Temporal variability in plant and soil nitrogen pools in a high-Arctic ecosystem

• Published in: Soil biology & biochemistry Vol. 39; no. 8; pp. 2129 - 2137
• Main Authors: Bardgett, Richard D., van der Wal, Rene, Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg S., Quirk, Helen, Dutton, Stephen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2007; New York, NY Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Arctic region; Biochemistry and biology; biogeochemical cycles; Biological and medical sciences; chemical constituents of plants; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; cold soils; community structure; Dry and moist meadows; dry environmental conditions; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; grasslands; High Arctic; Microbiology; mineralization; Moss; nitrogen content; Nitrogen cycling; Nitrogen mineralisation; Norway; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Soil microbial biomass; soil microorganisms; soil organic matter; Soil science; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Temporal variation; wet environmental conditions; Arctic Region; Norway; Arctic region; Dry and moist meadows; Temporal variation; High Arctic; Soil microbial biomass; Moss; Nitrogen mineralisation; Nitrogen cycling; Grassland; Nitrogen; Microbial biomass; Time variation; Soils; Nitrogen cycle; Mineralization; Ecosystem; Polar region; Soil science; Soil plant relation

This study determined temporal variability in N pools, both aboveground and belowground, across two contrasting plant communities in high-Arctic Spitsbergen, Svalbard (78°N). We measured N pools in plant material, soil microbial biomass and soil organic matter in moist ( Alopecurus borealis dominate...