at Google ScholarTitle data
Otieno, Dennis Ochuodho ; Mirzaei, Heydar ; Hussain, Mir Zaman ; Li, Yanli ; Schmidt, Markus ; Wartinger, Margarete ; Jung, Eun-Young ; Ribeiro, Nuno ; Pereira, João Santos ; Tenhunen, John:
Herbaceous layer development during spring does not deplete soil nitrogen in the Portuguese montado.
In: Journal of Arid Environments.
Vol. 75
(2011)
Issue 3
.
- pp. 231-238.
ISSN 0140-1963
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2010.10.011
Abstract in another language
Nitrogen (N) content in the soil and in the herbaceous biomass were monitored during spring of 2004–2006 to determine how the herbaceous layer development influences soil N availability in the montado ecosystem of southern Portugal. Highest (246.6 ± 52.7 g m−2) and lowest (123.2 ± 89.5 g m−2) peak biomass occurred in 2006 and 2005 respectively. Total soil N within the top 20 cm soil profile ranged between 0.2 ± 0.1% in February and 0.41 ± 0.2% in May, while available soil N was lowest (5 ± 2 μg g−1soil) in February but increased three-to-five fold in March and was >17.5 μg g−1soil at senescence in May. Significant (p herbaceous plants were annuals with large reserves of organic N at senescence, which returned to the soil as detritus. The herbaceous vegetation is a critical component of the montado that contributes to N recharge and cycling within the ecosystem.