The role of cattle in the volatile loss of nitrogen from a shortgrass steppe
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Authors: D. S. Schimel, W. J. Parton, F. J. Adamsen, R. G. Woodmansee, R. L. Senft, and M. A. Stillwell
Date: 1986
Journal: Biogeochemistry
Volume: 2
Number: 1
Pages: 39-52
Summary of Methods: The cycling and volatile loss of N derived from cattle urine at upland and lowland sites, within the shortgrass steppe of eastern Colorado was studied, using 15N-labelled urea as an N source. Losses were higher from coarse than from fine textured soils. Immobilization and plant uptake of N accounted for significant amounts of added N. Extrapolating the plot measurements to a typical pasture, using spatially and temporally stratified urine deposition data, losses from upland sites were calculated to be 0.016 g N m-2· y-1, while losses from lowland sites were negligible. This resulted in an average loss of 0.011 g N m-2· y-1 for a pasture divided 70:30 between uplands and lowlands. The loss of urine N calculated, assuming no spatial stratification, would be sevenfold higher. The authors calculated a potential loss of NHNH30 from senescing vegetation of 0.26 g N m-2· y-1an order of magnitude larger than all other losses combined.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: nh03, volatilization, denitrification, grazing, spatial heterogeneity, translocation, nitrification, leaching, urine, feces, 15n
Annotation: Authors applied 15N cattle urea to simulate grazing.
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