Functioning and Management of European Beech Ecosystems (Ecological Studies)

Contributors......Page 7
Contributors......Page 18
0: Introduction......Page 23
References......Page 26
1: General Description of Study Sites......Page 27
References......Page 31
2.1 Climate of Germany......Page 32
2.2.1 Climatic Variables......Page 35
2.3.1 Solar Radiation......Page 36
2.3.2 Air Temperature......Page 37
2.3.3 Precipitation......Page 39
2.3.4 Variations of Air Temperature and Precipitation During the Observation Period......Page 41
2.3.5 Soil Temperature......Page 43
2.4 Comparison with Other Climatic Regions......Page 46
2.5 Conclusions......Page 49
References......Page 50
3.2 Parent Material, Mineral Composition, Soil Texture......Page 52
3.3 Soil Types, Soil pH, and Buffer Systems of Soils......Page 55
3.4 Cation Exchange Capacity, and Exchangeable Cations......Page 56
3.5 Nutrient Status of Soils and Organic Layer Types......Page 59
3.6 Additional Study Plots at the Solling Site......Page 60
References......Page 65
4.1 Introduction......Page 67
4.2 Content and Distribution of C and Nin Soils from Three Beech Sites......Page 68
4.3 Long-term Periodic Measurements of C and N Contents in the Soil at Solling Site......Page 72
4.4 Human Impacts and Management Issues at Solling......Page 75
4.5 Summary......Page 79
References......Page 80
5.1 Introduction......Page 82
5.2.1 Solling......Page 83
5.2.2 Zierenberg......Page 85
5.2.3 Göttinger Wald......Page 88
5.3 Vegetation Ecology of the Beech Forest Ecosystems: Impact of Site Conditions......Page 91
5.4.1 Solling......Page 94
5.4.3 Göttinger Wald......Page 95
Acknowledgments......Page 98
References......Page 99
6.1 Introduction......Page 104
6.2 Microbial Carbon and Nitrogen......Page 105
6.3 Metabolic Quotient and Cmic-to-Corg Relationship......Page 106
6.4 Conclusions and Indications of Human Impacts......Page 108
References......Page 109
7.1 Introduction......Page 110
7.3 Macro-Gradient from Base-Rich to Acid Beech Forests......Page 111
7.4 Meso-Gradient from Basalt to Limestone at the Zierenberg Site......Page 116
7.5 Conclusions......Page 117
References......Page 118
8.1 Introduction......Page 120
8.2.1 Stem Growth......Page 122
8.2.2.1 Solling Site......Page 124
8.2.3 Biomass Modelling at Different Experimental Sites......Page 125
8.3.1 Solling Site......Page 126
8.3.3 Zierenberg Site......Page 128
8.4 Comparison of Stand Growth at the Three Experimental Sites......Page 129
8.5 Biomass of Harvested Trees and Annual Biomass Increments......Page 131
8.6 Nutrients in Various Tree Components......Page 136
8.7 Stand Harvesting and Nutrient Export......Page 145
Acknowledgements......Page 147
References......Page 148
9.1 Introduction......Page 152
9.3 Fine Root Production and Turnover......Page 157
9.4 Element Recycling with Litter of Fine Root......Page 162
9.5 Summary......Page 163
References......Page 166
10.1 Introduction......Page 169
10.2.1 Biomass and NPP Estimates using Harvesting Methods......Page 170
10.2.2 Aboveground Phytomass Estimates by Dimension Analysis......Page 171
10.3.1 Total Biomass Estimated from Harvest Studies......Page 175
10.3.3 Comparison of Methods of Biomass Assessment......Page 179
10.4 Phenological Patterns of Annual Development of Herbaceous Biomass......Page 181
10.5 Annual Production of Biomass and Litterfall of the Herbaceous Layer......Page 183
10.6 N-storage, Dynamic and Internal N-Cycling......Page 185
10.7 Annual Changes in N-Contents......Page 186
10.8 C/N Ratios......Page 188
10.9 Ground Vegetation as a Part of Internal N-Cycling in Beech Stands......Page 189
10.10 Conclusion......Page 190
References......Page 191
11.1 Introduction......Page 196
