C. Anthony Federer

A generalized, lumped-parameter model of photosynthesis, evapotranspiration and net primary production in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems

SummaryPnET is a simple, lumped-parameter, monthlytime-step model of carbon and water balances of forests built on two principal relationships: 1) maximum photosynthetic rate is a function of foliar nitrogen concentration, and 2) stomatal conductance is a function of realized photosynthetic rate. Monthyly leaf area display and carbon and water balances are predicted by combining these with standard equations describing light attenuation in canopies and photosynthetic response to diminishing radiation intensity, along with effects of soil water stress and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). PnET has been validated against field data from 10 well-studied temperate and boreal forest ecosystems, supporting our central hypothesis that aggregation of climatic data to the monthly scale and biological data such as foliar characteristics to the ecosystem level does not cause a significant loss of information relative to long-term, mean ecosystem responses. Sensitivity analyses reveal a diversity of responses among systems to identical alterations in climatic drivers. This suggests that great care should be used in developing generalizations as to how forests will respond to a changing climate. Also critical is the degree to which the temperature responses of photosynthesis and respiration might acclimate to changes in mean temperatures at decadal time scales. An extreme climate change simulation (+3° C maximum temperature, −25% precipitation with no change in minimum temperature or radiation, direct effects of increased atmospheric CO2 ignored) suggests that major increases in water stress, and reductions in biomass production (net carbon gain) and water yield would follow such a change.

Long-term depletion of calcium and other nutrients in eastern US forests

Both harvest removal and leaching losses can deplete nutrient capital in forests, but their combined long-term effects have not been assessed previously. We estimated changes in total soil and biomass N, Ca, K, Mg, and P over 120 years from published data for a spruce-fir site in Maine, two northern hardwood sites in New Hampshire, central hardwood sites in Connecticut and Tennessee, and a loblolly pine site in Tennessee. For N, atmospheric inputs counterbalance the outputs, and there is little long-term change on most sites. For K, Mg, and P, the total pool may decrease by 2%–10% in 120 years depending on site and harvest intensity. For Ca, net leaching loss is 4–16 kg/ha/yr in mature forests, and whole-tree harvest removes 200–1100 kg/ha. Such leaching loss and harvest removal could reduce total soil and biomass Ca by 20%–60% in only 120 years. We estimated unmeasured Ca inputs from rock breakdown, root-zone deepening, and dry deposition; these should not be expected to make up the Ca deficit. Acid precipitation may be the cause of current high leaching of Ca. Although Ca deficiency does not generally occur now in acid forest soils, it seems likely if anthropogenic leaching and intensive harvest removal continue.

Effects of forest clearcutting in New England on stream macroinvertebrates and periphyton

Clearcutting may alter stream biota by changing light, temperature, nutrients, sediment particle size, or food in the stream. We sampled macroinvertebrates during late summer of 1979 in first and second order headwater streams draining both two- and three-year-old clearcuts and nearby uncut reference areas in northern New England, USA. Periphyton were sampled throughout the summer by placing microscope slides in these streams for 13–37 days. Periphyton cell densities on these slides following incubation were about six times higher in cutover than in reference streams. Green algae (Chlorophyceae) accounted for a higher proportion of total cell numbers in cutover than in reference streams, whereas diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) dominated the reference streams. The macroinvertebrate density in cutover streams was 2–4 times greater than that in the reference streams, but the number of taxa collected was similar in both cutover and reference streams. Higher numbers of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and/or true flies (Diptera) in the cutover streams accounted for the differences. Because nutrient concentrations in the cutover streams were nearly the same as those in the reference streams, these differences in macroinvertebrate and periphyton densities were apparently caused by higher light levels and temperature in the streams in the clearcuts. Leaving buffer strips along streams will reduce changes in stream biology associated with clearcutting.

