Affects of Varying Litter Types and Moisture on Soil pH Under

SnowpackColin Pettinati

Winter Ecology Mountain Research Station 2014

University of Colorado, Boulder

Factors Controlling soil pHParent MaterialPrecipitation

(moisture)Native VegetationCrops grownNitrogen input (i.e.

fertilizer inputs)Burning Fossil FuelsIrrigation Water (Source 1)(Source 3)

IntroductionQuestions:

How do different types of litter in 3 different vegetation types effect soil pH?

Does soil moisture alter the soil pH?

MethodsDesignate 3 study areas, 1 Aspen stand, 1

Lodgepole Stand, and 1 Grass Meadow (2 of the 3 pits were also used for soil

respiration- Scott Clingan)Dig 3 snow pits in each stand around 100cm

Measure snow depth, soil temp at 0cm and 10cm, soil moisture, litter type and description, gather soil sample beneath litter

Analyze the soil pH using soil pH kit

Site Locations

Developed by Scott Clingan inc.

Site Characteristics Aspen

Moisture: 4 across sites (Near Saturated)

Litter: Deciduous leaves, grasses, woody debris

Organic Matter: 4,4,5

• Meadow• Moisture: 3,2,1 (High, Moderate, Frozen

• Litter: mainly grasses, some deciduous

• leaves.

• Organic Matter Amounts: 3,3,3

• Lodgepole

• Moisture: 2 across sites (Moderate Moisture)

• Litter: needles, cones, Lodgepole debris

• Organic Matter Amount: 5,5,4, Extremely thick, corky feel

Moisture vs pHF-statistic:

0.8808 P-value:

0.3792 No

significance

0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.54.6

4.8

5

5.2

5.4

5.6

5.8

6

6.2

6.4

f(x) = 0.126666666666667 x + 5.48444444444445R² = 0.111764705882354

Moisture vs pH

Series1Linear (Series1)

Moisture (0-4)

pH

Lodgepole/AspenP= 0.000008

(significant)

Meadow/AspenP= 0.067368 (non

significant)

Meadow/LodgepoleP= 0.000003

(significant)

F Value 212.3

ConclusionMoisture has little to no effect in the samples

that I collected in the subalpine environmentLitter type (dead organic matter) has a much

more defining role in soil acidity; mainly in conifer stands

Further Questions for ResearchWhat mechanism or process is occurring

within the conifer trees and litter that drops the acidity of the soil?

Under what circumstances, if any, does moisture play an important role in soil acidity?

How does the soil acidity under conifer stands effect the ecosystem in the surrounding area?

Are lodgepole stands increasing another substance, such as nitrogen, that could possibly decrease pH?

CorrectionsAllow pH mixture to settle for longer

The solution mixed needed to mix the soil and solution and the dark matter needed to settle in order to gain accurate measurements

Sample more soil in each plotSample more stands to cross sample

THANKS Y’ALL!!!

Sources1. USDA, NSF, NIFA, "Soils Part 4 ; Why does soil pH change?."

Accessed March 7, 2014. http://passel.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=1130447041&topicorder=6&maxto=10.2. Jaeger , Charles, Russel Monson , Melany Fisk, and Steven

Schmidt. "SEASONAL PARTITIONING OF NITROGEN BY PLANTS AND SOIL MICROORGANISMS IN AN ALPINE ECOSYSTEM." Ecology. no. 80 (1999): 1883-1891.

3. Michele Freppaz, Mark W. Williams, Timothy Seastedt, Gianluca Filippa, Response of soil organic and inorganic nutrients in alpine soils to a 16-year factorial snow and N-fertilization experiment, Colorado Front Range, USA, Applied Soil Ecology, Volume 62, November 2012, Pages 131-141, ISSN 0929-1393, http://0-dx.doi.org.libraries.colorado.edu/10.1016/j.apsoil.2012.06.006.(http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.libraries.colorado.edu/science/article/pii/S0929139312001503)Keywords: Snow; Soil; Nitrogen; Tundra

AcknowledgementsShout out to :

Scott Clingan, Evan Esfahani, Derek SweeneySpecial thanks and much appreciation to:

Tim Kittel for an amazing experience and dedicating his time and knowledge