PNW 98 Session - Full Abstracts
Full Abstract
1) Contact Author: Joe Bischoff
2) Institution:E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc.
3) Mailing Address: 2161 NW Fillmore Ave. Corvallis, OR 97339
4) Phone #:541-758-6305
5) Email: bischoffj@proaxis.com
6) Presenter: Joseph M. Bischoff
7) Paper or Poster: paper
8) Equipment needs other than standard slide and overhead projector:
9) Contributed session 1st choice:Watershed
10) Contributed session 2nd choice:Functional
11) Do you want your oral or poster presentation judged for a student award (yes or no)?: No
12) Would you like to be a judge for Student Awards (yes or no)?:No
13) Keywords:Nitrogen, Vegetation, Watershed
14) Authors:
JOSEPH M. BISCHOFF (1,3)
Paul Bukaveckas (1)
Myron Mitchell (2)
15) Affiliation/institution:
(1) University of Louisville, Dept. of Biology, Louisville, KY 40292
(2) SUNY-ESF, Faculty of Environmental and Forest Biology, Syracuse, NY 13210
(3) E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., Corvallis, OR 97339
16) Abstract Title:
A comparison of nitrogen storage in terrestrial and wetland vegetation: implications for watershed N-cycling.
17) Abstract Text:
In Northern Europe and the Northeastern United States there have been widespread reports of elevated concentrations of nitrogen in soil solutions and surface waters (Driscoll and Van Dreason 1993). Until recently, wetlands have not been considered an important factor in controlling catchment-scale (watershed-level) nitrogen cycling. The objectives of this study were: (1) to quantify the pools and fluxes of N in wetland vegetation and soils, (2) to compare the storage and cycling of nitrogen in wetland and terrestrial vegetation in a subcatchment of Arbutus Lake (Adirondack Park, NY) and (3) to assess the relative importance of wetland and terrestrial vegetation in watershed N-retention. Vegetation data were collected from a representative wetland (peatland) ecotone and compared to terrestrial vegetation data collected as part of the Integrated Forest Study (IFS; Mitchell et al. 1991; Johnson and Lindberg 1992). The majority of nitrogen storage occurred in forest soils and wetland peat deposits (96% and 99% of total N in forests and wetlands, respectively). Annual N-uptake (49 kg N/ha/yr) was greater for wetland vegetation and exceeded the supply of N from soil mineralization (36 kg N/ha/yr). In contrast, N-uptake was less than mineralization in the forest (30 kg N/ha/yr and 76 kg N/ha/yr respectively) suggesting that the catchment was a net source of N. Annual N-storage in peat is small due to low peat accretion rates. These data suggest that in contrast to the forest, wetlands act as a sink for N (uptake is greater than mineralization) and store a disproportionate fraction (15%) of catchment N in relation to their surface area.
18) Comments/Requests: