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Ecosystem N Distribution and δ15N during a Century of Forest Regrowth after Agricultural Abandonment

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Abstract

Stable isotope ratios of terrestrial ecosystem nitrogen (N) pools reflect internal processes and input–output balances. Disturbance generally increases N cycling and loss, yet few studies have examined ecosystem δ15N over a disturbance-recovery sequence. We used a chronosequence approach to examine N distribution and δ15N during forest regrowth after agricultural abandonment. Site ages ranged from 10 to 115 years, with similar soils, climate, land-use history, and overstory vegetation (white pine Pinus strobus). Foliar N and δ15N decreased as stands aged, consistent with a progressive tightening of the N cycle during forest regrowth on agricultural lands. Over time, foliar δ15N became more negative, indicating increased fractionation along the mineralization–mycorrhizal–plant uptake pathway. Total ecosystem N was constant across the chronosequence, but substantial internal N redistribution occurred from the mineral soil to plants and litter over 115 years (>25% of ecosystem N or 1,610 kg ha−1). Temporal trends in soil δ15N generally reflected a redistribution of depleted N from the mineral soil to the develo** O horizon. Although plants and soil δ15N are coupled over millennial time scales of ecosystem development, our observed divergence between plants and soil suggests that they can be uncoupled during the disturbance-regrowth sequence. The approximate 2‰ decrease in ecosystem δ15N over the century scale suggests significant incorporation of atmospheric N, which was not detected by traditional ecosystem N accounting. Consideration of temporal trends and disturbance legacies can improve our understanding of the influence of broader factors such as climate or N deposition on ecosystem N balances and δ15N.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank José Amador, Keith Killingbeck, Bob McKane, and Michelle Mack for helpful discussions of this work. Comments from Helga Van Miegroet, Amy Austin and two anonymous reviewers greatly improved the manuscript. Michael Capircchio, Kate Ensor, Jeremy Tremblay and Sara Manocchia provided lab and field assistance, and Bill Griffis and Christine Redmond conducted isotope analyses. We are grateful to the Providence Water Supply Board for site access and information on land-use history. This document has been approved for publication by the US EPA. Mention of trade names does not constitute endorsement. This work was supported by USDA (CSREES Grant #97–35106-4803), US EPA and the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NHEERL, Western Ecology Division, 300 SW 35th St, Corvallis, Oregon, 97333, USA

    Jana E. Compton

  2. Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84322, USA

    Toby D. Hooker

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA

    Steven S. Perakis

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  1. Jana E. Compton
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Correspondence to Jana E. Compton.

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Compton, J.E., Hooker, T.D. & Perakis, S.S. Ecosystem N Distribution and δ15N during a Century of Forest Regrowth after Agricultural Abandonment. Ecosystems 10, 1197–1208 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-007-9087-y

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