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Controls on Natural Nitrogen-15 and Carbon-13 Abundances in Forest Soil Organic Matter

The Ecosystems Ctr., Marine Biological Lab., Woods Hole, MA 02543

*Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

We used ¹⁵N and ¹³C measurements to study formation and decay of soil organic matter in surface soils of two oak (Quercus spp.) forests in Wisconsin. There were two controls of soil isotopic compositions: new litter inputs and overall isotopic fractionation during decomposition. Litter inputs lowered soil ¹⁵N and ¹³C values while decomposition increased ¹⁵N and ¹³C values. Leaf and root litter inputs averaged –3.8 and –1.6 ¹⁵N and –27.3 and –28.2 ¹³C, respectively. Field experiments showed that low surface soil ¹⁵N and ¹³C values resulted when litter inputs were high. Laboratory experiments showed that overall isotopic fractionation during decomposition left residual soil N and C enriched in ¹⁵N and ¹³C, and could explain the high ¹⁵N and ¹³C values observed in deeper forest soils (+5.9 ¹⁵N and –23.6 ¹³C for 10 to 20 cm soils). Our results suggest two pools of naturally labeled N in forest soils: surface N with low ¹⁵N values and subsoil N with high ¹⁵N values. Natural abundance measurements of soil N may be useful for following the importance of these two N pools in forest N cycles. We found no evidence for selective preservation of ¹³C depleted litter components, such as lignin, during long-term decomposition in forest soils.

Supported in part by a grant from the A.W. Mellon Foundation.

Received for publication January 15, 1988.

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