in early summer, fall, and winter - all times when plant uptake is low. Buffers appear to be a necessary component of nutrient capture on farms, but insufficient unless partnered with measures that reduce nutrient flows at times when plants are inactive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T Noble
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph N1G2W1, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew S MacDougall
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph N1G2W1, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Jana Levison
- School of Engineering, Morwick G360 Groundwater Research Institute, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph N1G2W1, Ontario, Canada
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2
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Mazzorato ACM, Esch EH, MacDougall AS. Prospects for soil carbon storage on recently retired marginal farmland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150738. [PMID: 34606864 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is strongly affected by farm cropping, which covers >10% of the earth's surface. Land retirement of marginal fields, now a global initiative, can increase SOC storage but reported accumulation rates are variable. Here, we quantify SOC in crop fields and retired marginal land in an intensely farmed 10,000 km 2 region of central North America, testing nutrients, soil texture and management as drivers of SOC storage. Overwhelmingly, SOC was associated with farm management with among-farm differences varying >fourfold (17.4-81 t ha -1) in the top 15 cm. Total farm SOC averaged 502.2 t farm -1 but again ranged widely (216-1611 t farm -1). Farm-specific SOC was often, but not always, higher on farms with N-rich silt-clay soils, and lower on sandy soils with higher P relating to former tobacco production. In contrast, within-farm SOC between crop fields and retired land did not significantly differ with time. Low SOC on retired lands was associated with persistently high soil N and P and elevated microbial respiration. Retired soils did possess substantially larger pools of lignin-rich root biomass to depths of 60 cm, which may signify eventual SOC accumulation possibly as nutrient legacies diminish. Our work shows that management legacy, interacting with soil texture and nutrients, predicts SOC more than short-term retirement. Indeed, crop fields averaged 67% of farm SOC because they represented up to 94% of total farm area - SOC retention on cropland remains a management priority, above and beyond gains with retirement. Interestingly, the largest per-volume SOC levels were in remnant forest that contained 25% of farm SOC despite only averaging 11% of farm area. Maintaining SOC stocks in farm landscapes may be more quickly attained by protecting remnant forest, with retired lands needing time to re-build SOC stocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa C M Mazzorato
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph N1G2W1, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ellen H Esch
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph N1G2W1, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew S MacDougall
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph N1G2W1, Ontario, Canada.
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Shaughnessy BE, Dhar A, Naeth MA. Natural recovery of vegetation on reclamation stockpiles after 26 to 34 years. ECOSCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1943931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Amalesh Dhar
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - M. Anne Naeth
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Seabloom EW, Borer ET, Hobbie SE, MacDougall AS. Soil nutrients increase long-term soil carbon gains threefold on retired farmland. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:4909-4920. [PMID: 34311496 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Abandoned agricultural lands often accumulate soil carbon (C) following depletion of soil C by cultivation. The potential for this recovery to provide significant C storage benefits depends on the rate of soil C accumulation, which, in turn, may depend on nutrient supply rates. We tracked soil C for almost four decades following intensive agricultural soil disturbance along an experimentally imposed gradient in nitrogen (N) added annually in combination with other macro- and micro-nutrients. Soil %C accumulated over the course of the study in unfertilized control plots leading to a gain of 6.1 Mg C ha-1 in the top 20 cm of soil. Nutrient addition increased soil %C accumulation leading to a gain of 17.8 Mg C ha-1 in fertilized plots, nearly a threefold increase over the control plots. These results demonstrate that substantial increases in soil C in successional grasslands following agricultural abandonment occur over decadal timescales, and that C gain is increased by high supply rates of soil nutrients. In addition, soil %C continued to increase for decades under elevated nutrient supply, suggesting that short-term nutrient addition experiments underestimate the effects of soil nutrients on soil C accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Sarah E Hobbie
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
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Forsch KBC, Dhar A, Naeth MA. Effects of woody debris and cover soil types on soil properties and vegetation 4–5 years after oil sands reclamation. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Amalesh Dhar
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - M. Anne Naeth
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
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6
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Livingstone SW, Isaac ME, Cadotte MW. Invasive dominance and resident diversity: unpacking the impact of plant invasion on biodiversity and ecosystem function. ECOL MONOGR 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stuart W. Livingstone
- Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences University of Toronto Scarborough Toronto OntarioM1C 1A4Canada
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto OntarioM5S 3B2Canada
| | - Marney E. Isaac
- Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences University of Toronto Scarborough Toronto OntarioM1C 1A4Canada
| | - Marc W. Cadotte
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto OntarioM5S 3B2Canada
- Department of Biology University of Toronto Scarborough Toronto OntarioM1C 1A4Canada
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Wilsey B, Xu X, Polley HW, Hofmockel K, Hall SJ. Lower soil carbon stocks in exotic vs. native grasslands are driven by carbonate losses. Ecology 2020; 101:e03039. [PMID: 32134498 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Global change includes invasion by exotic (nonnative) plant species and altered precipitation patterns, and these factors may affect terrestrial carbon (C) storage. We measured soil C changes in experimental mixtures of all exotic or all native grassland plant species under two levels of summer drought stress (0 and +128 mm). After 8 yr, soils were sampled in 10-cm increments to 100-cm depth to determine if soil C differed among treatments in deeper soils. Total soil C (organic + inorganic) content was significantly higher under native than exotic plantings, and differences increased with depth. Surprisingly, differences after 8 yr in C were due to carbonate and not organic C fractions, where carbonate was ~250 g C/m2 lower to 1-m soil depth under exotic than native plantings. Our results indicate that soil carbonate is an active pool and can respond to differences in plant species traits over timescales of years. Significant losses of inorganic C might be avoided by conserving native grasslands in subhumid ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, Iowa, 50011, USA
| | - Xia Xu
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, Iowa, 50011, USA
| | - H Wayne Polley
- USDA-ARS, Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, 808 East Blackland Road, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA
| | - Kirsten Hofmockel
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA, USA
| | - Steven J Hall
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, Iowa, 50011, USA
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Dhar A, Comeau PG, Naeth MA, Pinno BD, Vassov R. Plant community development following reclamation of oil sands mines using four cover soil types in northern Alberta. Restor Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amalesh Dhar
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2H1 Canada
| | - Philip G. Comeau
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2H1 Canada
| | - M. Anne Naeth
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2H1 Canada
| | - Bradley D. Pinno
- Department of Renewable ResourcesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton AB T6G 2H1 Canada
| | - Robert Vassov
- Canadian Natural Resources Fort McMurray AB T9H 4W1 Canada
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Träger S, Milbau A, Wilson SD. Potential contributions of root decomposition to the nitrogen cycle in arctic forest and tundra. Ecol Evol 2018; 7:11021-11032. [PMID: 29299278 PMCID: PMC5743615 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 09/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant contributions to the nitrogen (N) cycle from decomposition are likely to be altered by vegetation shifts associated with climate change. Roots account for the majority of soil organic matter input from vegetation, but little is known about differences between vegetation types in their root contributions to nutrient cycling. Here, we examine the potential contribution of fine roots to the N cycle in forest and tundra to gain insight into belowground consequences of the widely observed increase in woody vegetation that accompanies climate change in the Arctic. We combined measurements of root production from minirhizotron images with tissue analysis of roots from differing root diameter and color classes to obtain potential N input following decomposition. In addition, we tested for changes in N concentration of roots during early stages of decomposition, and investigated whether vegetation type (forest or tundra) affected changes in tissue N concentration during decomposition. For completeness, we also present respective measurements of leaves. The potential N input from roots was twofold greater in forest than in tundra, mainly due to greater root production in forest. Potential N input varied with root diameter and color, but this variation tended to be similar in forest and tundra. As for roots, the potential N input from leaves was significantly greater in forest than in tundra. Vegetation type had no effect on changes in root or leaf N concentration after 1 year of decomposition. Our results suggest that shifts in vegetation that accompany climate change in the Arctic will likely increase plant‐associated potential N input both belowground and aboveground. In contrast, shifts in vegetation might not alter changes in tissue N concentration during early stages of decomposition. Overall, differences between forest and tundra in potential contribution of decomposing roots to the N cycle reinforce differences between habitats that occur for leaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Träger
- Department of Botany Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - Ann Milbau
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest INBO Brussels Belgium.,Department of Ecology and Environmental Science Climate Impacts Research Centre Umeå University Abisko Sweden
| | - Scott D Wilson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science Climate Impacts Research Centre Umeå University Abisko Sweden.,Department of Biology University of Regina Regina SK Canada
