Drivers of the variability of soil phosphorus fractions in boreal forested watersheds
In the boreal forest, phosphorus (P) is tightly cycled and can be heterogenous in its distribution across the landscape. Characterizing chemical, physical, and landscape-scale drivers of variability in both concentration and forms of soil P can help us understand how P dynamics will respond to envir...
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Canadian Science Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | FACETS |
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| Online Access: | https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2025-0086 |
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| author | Nora J. Casson Chammi P. Attanayake Geethani Amarawansha Mauli Gamhewage Darshani Kumaragamage Jeremy G. Leathers U.W.A. Vitharana |
| author_facet | Nora J. Casson Chammi P. Attanayake Geethani Amarawansha Mauli Gamhewage Darshani Kumaragamage Jeremy G. Leathers U.W.A. Vitharana |
| author_sort | Nora J. Casson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the boreal forest, phosphorus (P) is tightly cycled and can be heterogenous in its distribution across the landscape. Characterizing chemical, physical, and landscape-scale drivers of variability in both concentration and forms of soil P can help us understand how P dynamics will respond to environmental change; however, data on forms of soil P in boreal forests are sparse. The goal of this study was to assess the variability of soil P across a boreal forested watershed. Seventy-four surface soil samples from a boreal forested catchment were analyzed for a suite of chemical and physical characteristics, and were paired with geospatial data to develop predictive models of forms of soil P. Water-extractable P concentrations were low, while total P (65.7–2197 mg kg−1) and plant-available (Mehlich-3-extractable) P (0.63–193 mg kg−1) concentrations varied widely across the study area. Partial least squares regression results indicated that plant-available P was strongly related to soil Mn and Ca content, while total P was more strongly related to organic C and wetness index. These results suggest that soil P can vary widely, even in nutrient-poor boreal ecosystems, and site-specific characteristics may play an important role in predicting variability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6bc9df627eab4280a31a6e3bb0cecd68 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2371-1671 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | FACETS |
| spelling | doaj-art-6bc9df627eab4280a31a6e3bb0cecd682025-08-20T02:34:55ZengCanadian Science PublishingFACETS2371-16712025-01-011011110.1139/facets-2025-0086Drivers of the variability of soil phosphorus fractions in boreal forested watershedsNora J. Casson0Chammi P. Attanayake1Geethani Amarawansha2Mauli Gamhewage3Darshani Kumaragamage4Jeremy G. Leathers5U.W.A. Vitharana6Department of Geography, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, CanadaDepartment of Environmental Studies and Sciences, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, CanadaDepartment of Geography, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, CanadaDepartment of Geography, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, CanadaDepartment of Environmental Studies and Sciences, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, CanadaDepartment of Geography, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, CanadaDepartment of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri LankaIn the boreal forest, phosphorus (P) is tightly cycled and can be heterogenous in its distribution across the landscape. Characterizing chemical, physical, and landscape-scale drivers of variability in both concentration and forms of soil P can help us understand how P dynamics will respond to environmental change; however, data on forms of soil P in boreal forests are sparse. The goal of this study was to assess the variability of soil P across a boreal forested watershed. Seventy-four surface soil samples from a boreal forested catchment were analyzed for a suite of chemical and physical characteristics, and were paired with geospatial data to develop predictive models of forms of soil P. Water-extractable P concentrations were low, while total P (65.7–2197 mg kg−1) and plant-available (Mehlich-3-extractable) P (0.63–193 mg kg−1) concentrations varied widely across the study area. Partial least squares regression results indicated that plant-available P was strongly related to soil Mn and Ca content, while total P was more strongly related to organic C and wetness index. These results suggest that soil P can vary widely, even in nutrient-poor boreal ecosystems, and site-specific characteristics may play an important role in predicting variability.https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2025-0086phosphorussoilborealMehlich-3nutrient |
| spellingShingle | Nora J. Casson Chammi P. Attanayake Geethani Amarawansha Mauli Gamhewage Darshani Kumaragamage Jeremy G. Leathers U.W.A. Vitharana Drivers of the variability of soil phosphorus fractions in boreal forested watersheds FACETS phosphorus soil boreal Mehlich-3 nutrient |
| title | Drivers of the variability of soil phosphorus fractions in boreal forested watersheds |
| title_full | Drivers of the variability of soil phosphorus fractions in boreal forested watersheds |
| title_fullStr | Drivers of the variability of soil phosphorus fractions in boreal forested watersheds |
| title_full_unstemmed | Drivers of the variability of soil phosphorus fractions in boreal forested watersheds |
| title_short | Drivers of the variability of soil phosphorus fractions in boreal forested watersheds |
| title_sort | drivers of the variability of soil phosphorus fractions in boreal forested watersheds |
| topic | phosphorus soil boreal Mehlich-3 nutrient |
| url | https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2025-0086 |
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