Soil solution chemistry and throughfall under adjacent stands of Japanese larch and Sitka spruce at three contrasting locations in Britain

Adamson, J.K.; Hornung, M.; Kennedy, V.H.; Norris, D.A.; Paterson, I.S.; Stevens, P.A.

Soil solution chemistry and throughfall under adjacent stands of Japanese larch and Sitka spruce at three contrasting locations in Britain

1993

Soil solution and throughfall chemistry were investigated in adjacent stands of Japanese larch and Sitka spruce at three sites in Britain. Throughfall was collected in open funnel collectors and soil solution was collected using tensionless tray lysimeters at the base of the H horizon and ceramic cup suction samplers at the base of the B horizon. Sampling took place fortnightly for 14 months and samples were analysed for the major ions and dissolved organic carbon. Most ions were present in higher concentrations under spruce than larch. Most notably under the spruce at all sites SO4 in throughfall and NO3, Ca and Al in the B horizon were present in greater concentrations. However there were no trends in fortnightly concentrations of any ion, associated with the presence and absence of needles on the larch. When solutes are expressed as fluxes the only consistent effect of species on the B horizon is higher quantities of NO3 and NH4 under spruce. The study suggests that in areas exposed to atmospheric pollution, thinned stands of larch could have a beneficial role relative to Sitka spruce, in the maintenance of low acidity and aluminum concentrations in drainage water.

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