The influence of bigleaf maple on forest floor and mineral soil properties in a coniferous forest in coastal British Columbia

• Published in: Forest ecology and management Vol. 255; no. 5; pp. 1874 - 1882
• Main Authors: Turk, Tanya D., Schmidt, Margaret G., Roberts, Nicholas J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 05.04.2008; [Amsterdam]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acer macrophyllum; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Bigleaf maple; biogeochemical cycles; Biological and medical sciences; coastal forests; conifer needles; coniferous forests; degradation; Forest floor properties; forest litter; forest soils; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humus form; Mineral soil properties; mineral soils; mineralization; Nutrient cycling; Pseudotsuga; Pseudotsuga menziesii; soil chemical properties; soil fertility; soil organic matter; Synecology; Terrestrial ecosystems; Tsuga heterophylla; British Columbia; Canada; North America; America; Forest floor properties; Bigleaf maple; Nutrient cycling; Acer macrophyllum; Humus form; Mineral soil properties; Translocation; Litter; Property of soil; Forest soil; Mineral soils; Biogeochemical cycle; Inorganic element; Aceraceae; Humus; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Gymnospermae; Nutrient; Spermatophyta; Coniferales; Coniferous forest
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2007.12.016

Bigleaf maple ( Acer macrophyllum Pursh) is a common tree species in coastal forests of the Pacific Northwest. We studied the influence of bigleaf maple on forest floor and mineral soil properties in a forest dominated by Douglas-fir [ Pseudotsuga menziessi (Mirb.) Franco] and western hemlock [ Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.]. Twelve plots containing bigleaf maple were compared to paired plots without the influence of bigleaf maple. Compared to conifer plots, forest floors at bigleaf maple plots were significantly thinner, but the total contents of C in both forest floor and surface mineral soils did not differ between bigleaf maple and conifer plots. This suggests that the bigleaf maple litter may not be fully decomposing; rather a portion of the decomposing litter may be transforming into recalcitrant soil organic matter. Bigleaf maple plots had significantly higher pH, NO 3-N concentrations and contents and mineralizable N contents in the forest floor as well as significantly higher cation exchange capacity and concentrations of N (total, mineralizable and NO 3-N) and exchangeable K, Ca and Mg in the mineral soil. The changes in soil chemical properties suggest that the presence of bigleaf maple in conifer forests may cause a modest improvement in soil fertility.