| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 17, 2024 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 17, 2024 |
| Award Number: | 2430820 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Jonathan G Wynn
jwynn@nsf.gov (703)292-4725 EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | May 1, 2024 |
| End Date: | October 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $74,660.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $10,012.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1001 EMMET ST N CHARLOTTESVILLE VA US 22903-4833 (434)924-4270 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1001 EMMET ST N CHARLOTTESVILLE VA US 22903-4833 |
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Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | XC-Crosscutting Activities Pro |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Temperate forests are under increasing environmental stresses from changes in land management, atmospheric pollution, and a changing climate. These environmental changes have important effects on how inorganic nutrients (Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium) are stored and cycled in the soils of temperate forests. Inorganic nutrients are essential for plant growth and are sourced to soils from mineral weathering, deposition from the atmosphere, and leaf litter from plants. While roots are known for their role in extracting inorganic nutrients for plants, they can contribute organic matter to help store inorganic nutrients in soils. This research project explores how leaf litter and surface roots promote inorganic nutrient storage in soils and the extent of their codependence. To understand climatic controls on leaf litter and roots for inorganic nutrient cycling, the researchers will leverage a network of research sites spanning from the warm temperate forests of Virginia to the cold temperate forests of northern New England. The findings will be used to inform the U.S. Forest Service and several state Forestry and Natural Resources Departments of the current and future inorganic nutrient cycling in their forests. Furthermore, the research site in Massachusetts will serve as an instructional tool for university and community college courses.
The primary objective of the project is to quantify the codependence of leaf litter and roots on Mg, P, K, and Ca stabilization in temperate forest soil. Leaf litter and roots may act synergistically to stabilize inorganic nutrients in the mineral soil through generating organic matter and aggregation. To avoid the common issue of heterogeneity of soil materials and duration of development, the project will leverage soil columns buried three years ago, containing a quartz-feldspar-kaolinite mixture to examine the effect of leaf litter and tree roots on inorganic nutrients in mineral soil. Researchers will quantify the rate of inorganic nutrient stabilization in bulk soils and use microprobe analyses to examine rhizosphere and microaggregation. Moreover, the project will utilize existing litterfall and atmospheric deposition monitoring to estimate nutrient cycling budgets. When examined across the climate gradient, the findings can be used to predict future shifts in nutrient cycling from shifts in leaf litter-root codependence with changes in climate.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The storage of nutrients in the temperate forest soils of the northeastern United States is important for their long term growth. Decreases in nutrient availability may decrease the overall growth or cause shifts in the tree species able to live in those soils. In addition, storage of carbon is a key soil property both because it affects the ability for soils to retain nutrients, water, and living organisms but also carbon storage impacts the global carbon cycle. If northern areas are to warm in the future, this could affect how nutrients are stored in soils. We can use warmer areas in the Mid-Atlantic to understand future changes to New England forests.
In this study, the PI and team of collaborators and students collected green leaves on trees, woody debris, rain and other forms of precipitation, the forest floor and the mineral soil at six sites for five years from 2018 to 2023. Team also buried soil columns with a uniform type of soil material to watch how nutrients are stored with the soils. Half of the soil columns allowed for roots to enter and the other half did not. The sites ranged from Blue Ridge Virginia in as the most southern site to the White Mountains New Hampshire at the most northern site. Native soils were also analyzed for nutrients. Soils within the columns were collected after 1 year and 4 years of deployment and analyzed for bulk nutrients but also analyzed as a two-dimensional map using scanning electron microscopy.
Our results show that warmer sites had less nutrients in their organic horizon compared to the colder sites. This was mainly driven by larger organic horizons formed at the northern sites in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Despite the differences in the organic horizon storage of nutrients, we did not find differences in root biomass or mineral soil nutrients. Thus, organic horizons did not synergistically promote greater rooting and nutrient storage as originally hypothesized. The aboveground cycling rates of nutrients by trees appear to be a similar rate, despite the Mid-Atlantic forests being warmer than the and New England regions.
Research was shared via presentations at the Soil Science Society of America meeting, American Geophysical Union meeting, and 11th International Symposium on Ecosystem Behavior conference. Three students received biogeochemical training as part of the project. Data is available online and has been integrated into two courses.
Last Modified: 01/31/2025
Modified by: Justin B Richardson
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