11.2 Site Description and Collection and Measurements of Aboveground Litterfall Components and Green Foliage......Page 198
11.3 Components and Annual Patterns of Aboveground Litterfall......Page 200
11.4 Amount of Nutrients in Litterfall......Page 202
11.5 Nutrient Concentrations in the Total Litterfall and Leaf Litter Components of the Different Sites......Page 205
11.6 Foliar Chemistry......Page 206
11.7 Nutrients and Heavy Metals in Green Foliage and Litterfall in Relation to Atmospheric Inputs......Page 211
11.8 Autumn Withdrawal of Nutrients at the Time of Leaf Senescence......Page 213
11.9 Conclusions......Page 216
References......Page 217
12.1 Introduction......Page 219
12.2 Influence of Soil Fauna on Decomposition of Canopy Leaf Litter......Page 222
12.3 Influence of Soil Fauna on Decomposition of Herb Litter......Page 223
12.5 Faunal Control of Litter Decay......Page 225
12.5.1 Microfauna, Mesofauna, and Macrofauna......Page 226
12.5.2 Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralisation......Page 228
12.5.3 Acid Rain and Liming......Page 230
12.6 The Decomposer Web......Page 231
12.6.1 Important Interactions Between Decomposer Groups......Page 232
12.6.2 Bottom-up and Top-down Effects......Page 233
12.7 Earthworms as Ecosystem Engineers......Page 235
12.7.2 Bioturbation......Page 236
12.7.3 Earthworm Burrows and Middens......Page 237
12.8 Conclusions......Page 238
References......Page 239
13.1 Introduction......Page 243
13.2 Experimental Details......Page 244
13.3 Nitrogen Mineralisation in Soil Cores......Page 245
13.3.1 Depthwise Distributions of Net N-Mineralisation......Page 249
13.3.2 Temperature Sensitivity of Net N-Mineralisation......Page 250
13.4 Carbon Mineralisation......Page 251
13.4.1 Depthwise Distributions of Net C-Mineralisation......Page 252
13.5 Relationship Between N-Mineralisation and C-Mineralisation......Page 253
13.6 Nitrification......Page 255
13.6.1 Autotrophic Versus Heterotrophic Nitrification......Page 258
13.6.2 Effects of Temperature and Water Stress on Nitrification......Page 259
13.7 Conclusions and Indications of Human Impacts......Page 260
References......Page 261
14.1 Introduction......Page 264
14.2 Experimental Details......Page 265
14.3 Transport and Leaching Losses of Added15N Labelled Nitrogen......Page 266
14.4 Retention of Applied Ammonium and 15N Balance of Forest Soils......Page 269
14.5 Retention of Added Nitrate and 15N Balances of Forest Soils......Page 271
14.6 Temperature Effects on Transformation of Ammonium Applied to the Surface Organic Layer and to Mineral Soil Layers of the......Page 272
References......Page 273
15.1 Introduction......Page 275
15.2 Precipitation Chemistry......Page 279
15.3 Element Fluxes......Page 283
15.4 Canopy Rain Interactions......Page 289
15.5 Discussion......Page 294
Annex Tables......Page 296
References......Page 309
16.1 Introduction......Page 313
16.2 Soil Solution Collection and Statistical Analysis......Page 314
16.3 Modelling of Water Fluxes......Page 315
16.4 Calculation of Input-Output Balances of Various Elements and Acid Production......Page 316
16.5 Solution Composition From Soils of Different Buffer Systems......Page 318
16.6 Temporal Trends in Soil Solution Chemistry......Page 321
16.7 Hydrologic Regime......Page 326
16.9 Element Budgets......Page 329
16.9.1 Solling Site......Page 331
16.9.2 Göttinger Wald Site......Page 335
16.9.3 Zierenberg Site......Page 336
16.10 Acid Loading: Atmospheric Depositions and System-Internal H Production......Page 337
16.11.1 Response of Acid-Base Soil Properties to Decreasing Atmospheric Deposition......Page 339
16.11.2 Response of N and C Budgets of Soils to Decreasing Atmospheric Depositions......Page 340
