Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-154).

Thesis (Master of Science)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,2008. / "June 2008." Bibliography: p. 45-47.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-147).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Princeton University, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 281-294).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--College of William and Mary. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

In the context of nutrient cycling in soil, plant-mediated mineralisation of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) is poorly understood. The broad focus of this thesis was to investigate the potential importance of plant-mediated mineralisation (i.e.priming) on C and N mineralisation in soils with contrasting crop productivities. The studies focus on two soils, which had similar chemical and physical properties but contrasting plant productivities relating to their N supply capacity. These soils were used to investigate the potential importance of priming processes in contributing to the contrasting capacities of these soils to supply N for plant growth. 13C and 15N stable isotopes were used to measure specific gross C and N fluxes. Sole C or N and combined C with N treatments were established to disentangle the effect of carbon and nitrogen availability on plant-mediated mineralisation. The addition of labile C increased gross carbon and nitrogen fluxes from native soil organic matter (SOM) but the effect was soil specific. The addition of nitrogen did not affect SOM mineralisation in either soil. The much lower C-to-N ratio of the 'primed' flux compared to the 'basal' flux indicated that the primed flux utilises different OM pools highlighting that primed and basal mineralisation may be distinct processes. The priming response (i.e. positive or negative and associated mechanisms) was different depending on carbon and nitrogen supply to the microbial community. Overall, the studies in this thesis places the microbial community as the focal point of soil N supply. This data strongly supports the concept that the release of labile carbon from plant roots functions as a nutrient acquisition response, increasing mineralisation of SOM. From the data a conceptual model of priming mechanisms, based on nutrient availability to the microbial community, was established. This could be used as the foundation to develop key concepts for sustainable agricultural practice.

Thesis (M.S.) in Oceanography--University of Maine, 2002. / Includes vita. Bibliography: leaves 72-78.

Patterns and rates of nutrient input to the forest floor in litterfall, throughfall and stemflow were investigated in plots of low and high abundance of ectomycorrhizal species. The aim of the study was to examine the comparative advantage of the ectomycorrhizal species in nutrient acquisition and cycling on nutrient-poor soils in Korup. Litterfall was similar in both forests with annual estimates of 9.00 and 8.33 t ha-1 yr-1 for LEM and HEM forests respectively. Litterfall distribution followed a mono-modal pattern, with peaks in the dry season in both forests and the HEM forest showing stronger seasonality. The concentrations N, K and Ca in total litterfall were higher in the LEM forest while those of P and Mg were higher in the HEM forest. The bulk of nutrients in total litterfall was in leaf litter with the reproductive fractions having the highest concentrations of nutrients. Ectomycorrhizal species showed lesser internal redistribution of nutrients than non-ectomycorrhizal species which resulted in their higher leaf litter concentrations of nutrients. Breakdown of litter was relatively faster in the LEM forest with an annual decomposition constant (KL) of 3.21 compared to 2.43 for the HEM forest. The reproductive fractions had relatively higher annual decomposition constants of 8.20 and 4.27 in the LEM and HEM forests respectively compared to the other fractions. The overall element mobility in decomposing leaf litter was similar in both forests and in the following order: Mg>K>Ca>P>N. Mineralization of N, P and K in the decomposing leaf litter was similar in both forests and higher in the HEM forest for Mg and Ca. Throughfall was 96.6% and 92.4%, and stemflow 1.5% and 2.2%, of gross rainfall in LEM and HEM forests respectively. Considerable amounts of Ca, Mg and P were brought to the forest canopy in gross rainfall (24-45% of total input through this route) with higher amounts of K and Ca leached from plant parts by the rainwater. The amounts of P, K and Ca in stemflow and throughfall were of the same magnitude in both forests with the enhancement of N slightly higher in the LEM forest and Mg in the HEM forest.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2001. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-66). Also available online.