Wolf, K.; Veldkamp, E.; Homeier, J. & Martinson, G. (2011): <b>Nitrogen availability links forest productivity, soil nitrous oxide and nitric oxide fluxes of a tropical montane forest in southern Ecuador</b>. <i>Global Biochmical Cycles</i> <b>25</b>, 12.
Resource Description
Title:
Nitrogen availability links forest productivity, soil nitrous oxide and nitric oxide fluxes of a tropical montane forest in southern Ecuador
Short Name:
N2O&NO flux of tropical montane forests
FOR816dw ID:
1052
Publication Date:
2011-12-07
License and Usage Rights:
Resource Owner(s):
Individual:
Katrin Wolf
Contact:
email:
kwolf <at> gwdg.de
37077 Göttingen
Individual:
Edzo Veldkamp
Contact:
email:
eveldka <at> uni-goettingen.de
Büsgenweg 2
Institut für Bodenkunde und Waldernährung
University Göttingen
37077 Goettingen
Germany
Individual:
Jürgen Homeier
Contact:
email:
jhomeie <at> gwdg.de
Faculty of Resource Management
University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK)
37077 Göttingen
Germany
Tropical forests are important sources of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) and of nitric oxide (NO), a precursor of ozone. In tropical montane forests nitrogen limitation is common which affects both soil N2O and NO fluxes and forest productivity. Here we present evidence that forest productivity and N-oxide (N2O + NO) fluxes are linked through N availability along elevation and topographic gradients in tropical montane forests. We measured N-oxide fluxes, several indices of N availability, and forest productivity along an elevation gradient from 1000 m to 3000 m and along topographic gradients. Organic layer thickness of the soils increased and N availability decreased with increasing elevation and along the topographic gradient from the lower slope position to the ridges. Annual N2O fluxes ranged from -0.53 µg(N)m-2h-1 to 14.54 µg(N)m-2h-1 while NO fluxes ranged from -0.02 µg(N)m-2h-1 to 1.13 µg(N)m-2h-1. Both N-oxide fluxes and forest productivity increased with increasing N availability and showed close positive correlations with indices of N availability (C/N ratio and  15N signature of litterfall). We interpret the close correlations of N-oxide fluxes with total litterfall and tree basal area increment as evidence that N availability links N-oxide fluxes and forest productivity. This opens the possibility to include forest productivity as co-variable in predictions of N-oxide fluxes in nitrogen limited tropical montane forests. Especially increment of tree basal area was a promising proxy to predict soil N-oxide fluxes in these N limited ecosystems, possibly because it better reflects long-term forest productivity than total litterfall.
Keywords:
| nitrogen | soil N availability | element fluxes |
Literature type specific fields:
ARTICLE
Journal:
Global Biochmical Cycles
Volume:
25
Page Range:
12
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Metadata Provider:
Individual:
Ruetger Rollenbeck
Contact:
email:
rollenbe <at> staff.uni-marburg.de
Laboratory for Climatology and Remote Sensing
Faculty of Geography
Philipps University of Marburg
Deutschhausstr. 10
35032 Marburg
Germany
