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.

Rodeghiero, M.; Vesterdal, L.; Marcolla, B.; Vescovo, L.; Aertsen, W.; Martinez, C.; Di Cosmo, L.; Gasparini, P.; Gianelle, D. (2018). Soil nitrogen explanatory factors across a range of forest ecosystems and climatic conditions in Italy. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 408: 25-35. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2017.10.039 handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/44173

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

Rodeghiero, M.
Primo
;
Marcolla, B.;Vescovo, L.;Gianelle, D.
Ultimo
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.
Forest ecology
Forest category
Soil nitrogen
Soil C/N ratio
Boosted regression tree models
Settore BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA
2018
Rodeghiero, M.; Vesterdal, L.; Marcolla, B.; Vescovo, L.; Aertsen, W.; Martinez, C.; Di Cosmo, L.; Gasparini, P.; Gianelle, D. (2018). Soil nitrogen explanatory factors across a range of forest ecosystems and climatic conditions in Italy. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 408: 25-35. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2017.10.039 handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/44173
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