Carbon and nitrogen in forest floor and mineral soil under six common European tree species

The knowledge of tree species effects on soil C and N pools is scarce, particularly for European deciduous tree species. We studied forest floor and mineral soil carbon and nitrogen under six common European tree species in a common garden design replicated at six sites in Denmark. Three decades after planting the six tree species had different profiles in terms of litterfall, forest floor and mineral soil C and N attributes. Three groups were identified: (1) ash, maple and lime, (2) beech and oak, and (3) spruce. There were significant differences in forest floor and soil C and N contents and C/N ratios, also among the five deciduous tree species. The influence of tree species was most pronounced in the forest floor, where C and N contents increased in the order ash = lime = maple < oak = beech ? spruce. Tree species influenced mineral soil only in some of the sampled soil layers within 30 cm depth. Species with low forest floor C and N content had more C and N in the mineral soil. This opposite trend probably offset the differences in forest floor C and N with no significant difference between tree species in C and N contents of the whole soil profile. The effect of tree species on forest floor C and N content was primarily attributed to large differences in turnover rates as indicated by fractional annual loss of forest floor C and N. The C/N ratio of foliar litterfall was a good indicator of forest floor C and N contents, fractional annual loss of forest floor C and N, and mineral soil N status. Forest floor and litterfall C/N ratios were not related, whereas the C/N ratio of mineral soil (0–30 cm) better indicated N status under deciduous species on rich soil. The results suggest that European deciduous tree species differ in C and N sequestration rates within forest floor and mineral soil, respectively, but there is little evidence of major differences in the combined forest floor and mineral soil after three decades.     

Germination and early growth of sown Quercus robur L. in relation to soil preparation, sowing depths and prevention against predation

A field experiment was established in the autumn of 1992 in order to study predation of acorns, germination and early growth of oak seedlings. The experiment was established on a clearcut and an adjacent oak shelterwood in southern Sweden. In the experiment, a total of 6 840 acorns were sown. The sowing was carried out with different vegetation control and soil preparation treatments and with different planting depths.The germination percentage was highest for acorns sown at five cm depth and lowest for acorns sown on top of the soil, and lower for acorns sown in areas where the humus layer had been removed than in areas where the humus layer was retained. There was no difference in the percentage germination after two growing seasons between acorns sown inside the shelterwood and acorns sown on the clearcut. The height of the seedlings was lowest when the humus was removed while the number of leaves per seedling was lowest for seedlings in untreated areas after two growing seasons. Furthermore, seedlings in untreated areas showed the lowest relative height growth rate during the second growing season. In spite of higher biomass of ground vegetation in undisturbed areas compared to treated areas, no effect of the soil and vegetation control treatments could be found on soil water potentials. The soil temperature and photosynthetic active radiation at seedling level were higher in areas where soil preparation and vegetation control had been performed. However, it was concluded that neither low soil water availability nor low light levels could be the only cause of lower relative height growth rate during the second growing season for seedlings in undisturbed areas.     

The use of forest information in timber sales planning – a case study in a Swedish forest-owning company

Interactions between value-creating activities are vital to increasing product value. Information sharing is a cornerstone of such interactions. For a forest-owning company with the primary objective to be leading in selling roundwood to forest industries, it appears therefore crucial that the sales people within a forest company have up-to-date knowledge about the forest in planning their sales, and that the forest knowledge is presented in a format that is suitable for them. To investigate if this is the case, a study was conducted at Sveaskog, a large Swedish forest-owning company. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents from different levels in the organization. The results show that most sales managers did not directly use the knowledge about the forests when planning their sales; instead, they relied on historical data and had low trust in the knowledge presented in the tactical forest plan. The study pinpoints the organizational obstacles for using forest information in sales planning. These obstacles need to be addressed if more sophisticated information made available through new technology is to be utilized.     

Fluxes of CO2, CH4 and N2O from drained coniferous forests on organic soils

Fluxes of CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O were measured during two to three years at four sites, located within an area of 9 km² in southern Sweden, using dark static chamber techniques. Three of the sites were drained coniferous forests on moist organic soils that differed in forest productivity and tree species. The fourth site was an undrained tall sedge mire. Although the drained sites were all moist, with average groundwater levels between 17 and 27 cm below the soil surface, the mean annual dark forest floor CO₂ release rate was significantly higher at the drained sites, (0.9–1.9 kg m⁻² y⁻¹) than at the undrained mire site (0.8 to 1.2 kg m⁻² y⁻¹). CH₄ emissions were significantly lower from the drained sites than from the undrained mire (0.0 to 1.6 g m⁻² y⁻¹, compared to 10.6 to 12.2 g m⁻² y⁻¹), while N₂O emissions were significantly lower from the undrained site than from the drained sites (20 to 30 mg m⁻² y⁻¹, compared to 30 to 90 mg m⁻² y⁻¹). There were no clear effects of site productivity or tree species on the soil fluxes of any of the gases. The annual net primary production of the forests was modeled. All drained sites were net sinks, while the undrained mire was a net source of greenhouse gases. The estimated net greenhouse gas exchange of the drained sites was correlated with productivity: the most productive site was the largest net sink and the least productive the smallest net sink for greenhouse gases. The results indicate that, to mitigate the increase of atmospheric greenhouse gases, drained forest sites, which have been unsuccessfully drained or rewetted due to subsidence, should be managed in a way that keeps the groundwater level at a steady state.     

