Soil cover disturbances have a direct effect on biogeochemistry, potentially enhancing nutrient loss, land degradation and associated changes in ecosystem services and livelihood support. The objective of this study w...Soil cover disturbances have a direct effect on biogeochemistry, potentially enhancing nutrient loss, land degradation and associated changes in ecosystem services and livelihood support. The objective of this study was to assess how canopy affected throughfall chemistry and how hydrology affected stream nutrient load responses in two watersheds dominated by native old-growth evergreen rainforest (NF) and exotic plantation of Eucalyptus nitens (EP), located at the Coastal mountain range of southern Chile (40°S). We measured nitrogen (NO3-N, NH4-N, Organic-N, Total-N) and total phosphorus (Total-P) at catchment discharge, and δ18O in throughfall precipitation and stream discharge in both catchments, in order to separate throughfall (or new water) contributions during storm events. It was hypothesized that all nutrients showed an increase in concentration as discharge increased (or enhanced hydrological access), in EP;but not in NF. Our results indicated that Organic-N, Total-N and Total-P concentrations were positively related to discharge. However, NO3<sup style="margin-left:-7px;">--N showed a negative correlation with catchment discharge. Organic-N and Total-P showed a flush during storm events;the opposite was observed for NO3<sup style="margin-left:-7px;">--N. However, this behavior suggested that NO3<sup style="margin-left:-7px;">--N was being retained by charged particles or soil micro biota, whether Organic-N was flushed as it was more concentrated in big pore water that was not tightly attached, compared with NO3<sup style="margin-left:-7px;">--N.展开更多
文摘Soil cover disturbances have a direct effect on biogeochemistry, potentially enhancing nutrient loss, land degradation and associated changes in ecosystem services and livelihood support. The objective of this study was to assess how canopy affected throughfall chemistry and how hydrology affected stream nutrient load responses in two watersheds dominated by native old-growth evergreen rainforest (NF) and exotic plantation of Eucalyptus nitens (EP), located at the Coastal mountain range of southern Chile (40°S). We measured nitrogen (NO3-N, NH4-N, Organic-N, Total-N) and total phosphorus (Total-P) at catchment discharge, and δ18O in throughfall precipitation and stream discharge in both catchments, in order to separate throughfall (or new water) contributions during storm events. It was hypothesized that all nutrients showed an increase in concentration as discharge increased (or enhanced hydrological access), in EP;but not in NF. Our results indicated that Organic-N, Total-N and Total-P concentrations were positively related to discharge. However, NO3<sup style="margin-left:-7px;">--N showed a negative correlation with catchment discharge. Organic-N and Total-P showed a flush during storm events;the opposite was observed for NO3<sup style="margin-left:-7px;">--N. However, this behavior suggested that NO3<sup style="margin-left:-7px;">--N was being retained by charged particles or soil micro biota, whether Organic-N was flushed as it was more concentrated in big pore water that was not tightly attached, compared with NO3<sup style="margin-left:-7px;">--N.
