Gross nitrogen mineralization-, immobilization-, and nitrification rates as a function of soil C/N ratio and microbial activity
A laboratory experiment was designed to challenge the idea that the ON ratio of forest soils may control gross N immobilization, mineralization, and nitrification rates. Soils were collected from three deciduous forests sites varying in C/N ratio between 15 and 27. They were air-dried and rewetted to induce a burst of microbial activity. The N transformation rates were calculated from an isotope d