Estimating regional forest productivity and water yield using an ecosystem model linked to a GIS

We used the PnET-II model of forest carbon and water balances to estimate regional forest productivity and runoff for the northeastern United States. The model was run at 30 arc sec resolution (approximately 1 km) in conjunction with a Geographic Information System that contained monthly climate data and a satellite-derived land cover map. Predicted net primary production (NPP) ranged from 700 to 1450 g m2 yr1 with a regional mean of 1084 g m2 yr1. Validation at a number of locations within the region showed close agreement between predicted and observed values. Disagreement at two sites was proportional to differences between measured foliar N concentrations and values used in the model. Predicted runoff ranged from 24 to 150 cm yr1with a regional mean of 63 cm yr1. Predictions agreed well with observed values from U.S. Geologic Survey watersheds across the region although there was a slight bias towards overprediction at high elevations and underprediction at lower elevations.Spatial patterns in NPP followed patterns of precipitation and growing degree days, depending on the degree of predicted water versus energy limitation within each forest type. Randomized sensitivity analyses indicated that NPP within hardwood and pine forests was limited by variables controlling water availability (precipitation and soil water holding capacity) to a greater extent than foliar nitrogen, suggesting greater limitations by water than nitrogen for these forest types. In contrast, spruce-fir NPP was not sensitive to water availability and was highly sensitivity to foliar N, indicating greater limitation by available nitrogen. Although more work is needed to fully understand the relative importance of water versus nitrogen limitation in northeastern forests, these results suggests that spatial patterns of NPP for hardwoods and pines can be largely captured using currently available data sets, while substantial uncertainties exist for spruce-fir.

The buffer capacity of forest soils in new England

We measured buffer capacity for major horizons of forest soils from four locations in New England by titration of field-moist samples with either HCl or NaOH. Titration curves for O horizons were nearly linear over a wide pH range, that is, buffer capacity was independent of pH. Titration curves for mineral horizons were S-shaped with ambient pH roughly in the middle of the least buffered part of the curve. We also measured exchangeable acid cations and NH4+ in unbuffered KCl extractions and exchangeable bases in NH4OAc extraction at pH 7. Ca+2 and Mg+2 in KCl extractions at ambient pH were only slightly less than in NH4OAc extractions at pH 7, implying that exchangeable bases did not depend much on the extraction pH. The O horizons were generally highly base saturated at ambient pH even though their pH was low; mineral soils had lower base saturation. Buffer capacity measured over the first 0.5 pH unit to the acid side depended strongly on organic matter fraction in the sample. All soil materials studied had buffer capacities per unit organic mass of about 100 meq kginf0sup−1 pH−1. Acid rain at pH 4.0 in New England would take at least several decades to lower pH of the soil profile by a whole pH unit.

A strategy for the regional analysis of the effects of physical and chemical climate change on biogeochemical cycles in northeastern (U.S.) forests

Abstract A method is presented for extrapolating the results of site-level ecosystem studies to regional scales. Simple, data-intensive models of ecosystem function are combined with regional data planes describing physical and chemical climate to yield regional predictions. The importance of validating regional predictions with rigorous regional measurements is stressed. Examples of available models and validation data sets are presented.

Some factors limiting denitrification in slurries of acid forest soils

Denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) is defined as N2O production rate over the first eight hours of anaerobic incubation of soil slurries at 15°C with added nitrate and acetylene. Organic fraction explained 81 % of the spatial variation in DEA among soil horizons of beech (Fagus), alder (Alnus), and spruce (Picea) forests, and spruce ciearcuts. Nitrate and pH limit denitrification in anaerobic O horizons at 15°C. Thick, poorly drained O horizons, such as in alder forest, have a high capability for denitrification. Failure to recover all added nitrate in O horizon incubations suggested both production of unmeasured NO and dissimilatory reduction of nitrate to ammonium. In mineral horizons, N2O production was small and could not be increased by increasing nitrate, carbon, pH, and phosphorus; some other factor appears to prevent significant denitrifier activity in acid forest mineral horizons.