In order to properly assess the feasibility of using Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy for soil monitoring, the variation of fluorescence intensity due to the heterogeneity and complexity of soil media was investigated. Different soil minerals showed fluorescence spectral structures distinguishable from the contaminants, implying dissimilar interactions or the binding of contaminant...

Results The C : N ratio in plant tissue, litter, forest floor and mineral soil exhibited large variation across various sequences, with an average of 145.8 9.4 (mean SE), 49.9 3.0, 38.2 3.1 and 18.5 0.9, respectively. In most sequences, the plant tissue C : N ratio increased significantly with stand age, while the C : N ratio in litter, forest floor and mineral soil remained relatively constant...

High-latitude regions store large amounts of organic carbon (OC) in active-layer soils and permafrost, accounting for nearly half of the global belowground OC pool. In the boreal region, recent warming has promoted changes in the fire regime, which may exacerbate rates of permafrost thaw and alter soil OC dynamics in both organic and mineral soil. We examined how interactions between fire and p...

The contribution of the organic (O) horizon to total soil respiration is poorly understood even though it can represent a large source of uncertainty due to seasonal changes in microclimate and O horizon properties due to plant phenology. Our objectives were to partition the CO(2) effluxes of litter layer and mineral soil from total soil respiration (SR) and determine the relative importance of...

We assessed changes in mineral soil total carbon (C) and nutrient (exchangeable Ca, K, Mg, and total N) pools to 60 cm depth 5 years after manipulating biomass and competing vegetation at two contrasting Douglas-fir plantations (Matlock, WA, and Molalla, OR). Biomass treatments included whole-tree (WT) and bole-only (BO) harvest, and competing vegetation control (VC) treatments were applied as ...

Increases in atmospheric C have resulted in concerns about global warming and interest in finding means to sequester atmospheric C through land management strategies. The purpose of this study was to (i) compare changes in mineral soil C after a 30-year interval and (ii) examine the role of inorganic-N, soil texture, and topography in these changes. Soil samples were collected at permanently id...

The hybrid Pseudomonas cepacia strain JHR22 was tested for its ability to degrade Aroclor 1221 in soil. The influence of supplements--mineral salts and trace elements--on the degradation was investigated. Disappearance of Aroclor 1221 congeners, occurrence of metabolites, and release of chloride were measured under different conditions. After 45 days the hybrid organism, strain JHR22, was still...

the aim of this research was to compare the amounts of existing mineral elements in plant aerial parts, litter and soil ofthree range species (bromus tomentellus, psathyrostachys fragilis, agropyron tauri) in order to investigate the litter effectof species on soil properties of taleghan rangeland. the measured mineral elements include carbon, nitrogen,phosphorous and potassium. after selection...

UNLABELLED Bacteria play important roles in mineral weathering, soil formation, and element cycling. However, little is known about the interaction between silicate minerals and rhizobia. In this study, Rhizobium yantingense H66 (a novel mineral-weathering rhizobium) and Rhizobium etli CFN42 were compared with respect to potash feldspar weathering, mineral surface adsorption, and metabolic acti...

The response of ERS-2 SAR to changes in soil and forest canopy moisture is investigated at a boreal forest test region in Finland. An inversion approach to estimate moisture characteristics from SAR data is applied. The method requires that a priori information on forest biomass (stem volume) and soil type distribution is available. The inversion technique provides estimates that are here, in a...