Articles | Volume 17, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1535-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1535-2020
Research article
 | 
26 Mar 2020
Research article |  | 26 Mar 2020

Soil total phosphorus and nitrogen explain vegetation community composition in a northern forest ecosystem near a phosphate massif

Laura Matkala, Maija Salemaa, and Jaana Bäck

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Matkala_et_al_soil_vegetation L. Matkala, M. Salemaa, and J. Bäck https://doi.org/10.23728/b2share.e6dccbcbfbb6485ca00415d6536af576

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Short summary
We studied how species number and abundance of the understorey vegetation correlates with nutrient contents of soil and tree leaves at a northern boreal forest site. The phosphorus (P) content of the humus layer showed higher correlation with vegetation than the nitrogen (N) content. Usually N is considered more important in boreal forests. The plots with high P content in humus had birch as the dominant tree species, implying that birch leaf litter is an important source of P to the plants.
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