Litterfall as a niche construction process in a northern hardwood forest
Litterfall as a niche construction process in a northern hardwood forest
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DOI：
10.1890/es14-00442.1
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发表时间：
2015-07
期刊：
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Seth W. Bigelow;C. Canham
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Seth W. Bigelow;C. Canham
Northern hardwood forests can exhibit considerable temporal stability in their species composition, which litterfall may help to maintain by modifying the soil environment to create an ecological inheritance. We evaluated the evidence for this niche-construction perspective by carrying out a spatially explicit analysis of redistribution of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) via leaf litterfall of the six dominant tree species in a temperate forest in northwest Connecticut, USA. We combined stem maps with litterfall measurements to fit models of leaf litterfall for individual species, and we chemically analyzed leaves, surface soil extractions, and unweathered soil particles. Analysis of elemental oxides in unweathered soil particles suggested that species did not differ in ability to gain access to rock-bound nutrients. Nevertheless, species had a significant effect on quantity of Ca cycled in litter—the two calcicoles (species with affinity for calcium-rich soils) occurred most commonly on t...
