Minor contribution of leaf litter to N nutrition of beech (Fagus sylvatica) seedlings in a mountainous beech forest of Southern Germany

Aims: Our aims were to characterize the fate of leaf-litter-derived nitrogen in the plant-soil-microbe system of a temperate beech forest of Southern Germany and to identify its importance for N nutrition of beech seedlings. Methods: ¹⁵N-labelled leaf litter was traced in situ into abiotic and biotic N pools in mineral soil as well as into beech seedlings and mycorrhizal root tips over three growing seasons. Results: There was a rapid transfer of ¹⁵N into the mineral soil already 21 days after tracer application with soil microbial biomass initially representing the dominant litter-N sink. However, ¹⁵N recovery in non-extractable soil N pools strongly increased over time and subsequently became the dominant ¹⁵N sink. Recovery in plant biomass accounted for only 0.025 % of ¹⁵N excess after 876 days. After three growing seasons, ¹⁵N excess recovery was characterized by the following sequence: non-extractable soil N >> extractable soil N including microbial biomass >> plant biomass > ectomycorrhizal root tips. Conclusions: After quick vertical dislocation and cycling through microbial N pools, there was a rapid stabilization of leaf-litter-derived N in non-extractable N pools of the mineral soil. Very low ¹⁵N recovery in beech seedlings suggests a high importance of other N sources such as root litter for N nutrition of beech understorey.