title: Inferred effects of cloud deposition on forest floor nutrient cycling and microbial properties along a short elevation gradient.
abstract: Cloud water deposition often increases with elevation, and it is widely accepted that this cloud water increases acid loading to upland forest ecosystems. A study was undertaken in south-eastern Quebec to determine if a 250 m elevation gradient (i.e. 420-665 m), along a uniform sugar-maple stand on the slope of Mount Orford, corresponded to a pH gradient in the forest floor and to predictable changes in soil nutrient availability and microbial properties. Precipitation data from a nearby study, and a photographic survey, provided presumptive evidence that this elevation gradient corresponded to a strong gradient in cloud water deposition. Forest floor temperature did not differ significantly across elevations. Forest floor moisture content was significantly higher, whereas pH and exchangeable Ca and Mg were significantly lower, at the higher elevations. Average seasonal net nitrification rates, determined by long-term laboratory incubations, did not differ significantly across elevations, whereas average seasonal net ammonification rates were significantly higher at higher elevations. Basal respiration rates and microbial biomass did not differ significantly across elevations, but metabolic quotient was significantly higher at higher elevations indicating possible environmental stress on forest floor microbial communities due to cloud water deposition. Anaerobic N mineralisation rates were significantly higher at higher elevations suggesting that N-limited microbial communities frequently exposed to cloud cover can be important short-term sinks for atmospheric N, thereby contributing to increase the active-N fraction of forest floors. We conclude that, where no significant changes in vegetation or temperature occur, elevation gradients can still be used to understand the spatial variability of nutrient cycles and microbial properties.
authors.affiliation: Le Centre de recherche en biologie forestiére (CRBF), Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lavoie
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Bradley
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D001682:Biological Availability; D002118:Calcium; D004463:Ecology; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008274:Magnesium; D008685:Meteorological Concepts; D009584:Nitrogen; D014197:Trees
chemical_list: D008274:Magnesium; D009584:Nitrogen; D002118:Calcium