Fine roots vs. Needles:: A comparison of 13C and 15N dynamics in a ponderosa pine forest soil

Plant allocation patterns may affect soil C and N storage due to differences in litter quality and the depth of plant C and N inputs into the soil. We studied the dynamics of dual-labeled (C-13/N-15) Pinus ponderosa needles and fine roots placed at two soil depths (O and A horizon) in a temperate conifer forest soil during 2 y. Input of C as fine roots resulted in much more C retained in soil (70.5 +/- 2.2% of applied) compared with needle C (42.9 +/- 1.3% of applied) after 1.5 y. Needles showed faster mass loss, rates of soil (CO2)-C-13 efflux, and more N-15 immobilized into microbial biomass than did fine roots. The larger proportion of labile C compounds initially present in needles (17% more needle C was water soluble than in fine roots) likely contributed to its shorter C residence time and greater degree of transformation in the soil. A double exponential decay function best described the rate of C-13 loss, with a smaller initial pulse of C loss from fine roots (S(1)k(1)) and a slower decay rate of the recalcitrant C pool for fine roots (0.03 y(-1) stop) compared with (0.19 y(-1)) for needles. Soil C-13 respiration, representing heterotrophic respiration of litter C, was much more seasonal from the O horizon than from the A. However, offsetting seasonal patterns in C-13 dynamics in the O horizon resulted in no net effect of soil depth on total C-13 retention in the soil after 1.5 y for either litter. Almost 90% of applied litter N was retained in the soil after 1.5 y, independent of litter quality or soil depth. Very small amounts of C-13 or N-15 (< 3% of applied) moved to the horizon above or below the placement depth (i.e., O to A or A to O). Our results suggest that plant allocation belowground to fine roots results in more C retained and less N mineralized compared with allocation aboveground to needles, primarily due to litter quality differences.