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Per Persson. Photo.

Per Persson

Dean

Per Persson. Photo.

Soil organic phosphorus transformations in a boreal forest chronosequence

Author

  • Andrea G. Vincent
  • Johan Vestergren
  • Gerhard Grobner
  • Per Persson
  • Jurgen Schleucher
  • Reiner Giesler

Summary, in English

Soil phosphorus (P) composition changes with ecosystem development, leading to changes in P bioavailability and ecosystem properties. Little is known, however, about how soil P transformations proceed with ecosystem development in boreal regions. We used 1-dimensional P-31 and 2-dimensional H-1, P-31 correlation nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterise soil organic P transformations in humus horizons across a 7,800 year-old chronosequence in Vasterbotten, northern Sweden. Total soil P concentration varied little along the chronosequence, but P compounds followed three trends. Firstly, the concentrations of DNA, 2-aminoethyl phosphonic acid, and polyphosphate, increased up to 1,200-2,700 years and then declined. Secondly, the abundances of alpha- and beta-glycerophosphate, nucleotides, and pyrophosphate, were higher at the youngest site compared with all other sites. Lastly, concentrations of inositol hexakisphosphate fluctuated with site age. The largest changes in soil P composition tended to occur in young sites which also experience the largest shifts in plant community composition. The apparent lack of change in total soil P is consistent with the youth and nitrogen limited nature of the Vasterbotten chronosequence. Based on 2D NMR spectra, around 40 % of extractable soil organic P appeared to occur in live microbial cells. The observed trends in soil organic P may be related to shifts in plant community composition (and associated changes in soil microorganisms) along the studied chronosequence, but further studies are needed to confirm this.

Department/s

  • Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate

Publishing year

2013

Language

English

Pages

149-162

Publication/Series

Plant and Soil

Volume

367

Issue

1-2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Earth and Related Environmental Sciences

Keywords

  • hexakisphosphate
  • Inositol
  • P-31 correlation NMR
  • 2D H-1
  • Podzolization
  • 1D (PNMR)-P-31
  • Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
  • Vasterbotten chronosequence

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0032-079X