Plant Biomass, Primary Production and Mineral Cycling of a Mixed Oak Forest in Linnebjer, Sweden ()
ABSTRACT
Plant biomass, primary production and mineral cycling were studied in a
mixed deciduous forest (Quercus robur L., Tilia cordata L. and Corylus avellana L.) in southern Sweden.
Plant biomass amount above and below ground was 201 and 37 t·ha-1, respectively. Primary
production above and below ground was an estimated 13.3 and 2.3 t·ha-1, respectively. Carbon was the
dominant element in the forest ecosystem, comprising 133 t·ha-1. Other major elements were: N >
Ca > K > Si > Mg > S > Mn > P > Fe and Na (range 1123 to
18 kg·ha-1), followed by some trace
elements. Yearly litterfall restored 6.0 t·ha-1 organic matter or 2.3 t·ha-1 carbon. Approximately 45% decomposed
and returned to the soil during the year. Monitoring of other elements revealed
that the ecosystem received inputs through dry and wet deposition, in
particular 34.4 kg·ha-1 S and 9.4 kg·ha-1 of N yearly as throughfall.
Determination of yearly biomass increase showed that the oak forest ecosystem
was still in an aggradation or accumulation phase.
Share and Cite:
Andersson, F. (2014) Plant Biomass, Primary Production and Mineral Cycling of a Mixed Oak Forest in Linnebjer, Sweden.
Open Journal of Forestry,
4, 570-580. doi:
10.4236/ojf.2014.45061.