Tree species and urea treatment effects on sulfur and metals in throughfall and stemflow of some eastern Canadian forest stands

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Abstract
Concentrations and quantities of S, Al, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined in throughfall (TF) and stemflow (SF) samples collected from 1971 to 1981 in six softwood and three hardwood stands located at the Acadia Forest Experiment Station in central New Brunswick, Canada. Analyses were carried out using freeze-dried total solids in samples of TF, SF, and rainwater. The respective volume weighted average concentrations (for 1971–1981) of Al, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the bulk precipitation were 18, 3, 5, 18, 45, 0.56, 27, and 96 μgL−1. The volume weighted average concentration of S in rainwater for the 1971–1981 period was 1.30 mg L−1. In the TF of each species the concentrations of Mn and B were significantly higher than those in rainwater, whereas the reverse was true for the concentrations of Ni, PB, and Zn. There were significant differences among species in both concentrations and deposition rates of various elements. Fertilizer treatment of the stands had significant effects on the quantities of nutrients cycled as TF. The concentrations of various elements in the SF samples were consistently higher than those in the rainwater. The deposition rates of these, however, were comparatively less than those in TF. The quantities of elements cycled in SF differed significantly among species. The ratios of the quantities of nutrients cycled by TF and SF combined and those in the rainwater indicate that Zn is absorbed from rain by the tree canopies, and Mn, Cu, and B are released. The results suggest that the quantities of S and metals cycled in forest ecosystems are functions of tree species and of the nutritional status of tree species.