Development of oak and beech seedlings planted under varying shelterwood densities and with different site preparation methods in southern Sweden

Effects of site preparation, shelterwood density and planting depth on the survival and growth of planted beech and oak seedlings were studied. Experiments were performed in one oak and one beech stand in southern Sweden. Two areas with different densities of shelterwood and one clearcut were established in each stand. Growth, damage and survival of the planted seedlings were observed for three years. Soil water potential was recorded weekly and radiation and soil temperatures were recorded continuously during the growing seasons.Neither site preparation methods nor planting depth affected oak seedling growth, when planting was carried out on fresh clearcuts or in shelterwoods, while growth of beech seedlings was positively affected by mounding. Growth of oak seedlings was inhibited by the shelterwood treatments. In beech seedlings, growth was lowest in dense shelterwood, while there was no difference in growth between seedlings on the clearcut area and in the shelterwood of low density. Differences in growth may be explained by differences in radiation and soil water potential.When planting was carried out on a one-year-old clearcut, site preparation improved the subsequent growth of oak and beech seedlings.     

Do instream habitat variables and the abundance of brown trout Salmo trutta (L.) affect the distribution and growth of stone loach,Barbatula barbatula (L.)?

Abstract –  Along a stream, we investigated whether the abundance of stone loach ( Barbatula barbatula , L.) was related to the presence of brown trout ( Salmo trutta , L.) and instream habitat variables. First, a field survey was carried out where different habitat variables and the densities of both species were quantified and subjected to principal components analysis. Then the abundance of stone loach was related to the scores of the retained axes (eigenvalues >1). The abundance of stone loach was positively correlated to substrate particle size, amount of shade, temperature, discharge and current velocity, but negatively correlated to brown trout abundance. Secondly, a month-long field enclosure experiment in a stream was performed to test for any negative effects of brown trout on stone loach growth. Four treatments were used: intraspecific competition (stone loach at double density), interspecific competition (stone loach + small trout), predation (stone loach + large trout) and a control (stone loach alone). The results showed that large trout tended to have negative effects on final stone loach biomass. The absence of a negative effect of large trout on resource density suggests that nonlethal effects rather than resource competition caused this trend.     

Avenanthramide content and related enzyme activities in oats as affected by steeping and germination

Samples from three different oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivars, Vista, Gem and Dane were steeped and germinated in a pilot plant malting system. The content of avenanthramides, antioxidant compounds unique to oats, and some unknown compounds as well as the activities of the avenanthramide-synthesising enzyme hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:hydroxyanthranilate N-hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HHT) and the avenanthramide-oxidizing enzyme phenoloxidase (PO) were measured. An increase in avenanthramide content of germinated seeds, as compared to raw grains, was observed for Dane (125%, p < 0.001) and for Vista (29%, p = 0.007). The HHT activity increased 62% (p = 0.014) in Dane, whereas no change was detected in Vista and Gem. The PO activity decreased slightly during the germination process for Gem (p < 0.001) and Vista (p = 0.005). Many of the unknown compounds increased significantly during germination in all three cultivars, and one of them was identified to be the avenanthramide N-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxy-(E)-cinnamoyl)-5-hydroxy-4-methoxyanthranilic acid. This study indicates that a highly controlled steeping and germination process can be a valuable method to increase the content of endogenous avenanthramides in oats.     

Schistosoma mansoni antibodies in tissue specimens demonstrated by a diffusion-in-gel ELISA technique.

A modification of the diffusion-in-gel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DIG-ELISA) for analysis of antibodies in tissue fragments has been elaborated. In this technique, tissue specimens are placed on top of a thin gel layer covering a plastic surface coated with an antigen preparation. The gel thus serves as a medium through which diffusion of antibodies contained in tissue samples may occur. Specimens from skin, lung, liver, kidney, heart and skeletal muscle as well as blood serum and blood sampled onto filter paper were successfully used for analysis of the antibody response to two different antigens (soluble adult worm antigen and soluble egg antigen) during experimental infection of mice with the helminth parasite Schistosoma mansoni. It was concluded that skin and lung tissue reflected the serum antibody response more closely than the other tissues tested, although zone sizes were slightly smaller than those registered for corresponding serum samples. The DIG-ELISA reaction zone size was, as expected, shown to be dependent on the weight (size) of the tissue specimen. The variability of the modified technique was comparable to that found for analysis of serum by the conventional DIG-ELISA technique. It is concluded that the described technique may be used for serological analysis when blood samples cannot be easily obtained, e.g. at examination of animal carcasses or single organs.     

Postmortem findings of gastric ulcers in Swedish horses older than age one year: a retrospective study of 3715 horses (1924-1996)

The present study was performed to estimate retrospectively the prevalence of gastric ulceration in necropsied Swedish horses and to evaluate some potential risk factors. Horses (n = 3715) older than age one year and necropsied 1924-1996 were included. Information about breed, gender, age, season of death, clinical signs of colic, Gasterophilus larvae and documentation of diseases in different organs was recorded. Data on size, number and anatomical distribution of gastric ulcers were also obtained. The cold-blooded horses and the Standardbreds were the 2 most dominating breeds in our material. Gastric ulcers/erosions were seen in 633 (17%) of the horses. The highest prevalence was found in Thoroughbreds (19%) and Standardbreds (19%), whereas only 7% of the cold-blooded horses were affected. The cutaneous region along the margo plicatus was the most commonly affected area (52%). Multiple ulcers were seen in 62% of the horses with gastric ulcers and concurrent ulcers in the oesophagus were reported in 6%. In the bivariate analysis, significant associations were found between gastric ulcers and signs of colic (P<0.001) and gender (P<0.001), as well as between concomitant bowel (P<0.001), liver (P<0.05) and oesophageal (P<0.01) lesions. Using a multivariate logistic regression model, only year of necropsy and breed were found significantly to influence the risk of gastric ulceration by decreasing the Log Likelihood test value. The present study shows clearly that gastric ulceration has been present in Swedish horses throughout the 20th century, which also may be the situation worldwide.