caa a22 4500 605516839 CHVBK 20210128100716.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150201xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10533-014-0037-4 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10533-014-0037-4 Stoichiometric analysis of nutrient availability (N, P, K) within soils of polygonal tundra [Elektronische Daten] [Fabian Beermann, Annette Teltewskoi, Claudia Fiencke, Eva-Maria Pfeiffer, Lars Kutzbach] Plant growth in arctic tundra is known to be commonly limited by nitrogen. However, biogeochemical interactions between soil, vegetation and microbial biomass in arctic ecosystems are still insufficiently understood. In this study, we investigated different compartments of the soil-vegetation system of polygonal lowland tundra: bulk soil, inorganic nutrients, microbial biomass and vegetation biomass were analyzed for their contents of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Samples were taken in August 2011 in the Indigirka lowlands (NE Siberia, Russia) in a detailed grid (4m×5m) in one single ice-wedge polygon. We used a stoichiometric approach, based on the N/P ratios in the vegetation biomass and the investigated soil fractions, to analyze limitation relations in the soil-vegetation system. Plant growth in the investigated polygonal tundra appears to be co-limited by nitrogen and phosphorus or in some cases only limited by nitrogen whereas potassium is not limiting plant growth. However, as the N/P ratios of the microbial biomass in the uppermost soil horizons were more than twice as high as previously reported for arctic ecosystems, nitrogen mineralization and fixation may be limited at present by phosphorus. We found that only 5% of the total nitrogen is already cycling in the biologically active fractions. On the other hand, up to 40% of the total phosphorus was found in the biologically active fractions. Thus, there is less potential for increased phosphorus mineralization than for increased nitrogen mineralization in response to climate warming, and strict phosphorus limitation might be possible in the long-term. Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2014 Stoichiometry nationallicence Siberia nationallicence Nutrient availability nationallicence Nutrient limitation nationallicence Microbiology nationallicence Polygonal tundra nationallicence Beermann Fabian Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Soil Sciences, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany aut Teltewskoi Annette Department of Peatland Studies and Palaeoecology, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487, Greifswald, Germany aut Fiencke Claudia Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Soil Sciences, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany aut Pfeiffer Eva-Maria Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Soil Sciences, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany aut Kutzbach Lars Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Soil Sciences, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany aut Biogeochemistry Springer International Publishing 122/2-3(2015-02-01), 211-227 0168-2563 122:2-3<211 2015 122 10533 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-014-0037-4 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-014-0037-4 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Beermann Fabian Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Soil Sciences, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Teltewskoi Annette Department of Peatland Studies and Palaeoecology, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487, Greifswald, Germany aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Fiencke Claudia Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Soil Sciences, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Pfeiffer Eva-Maria Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Soil Sciences, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Kutzbach Lars Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Soil Sciences, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146, Hamburg, Germany aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Biogeochemistry Springer International Publishing 122/2-3(2015-02-01), 211-227 0168-2563 122:2-3<211 2015 122 10533