Soil solution and sugar maple response to NH₄NO₃ additions in a base-poor northern hardwood forest of Québec, Canada
2009
Moore, Jean-David | Houle, Daniel
Nitrogen additions (NH₄NO₃) at rates of three- and ten-fold ambient atmospheric deposition (8.5 kg ha ⁻ ¹ year ⁻ ¹) were realised in an acid- and base-poor northern hardwood forest of Québec, Canada. Soil solution chemistry, foliar chemistry, crown dieback and basal area growth of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) were measured. Except for a transitory increase of NO₃ and NH₄ concentrations, there was no persistent increase in their level in soil solution 3 years after N treatments, with the exception of one plot out of three, that received the highest N addition, beginning to show persistent and high NO₃ concentrations after 2 years of N additions. Three years of N additions have significantly increased the N DRIS index of sugar maple but not N foliar concentration. Potassium, Ca and Mn foliar concentrations, as well as P and Ca DRIS indices, decreased in treated plots after 3 years. No treatment effect was observed for basal area growth and dieback rate. One unexpected result was the significant decrease in foliar Ca even in the treated plots that received low N rates, despite the absence of significant NO₃-induced leaching of Ca. The mechanism responsible for the decrease in foliar Ca is not known. Our results, however, clearly demonstrate that increased N deposition at sites with low base saturation may affect Ca nutrition even when clear signs of N saturation are not observed.
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