Soil Nitrogen and Root Dynamics in a UK Oak Forest Under Elevated CO2

BIFoR-FACE facility data captures responses of nutrient transformation processes, litter decomposition, mycorrhizal biomass, and root exudation rates to CO2 enrichment from 2020-2022. This dataset provides early-year measurements from a long-term experiment on mature temperate oak forest in Staffordshire, UK. Variables include gross N mineralisation, extracellular enzyme activities, hyphal turnover, and root uptake preferences.

Use Cases

• Analyze root C and N exudation rates against CO2 enrichment levels to test carbon allocation hypotheses.
• Model relationships between extracellular enzyme activities, litter decomposition rates, and nutrient mineralisation.
• Assess root uptake rates and preferences for amino acids, ammonium, and nitrate under elevated CO2 conditions.
• Evaluate mycorrhizal (arbuscular and ectomycorrhizae) biomass and hyphal turnover as indicators of belowground carbon allocation.

Strengths

• Data spans three consecutive years (2020-2022) of CO2 fumigation in a long-term experiment planned into the 2030s.
• Includes coupled field and laboratory characterisation for selected variables like gross N mineralisation and enzyme activities.
• Provides early-response data from a mature temperate oak forest, a rare experimental setting in the UK.

Limitations

• Sample size and row count are unknown, limiting statistical power assessment.
• Data is specific to one forest site (Staffordshire, UK), reducing generalizability to other ecosystems.
• Variables are measured during early fumigation years; long-term trends are not yet captured.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Generated at the University of Birmingham Free Air CO2 Enrichment (BIFoR-FACE) facility via field and laboratory experiments.

Time Range

2020-2022

Freshness

null

Geography

Mature temperate oak forest, Staffordshire, UK