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Wei H, Xu J, Quan G, Zhang J, Qin Z. Invasion effects of Chromolaena odorata
on soil carbon and nitrogen fractions in a tropical savanna. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wei
- Department of Ecology; College of Natural Resources and Environment; South China Agricultural University; Guangzhou 510642 China
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in the Tropics; Ministry of Agriculture; Guangzhou 510642 China
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Modern Eco-agriculture and Circular Agriculture; Guangzhou 510642 China
| | - Jialin Xu
- Department of Ecology; College of Natural Resources and Environment; South China Agricultural University; Guangzhou 510642 China
| | - Guoming Quan
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Modern Eco-agriculture and Circular Agriculture; Guangzhou 510642 China
- Department of Urban Construction Engineering; Guangzhou City Polytechnic; Guangzhou 510405 China
| | - Jiaen Zhang
- Department of Ecology; College of Natural Resources and Environment; South China Agricultural University; Guangzhou 510642 China
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in the Tropics; Ministry of Agriculture; Guangzhou 510642 China
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Modern Eco-agriculture and Circular Agriculture; Guangzhou 510642 China
| | - Zhong Qin
- Department of Ecology; College of Natural Resources and Environment; South China Agricultural University; Guangzhou 510642 China
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in the Tropics; Ministry of Agriculture; Guangzhou 510642 China
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Modern Eco-agriculture and Circular Agriculture; Guangzhou 510642 China
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11
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Martina JP, Currie WS, Goldberg DE, Elgersma KJ. Nitrogen loading leads to increased carbon accretion in both invaded and uninvaded coastal wetlands. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jason P. Martina
- School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
| | - William S. Currie
- School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
| | - Deborah E. Goldberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
| | - Kenneth J. Elgersma
- Department of Biology University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls Iowa 50614 USA
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12
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Balogianni VG, Wilson SD, Farrell RE, MacDougall AS. Rapid Root Decomposition Decouples Root Length from Increased Soil C Following Grassland Invasion. Ecosystems 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-015-9900-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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13
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Temporal Trends of Ecosystem Development on Different Site Types in Reclaimed Boreal Forests. FORESTS 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/f6062109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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14
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Vaness BM, Wilson SD, MacDougall AS. Decreased root heterogeneity and increased root length following grassland invasion. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brenda M. Vaness
- Department of Biology; University of Regina; Regina SK S4S 0A2 Canada
| | - Scott D. Wilson
- Department of Biology; University of Regina; Regina SK S4S 0A2 Canada
| | - Andrew S. MacDougall
- Department of Integrative Biology; University of Guelph; Guelph ON N1G 2W1 Canada
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15
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Granivory reduces biomass and lignin concentrations of plant tissue during grassland assembly. Basic Appl Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2014.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Fornara DA, Tilman D. Soil carbon sequestration in prairie grasslands increased by chronic nitrogen addition. Ecology 2012; 93:2030-6. [PMID: 23094375 DOI: 10.1890/12-0292.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Human-induced increases in nitrogen (N) deposition are common across many terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Greater N availability not only reduces biological diversity, but also affects the biogeochemical coupling of carbon (C) and N cycles in soil ecosystems. Soils are the largest active terrestrial C pool and N deposition effects on soil C sequestration or release could have global importance. Here, we show that 27 years of chronic N additions to prairie grasslands increased C sequestration in mineral soils and that a potential mechanism responsible for this C accrual was an N-induced increase in root mass. Greater soil C sequestration followed a dramatic shift in plant community composition from native-species-rich C4 grasslands to naturalized-species-rich C3 grasslands, which, despite lower soil C gains per unit of N added, still acted as soil C sinks. Since both high plant diversity and elevated N deposition may increase soil C sequestration, but N deposition also decreases plant diversity, more research is needed to address the long-term implications for soil C storage of these two factors. Finally, because exotic C3 grasses often come to dominate N-enriched grasslands, it is important to determine if such N-dependent soil C sequestration occurs across C3 grasslands in other regions worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario A Fornara
- Environmental Sciences Research Institute, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT52 1SA, United Kingdom.
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