HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Shearer, G. Articles by Chien, S.-H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Shearer, G. Articles by Chien, S.-H. Agricola Articles by Shearer, G. Articles by Chien, S.-H.

The Nitrogen-15 Abundance in a Wide Variety of Soils¹

ABSTRACT

One hundred thirty-nine soil samples from 20 states were analyzed for ¹⁵N abundance. Soil characteristics and environmental conditions at the sampling sites varied widely. The total N of surface soil samples had a mean ¹⁵N value (per mill ¹⁵N excess) slightly but significantly higher than the mean value for soils collected from deeper layers, although the relationship between ¹⁵N and soil depth was not consistent from location to location. Differences among mean ¹⁵N values for the total N of soil samples collected from cropland, pasture, uncultivated land (with native herbs), and forest were not striking. There was no systematic effect of variation in the rate of application of N fertilizer on the ¹⁵N of the total N of soils. The mean ¹⁵N value of surface soils, with respect to atmospheric N, was +9.22 and the standard deviation was 2.10 ¹⁵N units. The range within which 90% of the samples fell was +5.1 to +12.3 ¹⁵N units. Less than half of the variation among the soils in ¹⁵N of the total N could be accounted for by differences in environmental variables or soil characteristics.

¹ This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, under the project number AEN73-07848 AO3.

² Research Associate, Center for the Biology of Natural Systems (CBNS), Washington Univ. St. Louis, MO 63130; Associate Professor of the Dept. of Biology at Washington Univ. and Senior Fellow, CBNS; former Research Associate, CBNS, respectively. The present address of S. H. Chien is International Fertilizer Development Center, P. O. Box 2040, Muscle Shoals, AL 35660.

Received for publication May 18, 1977. Accepted for publication July 21, 1978.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. R. Graves, C. S. Romanek, and A. Rodriguez Navarro Stable isotope signature of philopatry and dispersal in a migratory songbird PNAS, June 11, 2002; 99(12): 8096 - 8100. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]