Bioassay of forest floor phosphorus supply for plant growth

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Abstract
This paper considers the extent to which phosphorus (P) supply for plant use is controlled by the chemical quality of forest floor organic matter, independent of climate. Using plant bioassays, forest floor materials from representative examples of each of the major forest types in interior Alaska were examined for nutrient supplying power. The work supports conclusions reached in earlier studies which indicated that black spruce forest floors were highly nutrient limited compared with those of other interior Alaska forest types. In addition, floodplain white spruce forests may experience marked P deficiency because of dilution of the element by periodic siltation. Potential phosphorus supply for seedling growth was best described by P concentration of the rooting medium. The supply also was related to the concentrations of lignin and tannin which control forest floor decomposition and recycling of P within the microbial population.

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