Mixed forest of Douglas-fir and beech has been suggested as one of the possible future forest types in Northwest Europe but the effects of this mixed forest on soil properties relative to monoculture stands are unknown. In a transboundary investigation of adjacent common garden Douglas-fir and beech stands, we determined the effects on topsoil properties. However, responses of C and N stocks, t...

Although plant strategies for acquiring nutrients have been widely studied from a functional point of view, their evolution is still not well understood. In this study, we investigate the evolutionary dynamics of these strategies and determine how they influence ecosystem properties. To do so, we use a simple nutrient-limited ecosystem model in which plant ability to take up nutrients is subjec...

Many models of phosphorus (P) transfer at the catchment scale rely on input from generic databases including, amongst others, soil and land use maps. Spatially detailed geochemical data sets have the potential to improve the accuracy of the input parameters of catchment-scale nutrient transfer models. Furthermore, they enable the assessment of the utility of available, generic spatial data sets...

In grasslands, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) mediate plant diversity; whether AMF increase or decrease diversity depends on the relative mycotrophy in dominant vs. subordinate plants. In this study we investigated whether soil nutrient levels also influence the ability of AMF to mediate plant species coexistence. First, we developed a conceptual model that predicts the influence of AMF on ...

The stand structure of shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) and soil properties in an extremely fragmented woodlot were examined in northeastern Illinois. The goal of this preliminary study was to examine the effect of extreme forest fragmentation (in a golf course environment) on the structure of oak-hickory remnants and the impact of golf course management on soil properties associated with these r...

the main limiting factors in saline-sodic soils are high amounts of salts, low soil organic matter (som) and lowavailability of macro and micro-nutrients. the effect of different amounts of nano iron oxide powder and urban solidwaste compost coated sulfur (uswcs) on the chemical properties of a saline-sodic soil was investigated. the experimentwas conducted using a randomized complete block des...

interrupting the processes which control ecosystem resources has dramatic impacts on the rangeland conditions. to protect ecosystems and landscape, it needs to understand the ecosystem processes which regulate the ecosystem resources. as main components of ecosystems, patches and inter-patches play important roles in energy and materials cascade. ecologically, functional parameters such as stab...

Short-term effects of different doses (0.25 and 0.5 kg m) of wood ash fertilization in a field experiment in a 20-year-old Scots pine stand on a nutrient-poor sandy soil (Arenosol) was studied in North Estonia. Soil chemical properties, nutrient accumulation, soluble carbohydrates, starch, hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin were used as biochemical indicators for the assessment of the state o...

OBJECTIVE Blenderized tube feedings (BTF) may present disadvantages over commercially prepared formulas (CPF). This study compares the microbial safety, nutritional content, and physical properties of BTF versus CPF. METHODS A total of 18 samples of BTF were collected from 3 hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from August 1999 through to November 1999. Samples of a CPF were collected for...