2024-03-28T23:05:53Zhttp://digital.csic.es/dspace-oai/requestoai:digital.csic.es:10261/566072015-10-16T09:28:05Zcom_10261_88com_10261_8col_10261_341
Soil enzyme activity in a mediterranean forest after six years of drought
Sardans, Jordi
Peñuelas, Josep
14 páginas,6 figuras, 4 tablas.
A 6-yr experiment in drought manipulation was conducted in a Quercus ilex L. Mediterranean forest to simulate
the drought conditions projected for the coming decades. We investigated the eff ects of those drought conditions
on soil urease, protease, and β-glucosidase activities and the changes in C and N stocks in soil, leaves, and leaf litter.
Elimination of runoff and rainfall resulted in lower soil water content than in control soils in autumn, winter, and
spring (27, 61, and 53%, respectively). In soils subjected to runoff plus partial rainfall elimination, urease activities
were reduced by 25% in autumn, winter, and spring; soil protease activities by 33% in winter and spring; and
β-glucosidase by 25 to 30% in summer and spring. Drought reduced the C/N ratio of the leaf litter of the dominant
species, Q. ilex, by 11%, indicating a decrease in N remobilization before leaf fall. We therefore did not observe an
increase in the C/N concentration ratio in litter and soil as we had expected. Drought decreased N availability in
spring, the growing season, by reducing soil NO3
− concentration. Th e reduction in enzyme activities in the droughtaff
ected soils was mainly due to the prolonged decrease in water availability and, to a lesser extent, to current soil water
availability, mainly in summer, and to changes in the nutritional quality of the enzyme substrate. Th e observed drop
in soil enzyme activity can contribute to a decrease in the amount of N liberated and consequently to a decline in the
plant N capture, which was observed in some community species such as Arbutus unedo L.
Th is research was supported by the European project NEU
NITROEUROPE (GOCE017841), by the Spanish Government Grants
CGL2006-04025/BOS and Consolider-Ingenio Montes CSD2008-
00040, and by the Catalan Government Grant SGR 2009-1458.
Peer reviewed
2012-09-24T11:23:52Z
2012-09-24T11:23:52Z
2010
artículo
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
Soil Science Society of America Journal 74(3) : 838-851 (2010)
0361-5995
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/56607
10.2136/sssaj2009.0225
1435-0661
en
http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2009.0225
none
Soil Science Society of America