Abstract
Short-term competition between soil microbes and seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) for N was assessed in a pot study using (15NH4)2SO4 as a tracer. Seedlings were grown in organic and mineral soil, collected from a podsol soil; 3.18 mg (15NH4)2SO4 per pot were injected into the soil, corresponding to 4 µg 15N g-1 d.m. (dry matter) mineral soil and 17 µg 15N g-1 d.m. organic soil. The amounts of N and 15N in the seedlings and in microbial biomass derived from fumigation-extraction were measured 48 h after addition of 15N. In the mineral soil, 19–30% of the added 15N was found in the plants and 14–20% in the microbial biomass. There were no statistically significant differences between the tree species. In the organic soil, 74% of the added 15N was recovered in the microbial biomass in birch soil, compared to 26% and 17% in pine and spruce soils, respectively. Correspondingly, about 70% of the 15N was recovered in pine and spruce seedlings, and only 23% in birch seedlings. In conclusion, plants generally competed more successfully for added 15NH4 + than soil microbes did. An exception was birch growing in organic soil, where the greater amount of available C from birch root exudates perhaps enabled micro-organisms to utilise more N.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bååth E, Lohm U, Lundgren B, Rosswall T, Söderström B, Sohlenius B, Wirén A (1978) The effect of nitrogen and carbon supply on the development of soil organism populations and pine seedlings: a microcosm experiment. Oikos 31:153–163
Bradley RL, Fyles JW (1995) Growth of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) seedlings increases soil available C and microbial acquisition of soil-nutrients. Soil Biol Biochem 27:1565–1571
Brookes PC, Landman A, Pruden G, Jenkinson DS (1985) Chloroform fumigation and the release of soil nitrogen: a rapid direct extraction method to measure microbial biomass nitrogen in soil. Soil Biol Biochem 17:837–842
Brooks PD, Stark JM, Mcinteer BB, Preston T (1989) A diffusion method to prepare soil extracts for automated nitrogen-15 analysis. Soil Sci Soc Am J 53:1707–1711
Esala M (1991) Split application of nitrogen: effects on the protein in spring wheat and fate of 15N-labeled nitrogen in the soil-plant system. Ann Agric Fenn 30:219–309
Hobbie SE (1992) Effects of plant species on nutrient cycling. Trends Ecol Evol 7:336–339
Hodge A, Robinson D, Fitter A (2000) Are microorganisms more effective than plants in competing for nitrogen? Trends Plant Sci 5:304–308
Jackson LE, Schimel JP, Firestone MK (1989) Short-term partitioning of ammonium and nitrate between plants and microbes in an annual grassland. Soil Biol Biochem 21:409–415
Jarva M, Tervahauta A (1993) Vesinäytteiden analyysiohjeet. Metsäntutkimuslaitoksen Tied 477:87–92
Jingguo W, Bakken LR (1997) Competition for nitrogen during decomposition of plant residues in soil: microbial response to C and N availability. Soil Biol Biochem 29:163–170
Kaye JP, Hart SC (1997) Competition for nitrogen between plants and soil microorganisms. Trends Ecol Evol 12:139–143
Liljeroth E, Van Veen JA, Miller HJ (1990) Assimilate translocation to the rhizosphere of two wheat lines and subsequent utilization by rhizosphere microorganisms at two soil nitrogen concentrations. Soil Biol Biochem 22:1015–1021
Milliken GA, Johnson DE (1984) Analysis of messy data. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York
Norton JM, Firestone MK (1996) N dynamics in the rhizosphere of Pinus ponderosa seedlings. Soil Biol Biochem 28:351–362
Parmelee RW, Ehrenfeld JG, Tate RL III (1993) Effects of pine roots on microorganisms, fauna, and nitrogen availability in two soil horizons of a coniferous forest spodosol. Biol Fertil Soils 15:113–119
Priha O, Smolander A (1997) Microbial biomass and activity in soil and litter under Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Betula pendula at originally similar field afforestation sites. Biol Fertil Soils 24:45–51
Priha O, Lehto T, Smolander A (1998) Mycorrhizas and rhizosphere C and N transformations in Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Betula pendula seedlings. Plant Soil 206:191–204
Priha O, Hallantie T, Smolander A (1999a) Comparing microbial biomass, denitrification enzyme activity and numbers of nitrifiers in the rhizospheres of Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Betula pendula seedlings by microscale-methods. Biol Fertil Soils 30:14–19
Priha O, Grayston SJ, Pennanen T, Smolander A (1999b) Microbial activities related to C and N cycling and microbial community structure in the rhizospheres of Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Betula pendula seedlings in an organic and mineral soil. FEMS Microb Ecol 30:187–199
Ranta E, Rita H, Kouki J (1989) Biometria, 2nd edn. Yliopistopaino, Helsinki
Schimel JP, Jackson LE, Firestone MK (1989) Spatial and temporal effects on plant-microbial competition for inorganic nitrogen in a California annual grassland. Soil Biol Biochem 21:1059–1066
Van Veen JA, Merckx R, Van de Gejn SC (1989) Plant- and soil related controls of the flow of carbon from roots through the soil microbial biomass. Plant Soil 115:179–188
Zak DR, Groffman PM, Pregitzer KS, Christensen S, Tiedje JM (1990) The vernal dam: plant-microbe competition for nitrogen in northern hardwood forests. Ecol 71:651–656
Acknowledgements
We thank the staff at Ruotsinkylä field station for taking care of the plants. Thanks to Anneli Rautiainen for excellent help with the 15N additions and in harvesting the experiment, Jussi Heinonsalo for giving comments on the manuscript, and Dr Joann von Weissenberg for revising the language. We are grateful to the Academy of Finland, Metsämiesten säätiö and Emil Aaltosen säätiö for supporting this work.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Priha, O., Smolander, A. Short-term uptake of 15NH4 + into soil microbes and seedlings of pine, spruce and birch in potted soils. Biol Fertil Soils 37, 324–327 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-003-0601-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-003-0601-x