N is known to be the most limiting element for vegetation growth in temperate and boreal forests. The expected increases in global temperature are predicted to accelerate N mineralization, therefore incrementing N availability in the soil and affecting the soil C cycle as well. While there is an abundance of C data collected to fulfill the requirements for national GHG accounting, more limited information is available for soil N accumulation and storage in relation to forest categories and altitudinal gradients. The data collected by the second Italian National Forest Inventory, spanning a wide range of temperature and precipitation values (10° latitudinal range), represented a unique opportunity to calculate N content and C/N ratio of the different soil layers to a depth of 30 cm. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) models were applied to investigate the main determinants of soil N distribution and C/N ratio. Forest category was shown to be the main explanatory factor of soil N variability in seven out of eight models, both for forest floor and mineral soil layers. Moreover latitude explained a larger share of variability than single climate variables. BRT models explained, on average, the 49% of the data variability, with the remaining fraction likely due to soil-related variables that were unaccounted for. Accurate estimations of N pools and their determinants in a climate change perspective are consequently required to predict the potential impact of their degradation on forest soil N pools.

Soil nitrogen explanatory factors across a range of forest ecosystems and climatic conditions in Italy / Rodeghiero, M.; Vesterdal, L.; Marcolla, B.; Vescovo, L.; Aertsen, W.; Martinez, C.; Di Cosmo, L.; Gasparini, P.; Gianelle, D.. - In: FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. - ISSN 0378-1127. - 408:(2018), pp. 25-35. [10.1016/j.foreco.2017.10.039]

Soil nitrogen explanatory factors across a range of forest ecosystems and climatic conditions in Italy

Rodeghiero, M.;
2018-01-01

Abstract

N is known to be the most limiting element for vegetation growth in temperate and boreal forests. The expected increases in global temperature are predicted to accelerate N mineralization, therefore incrementing N availability in the soil and affecting the soil C cycle as well. While there is an abundance of C data collected to fulfill the requirements for national GHG accounting, more limited information is available for soil N accumulation and storage in relation to forest categories and altitudinal gradients. The data collected by the second Italian National Forest Inventory, spanning a wide range of temperature and precipitation values (10° latitudinal range), represented a unique opportunity to calculate N content and C/N ratio of the different soil layers to a depth of 30 cm. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) models were applied to investigate the main determinants of soil N distribution and C/N ratio. Forest category was shown to be the main explanatory factor of soil N variability in seven out of eight models, both for forest floor and mineral soil layers. Moreover latitude explained a larger share of variability than single climate variables. BRT models explained, on average, the 49% of the data variability, with the remaining fraction likely due to soil-related variables that were unaccounted for. Accurate estimations of N pools and their determinants in a climate change perspective are consequently required to predict the potential impact of their degradation on forest soil N pools.
2018
Rodeghiero, M.; Vesterdal, L.; Marcolla, B.; Vescovo, L.; Aertsen, W.; Martinez, C.; Di Cosmo, L.; Gasparini, P.; Gianelle, D.
Soil nitrogen explanatory factors across a range of forest ecosystems and climatic conditions in Italy / Rodeghiero, M.; Vesterdal, L.; Marcolla, B.; Vescovo, L.; Aertsen, W.; Martinez, C.; Di Cosmo, L.; Gasparini, P.; Gianelle, D.. - In: FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. - ISSN 0378-1127. - 408:(2018), pp. 25-35. [10.1016/j.foreco.2017.10.039]
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Rodeghiero_2018_For Ecol Manag.pdf

Solo gestori archivio

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (Publisher’s layout)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 653.82 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
653.82 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/225687
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 11
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 11
social impact