Abstract
Nitrogen is absorbed by trees in quantities larger than any of the mineral nutrients. It can be taken up by trees as NH4 and as NO3, but the relative ease with which they are absorbed does not necessarily reflect the degree of preference shown by tree species for either of the N forms.
In an experiment with larch trees grown on mineral soil in 60-liter containers and supplied with15N-enriched NH4 or NO3, it could be shown that NH4 is absorbed more readily than NO3. With information available on the NH4 : NO3 uptake ratio, a cation-anion uptake balance sheet could be constructed for larch trees, showing a large excess of cations absorbed over anions. The resulting acidifying effect on the soil must be viewed as one of the major causes of acidification of forest soils in the Netherlands. This process, however, is but one in a cyclic sequence of N transformations in forest ecosystems, each one having its specific influence on soilpH. A model of these N transformations is presented and discussed.
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Arnold, G., van Diest, A. Nitrogen supply, tree growth and soil acidification. Fertilizer Research 27, 29–38 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01048606
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01048606