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Abstract
Ponder,
F. Jr. and F. Eivazi. 2008. Activities of five enzymes
following soil disturbance and weed control in a Missouri forest. JEMREST 5:00-00
Forest
disturbances associated with harvesting activities can affect soil properties
including enzyme activity and overall soil quality. The activities of five
enzymes (acid and alkaline phosphatases, beta-glucosidase, aryl-sulfatase, and
beta-glucosominidase) were measured after 8 years in clearcut and uncut plots
of a Missouri
oak-hickory (Quercus L. – Carya Nutt.) forest. The clearcut plots had been
treated with two levels of forest biomass removal and two levels of
compaction, both separate and in combinations, with and without annual weed
control. Among the five enzymes measured, the activity for acid phosphatase,
beta-glucosidase, and aryl-sulfatase were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in soil from plots without weeds than in plots
with weeds. Except for acid phosphatase, enzyme activity did not differ
between plots without weeds and uncut control plots. Soil compaction and the
removal of surface woody biomass alone had no effect on enzyme activities.
Soil phosphorus was higher in plots without weeds than in plots with weeds.
Neither soil pH or soil C differed among understory treatments, but there
were significant correlations between them and enzyme activity. Reduced
enzyme activity conserves organically bound nutrients such as N, P, and S in
soil due to the lack of mineralization processes which could lead to critical
nutrient losses in some forest ecosystems.
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