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Application of nitrogen fertilizer to a boreal pine forest has a negative impact on the respiration of ectomycorrhizal hyphae

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Abstract

Aims

There is evidence that increased N inputs to boreal forests, via atmospheric deposition or intentional fertilization, may impact negatively on ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi leading to a reduced flux of plant-derived carbon (C) back to the atmosphere via ECM. Our aim was to investigate the impact of N fertilization of a Pinus sylvestris (L.) forest stand on the return of recently photoassimilated C via the ECM component of soil respiration.

Methods

We used an in situ, large-scale, 13C-CO2 isotopic pulse labelling approach and monitored the 13C label return using soil gas efflux chambers placed over three different types of soil collar to distinguish between heterotrophic (RH), autotrophic (RA; partitioned further into contributions from ECM hyphae and total RA) and total (RS) soil respiration.

Results

The impact of N fertilization was to significantly reduce RA, particularly respiration via extramatrical ECM hyphae. ECM hyphal flux in control plots showed substantial spatial variability, resulting in mean flux estimates exceeding estimates of total RA, while ECM contributions to RA in N treated plots were estimated at around 30%.

Conclusion

Significant impacts on soil C cycling may be caused by reduced plant C allocation to ECM fungi in response to increased N inputs to boreal forests; ecosystem models so far lack this detail.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

ECM:

Ectomycorrhiza

C:

Carbon

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

CF-IRMS:

Continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer

N:

Nitrogen

PVC:

Polyvinyl chloride

RS :

Soil respiration

RA :

Autotrophic soil respiration

RH :

Heterotrophic soil respiration

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from SLU, the Kempe Foundations, the research councils VR and FORMAS (to P.H.) and the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC grant ref.NE ⁄ E004512 ⁄ 1). We are grateful to Sylvia Toet (York) for loan of the CO2 flux chamber as well as to Toby Gass, Erica Nocchi, Sonja Keel and other members of the CANIFLEX team for assistance in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK

    Harry W. Vallack & Phil Ineson

  2. Department of Agro-Environmental and Territorial Sciences, University of Bari, 70126, Bari, Italy

    Vincenzo Leronni

  3. Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-901 83, Umeå, Sweden

    Daniel B. Metcalfe & Peter Högberg

  4. School of Natural Sciences, Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK

    Jens-Arne Subke

Authors
  1. Harry W. Vallack
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  2. Vincenzo Leronni
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  3. Daniel B. Metcalfe
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  4. Peter Högberg
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  5. Phil Ineson
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  6. Jens-Arne Subke
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Correspondence to Jens-Arne Subke.

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Responsible Editor: Eric Paterson.

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Vallack, H.W., Leronni, V., Metcalfe, D.B. et al. Application of nitrogen fertilizer to a boreal pine forest has a negative impact on the respiration of ectomycorrhizal hyphae. Plant Soil 352, 405–417 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1005-6

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