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5/24/2018 | 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM | THE ROLE OF VEGETATION IN THE NITROGEN REMOVAL CAPACITY FROM A MEDITERRANEAN RIPARIAN FOREST: INTERACTIONS BETWEEN WATER AND NITROGEN FLUXES | 310 A

THE ROLE OF VEGETATION IN THE NITROGEN REMOVAL CAPACITY FROM A MEDITERRANEAN RIPARIAN FOREST: INTERACTIONS BETWEEN WATER AND NITROGEN FLUXES

Riparian zones can reduce part of the nitrogen (N) received from adjacent ecosystems, mainly via denitrification and vegetation uptake. However, in semiarid regions, where shallow organic soil layers are disconnected from groundwater, changes on these biogeochemical controls may arise. Here, we summarize results from different studies in order to examine the efficiency of plant uptake and denitrification on removing N exports from Mediterranean catchments. We found a remarkable spatial heterogeneity on water availability, with groundwater levels increasing from the near-stream zone (~0.6m deep) to the hillslope edge (~2.2m deep). Riparian trees obtained >80% of the water transpired from the vadose zone. Shallow groundwater tables enhanced the connectivity between vadose zone and groundwater at the near-stream zone, allowing greater transpiration and N uptake rates compared to the hillslope edge. Conversely, denitrification rates were generally low across all the riparian plot due to water limitation. Finally, simulation based on climate change projections suggested an increase in soil N concentrations as well as a reduction of the effective N-removal area. Overall, our findings highlight the spatial heterogeneity of Mediterranean riparian zones and challenge its well-accepted capacity to reduce N loads reaching the stream.

Nitrogen
Denitrification
Plants

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Presenters/Authors

Sílvia Poblador (), Research Group of Plants and Ecosystems, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium, spoblador@gmail.com;