Nitrate and Ammonium Deposition in the Midwestern Fragmented Forest

Abstract

Whereas the impacts of N deposition on forest ecosystems have been well studied in remote areas in predominantly forested landscapes, we know relatively less about the impacts of N deposition on forests in heavily human-modified landscapes. We studied the influence of adjacent land use, local point sources, and woodlot stand structure on subcanopy N transport and enrichment via throughfall in three woodlot fragments in southern Lower Michigan, USA. We found that one site had markedly higher TF N concentrations compared to the other two; however, our data indicate that elevated TF concentrations resulted from differences in tree species composition, rather than differences in surrounding land use. Specifically, we observed that the local abundance of basswood (Tilia americana) was positively associated and the local abundance of northern red oak (Quercus rubra) was negatively associated with TF N concentrations. One site had markedly greater TF N fluxes compared to the other two, which was driven by a lack of understory vegetation, possibly due to higher deer browsing at this site. Together, the results of this study demonstrated that TF N concentrations and fluxes were more strongly influenced by the internal characteristics of fragmented woodlots, such as forest structure and species composition, than by the surrounding land use.