Distributions and Cyclings of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium in Korean Alder and Oak Stands

물오리나무와 상수리나무 숲의 질소, 인 및 가리의 분배와 순환

Seasonal distribution of N, P and K contents and their cycling were studied in Korean oak (Quercus acutissima) and Korean alder (Alnus sibirica) stands in central part of Korean peninsula. The amounts of three minerals were high in young leaves but gradually decreased with the process of leaf development in both stands. The amounts of minerals in the branches, trunks and roots were decreased in summer, however, they increased again in autumn. Seansonal changes of these minerals were not significant in the two stands. The amounts of phosphorus and potassium in plant and soil were higher in the oak stand than the alder one, but those of nitrogen were reversed. The amounts of minerals absorbed during one year were greater in the oak stand than in the alder one, but those returned into soil through mineralization of litter were less in the former than in the latter. The nutrient requirements of the oak stand were greater than the alders, but the cycling rate, the ratio of the amount of minerals absorbed to returned, was opposite.