Controls Regulating Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Longleaf Pine Ecosystems: The Role of Fire and Stand Development

Abstract

Across 54 1-ha plots of longleaf pine at Fort Benning and Eglin Air Force Base representing a 227 year gradient of stand recovery, we quantified N losses from fire, patterns of N demand and availability, and quantified Nfixation by legumes, soil crusts, and asymbiotic bacteria. We found surprisingly low rates of N fixation, and that the dominant contribution of N fixation differed by site (legume N fixation at Benning and asymbiotic N fixation at Eglin). This site difference appears to be driven by lower soil P availability and higher soil N availability at Eglin relative to Benning. Supporting this idea, legume Nfixation increased with phosphorus (P) addition in common garden and field fertilization experiments.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2018
Accession Number
AD1073432

Entities

People

  • Nina Wurzburger

Organizations

  • University of Georgia

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Chemical Properties
  • Chemistry
  • Combustion
  • Department Of Defense
  • Environment
  • Fires
  • Forests
  • Fungi
  • Materials
  • Military Training
  • Plants
  • Soil Science
  • Trees
  • United States
  • Vegetation

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Aquatic Ecology
  • Archaeological Resource Survey
  • Geotechnical Engineering.