Microbial activity in acid and acidified forest soils

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6296916

Francis, A J; Olson, D; Bernatsky, R

Effect of soil acidity on microbial decomposition of organic matter, transformation of nitrogen, and soil chemical and biological properties of an acid forest soil were investigated. The rates of organic matter decomposition by natural acid soil and by pH-adjusted acid and neutral soils which were preincubated for 14 and 150 days were determined by monitoring CO/sub 2/ evolution. In the control (unamended) pH-adjusted acid soil, reductions in CO/sub 2/ production of 14% by 14-day preincubated samples and of 52% by 150-day samples were observed. In the oak-leaf-amended acidified soils, the CO/sub 2/ production by 14- and 150-day preincubated samples decreased by about 6 and 37%, respectively. Ammonification and nitrification in the natural acid and pH-adjusted acid soils were determined. In addition, the contribution of nitrate by heterotrophic microbial communities in natural acid and pH-adjusted acid soils was examined. Ammonia formation in the pH-adjusted acid soil was 50% less than in the natural acid soil. An increase in nitrate concentration in the pH-adjusted acid soil over that in the natural acid soil was observed. Increased rates of ammonification and nitrification were observed in the pH-adjusted neutral soil. Little autotrophic nitrifying activity was detected in natural acid and acidified forest soils and no detectable heterotrophic nitrification was observed. The data indicate that ammonification and nitrification are affected by an increase in soil acidity. These results suggest that further acidification of acid forest soils by addition of sulfuric acid or by acid precipitation may lead to significant reductions in the leaf litter decomposition, ammonification, and nitrification, and thus affect the nutrient recycling in the forest ecosystem.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 6296916
• Report Number(s): BNL-51379; ON: DE81030149
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
550200 -- Biochemistry
550500 -- Metabolism
550700 -- Microbiology
560302* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Microorganisms-- (-1987)
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACID RAIN
ACIDIFICATION
AIR POLLUTION
AMMONIA
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
BIODEGRADATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DECOMPOSITION
FORESTS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MICROORGANISMS
NITRIFICATION
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
ORGANIC MATTER
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
POLLUTION
RAIN
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
SULFURIC ACID