University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 1999 The long-term effects of disturbance on nitrogen cycling and loss in the White Mountains, New Hampshire Christine Lynn Goodale University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Goodale, Christine Lynn, "The long-term effects of disturbance on nitrogen cycling and loss in the White Mountains, New Hampshire" (1999). Doctoral Dissertations. 2070. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/2070 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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University of New Hampshire, 1995 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment o f the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resources May, 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9926019 UMI Microform 9926019 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation has been examined and approved. dissertation Director, Dr. John D. Aber Professor of Natural Resources T University of New Hampshire Dr. Andrew J. Friedland Professor, Environmental Studies Program Dartmouth College Dr. James W. Hombeck Research Forester US DA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station I Dr. Thomas D. Lee Associate Professor of Plant Biology University of New Hampshire *fAnlO^ ^ -------------------------~ Dr. William H. McDowell Professor of Water Resources Management University of New Hampshire Acaa\ *7. n i l 1 Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS With much gratitude, I thank John Aber for accepting me as a fledgling masters student six years ago, and for providing unqualified support, opportunity, and enthusiasm ever since. He and the rest of my committee, Andy Friecfiand, Jim Hombeck, Bill McDowell, and Tom Lee have offered challenging discussions across community and ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry. Particular thanks go to Bill McDowell and Jim Hombeck for encouragement and analytical advice, and to Dan Zarin for thoughtful discussions on ecosystems, history, and how they fit together. I am extremely grateful to Peter Vitousek for encouraging the effort to revisit his work and for generously donating all of the original data. Many individuals assisted in collecting the soil, foliage, and streamwater samples that made this thesis possible, including: Ruth Bristol, Deirdre Cunningham, Gary Filgate, Jennifer Jenkins, Maggie Lefer, Allison Magill, Erin Maiden, Jim Muckenhoupt, Steve Newman, Scott Ollinger, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, and Laura Stone. Particular thanks go to my father, Bruce Goodale, for time spent swatting black flies while learning to dbh and GPS. Further thanks go to Gloria Quigley, Matt Kizlinski, Jennifer Pontius, Maggie Lefer, Jane Hislop and Jeffrey Merriam for much-needed analytical assistance. Robert Down, Steve Newman, and Mary Martin patiendy provided GIS tutorials, and helped bring century-old canvas maps into the digital age. Steve Fay and others at the White Mountain National Forest Headquarters provided access to historical records and encouragement for the research as a whole. I have appreciated the unique experience of working on the MAP-BGC project with Scott Ollinger, Mary Martin, Marie-Louise Smith, and Rich Hallett. This thesis iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. contributes a small piece to an effort designed to link AVTRIS remotely sensed imagery with land-use history and biogeochemical cycling. I have greatly benefited from time spent sharing an office with Glenn Bemtson, who opened the doors to statistics and other wonders, and with Jennifer Jenkins, whose organization I admire and whose company I enjoyed. Thanks too to Scott Ollinger for evolving discussions on the roles of species, physiology, nutrient cycling, and time. A number of sources provided financial support for this work, particularly the NASA Global Change Fellowship Program. EPA grant #825865, NASA-TECO grant #NAG5-3527, and a Cooperative Agreement from the USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station to W.H. McDowell funded additional portions of this research. Finally, I thank both my parents, Bruce and Patricia Goodale, for their support, and I thank Made Riddell for both field and laboratory assistance, and for patience, encouragement, and endurance during our respective four-year quests for knowledge. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS....................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................ viii LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................. ix ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................. xi CHAPTER I: EFFECTS OF DISTURBANCE HISTORY ON ORGANIC AND INORGANIC NITROGEN LOSSES IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS, NH........................1 A bstract..................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 2 M ethods ..................................................................................................................... 5 Site Description .....................................................................................................5 Forest History ........................................................................................................6 Sample Collection and Analysis ..........................................................................8 Forest Cover Determination .............................................................................. 10 Hydrologic Fluxes ...............................................................................................11 Nitrogen Flux and Retention ............................................................................. 13 Statistical Analyses..............................................................................................14 R esults ......................................................................................................................14 Stream flow .......................................................................................................... 14 Nitrogen Concentrations ..................................................................................... 19 Nitrogen Fluxes ...................................................................................................24 Nitrogen Retention .................:........................................................................... 28 D iscussion ..............................................................................................................