Effect of Land Use on Selected Soil Enzyme Activities and Nitrogen Transformations. (S03-williams362610-poster)
Authors:
C. Williams* - Tuskegee University R.O. Ankumah - Tuskegee Univ.
P.M. Groffman - IE, Milbrook NY
Abstract:
Growth in developed land and specifically urban and suburban land has natural resource implications, which may be far beyond loss of productive agricultural land. Quantifying the changes in ecosystem structure, we can obtain a greater understanding of the nature of urban impacts on natural ecosystems.
Measuring soil nitrogen transformations can provide reference data to follow impacts, on ecosystems, due to changing land use patterns. Soils were assayed for microbial biomass C and N content, potential net nitrification (PNN), potential net nitrogen mineralization (PNM) and selected soil enzyme activity.
There was a significant difference between potential net nitrification rates of the land use types studied.
The forest plots tended to have lower PNN rates compared to agricultural and grass plots. The trends observed for PNN seem to follow that observed for soil pH and organic mater content of the three land uses studied. There was a significant difference (p > 0.05) between microbial biomass C in the
agricultural and forest plots compared to the grass plots, however, no significant difference was found between microbial biomass N. There was no significant difference between the sites studies with respect to PNM and phoshatase enzyme activity.
Speaker Information: Candiss Williams, Tuskegee University, 305 Milbank Hall Dept. of Afric & Environ.
Sc, Tuskegee, AL 36088; Phone: (334) 727-8400; E-mail: [email protected]
Session Information: Wednesday, November 5, 2003, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM Presentation Start: 10:00 AM (Poster Board Number: 1433)
Keywords: Nitrogen; Landuse; Soil Enzymes; Microbial Biomass