References......Page 342
17.1 Introduction......Page 347
17.2 Soil Chamber Design Affects Soil Respiration Measurements......Page 348
17.3 Temporal Variation of Soil Respiration......Page 350
17.4 Spatial Variation of Soil Respiration......Page 352
17.5 Soil Respiration in Temperate Beech Forests......Page 353
17.6 Autotrophic Respiration......Page 354
17.7 Effects of Additional N-inputs and Liming on Soil Respiration......Page 357
17.8 Summary and Implications for Management Options......Page 358
References......Page 359
18.1 Introduction......Page 362
18.3 Temporal Variation of N2O Emission......Page 363
18.5 Landscape Control on N2O Emissions......Page 365
18.6 Relationship Between Temperature and N2O Emission......Page 369
18.7 Implications of Forest Management for N2O Emissions......Page 370
18.8 Conclusions......Page 373
References......Page 374
19.1 Introduction......Page 377
19.2 Moisture and Temperature Effects......Page 378
19.3 Site Factors Determine Methane Uptake......Page 381
19.4 Effects of Liming and Forest Harvesting......Page 385
19.5 Effects of Nitrogen Input......Page 387
19.6 Conclusions and Indications of Human Impacts......Page 390
References......Page 391
20.2 Regional Distribution of Microbial Carbon of Broad-Leaved Forest Soils in Lower Saxony......Page 394
20.2.1 The Significance of the Cmic-to-Corg Relationship and the Specific Respiration Rate, qCO2......Page 397
20.2.1.1 Beech Monocultures Versus Beech-Oak Stands......Page 400
20.3.1 pH Dependent Changes of the Cmic- to- Corg Relationship, qCO2 and the Fungal-Bacterial Ratio of Broad-Leaved Fore......Page 402
20.4 Conclusion and Management Implications......Page 405
References......Page 406
21.1 Introduction......Page 409
21.2 Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks in Temperate Forest Soils......Page 411
21.3 Environmental Controls on C- and N-Sequestration......Page 413
21.4 Soil Control on C- and N-Sequestration......Page 417
21.5 Environmental and Anthropogenic Control on C- and N-sequestration in Surface Organic Horizons......Page 421
21.6 Conclusions......Page 424
References......Page 425
22.1.1 Geographic Range and Current Distribution......Page 429
22.1.2 Environmental Amplitude......Page 431
22.1.3 Growth......Page 433
22.1.5 Wood Quality......Page 435
22.2.1 Regeneration......Page 436
22.2.3 Liming......Page 441
22.3 Specific Silvicultural Characteristics and Treatments of the Three Beech Ecosystems......Page 442
22.3.1 Solling......Page 443
22.3.2 Göttinger Wald......Page 444
22.3.3 Zierenberg......Page 445
22.4 Naturalness of the Forest Management Practices......Page 446
22.5 Effects of Forest Management Practices on C- and N-Dynamics......Page 448
22.6 Conclusions......Page 453
References......Page 454
23.1 Background and Issues......Page 461
23.2 Productivity, C Stocks, C Balances, and Their  Relations to Soil Chemical State of Three Beech Ecosystems......Page 462
23.3 N Stocks and N Balances at Three Beech ecosystems......Page 465
23.4 Nutrient Status and Productivity of European Beech Ecosystems in a Changing Environment......Page 468
23.5 N-Status and Its Significance for European Forest Ecosystems......Page 471
23.5.1 Forests of the Accumulation Type......Page 473
23.5.2 Forests of the Degradation Type......Page 476
23.5.3 Forests of the (quasi-) Steady State Type......Page 477
23.6 Dynamics of C and N Sequestration in European Forests......Page 478
23.7 Bioturbation as a Central Process of C and N Dynamics: Role of Soil Biota......Page 481
23.8 Forest Management Strategies: Future Perspectives......Page 484
23.9 Conclusions......Page 486
References......Page 489
Index......Page 493