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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Nitrogen isotope composition of soils, C
3
and C
4
plants along land use gradients in southern Africa
Journal of Arid Environments, Volume 72, No. 4, Year 2008
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Description
This paper provides values for nitrogen isotopic abundances of southern African soils and plants along land use gradients of varying aridity. The δ15N values of soils and plants were generally higher in sites with greater land use intensity, except in the most arid site where δ15N decreased with land use intensity. The enrichment in 15N with land use intensity agrees with the expected effects of grazing and cultivation on N cycling processes, including increased volatilization of ammonium, exports of plant material, and decreased N2 fixation by the destruction of cyanobacterial soil crusts. Gross mineralization and nitrification rates were more affected by local heterogeneity in the soils than by aridity or land use. In general, C3 plants had significantly higher δ15N than C4 plants from the same location, suggesting different N use by the two plant types. This study suggests that land use intensity affects N cycling processes that may result in different and opposite changes of ecosystem δ15N, as those observed between the most arid, and the other semi arid sites analyzed. In addition to the 15N enrichment caused by the loss of gaseous and plant 14N, changes in tree and grass cover may affect soil δ15N by the differential uptake of soil N with different isotopic abundances. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Aranibar, J. N.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia
Anderson, I. C.
United States, Gloucester Point
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Epstein, Howard E.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia
Feral, C. J.W.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia
Swap, Robert J.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia
Ramontsho, J.
Botswana, Gaborone
Botswana Ministry of Agriculture
Macko, Stephen A.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia
Statistics
Citations: 102
Authors: 7
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.06.007
ISSN:
01401963
e-ISSN:
1095922X
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics