Clumped and isolated trees influence soil nutrient levels in an Australian temperate box woodland

Abstract

Isolated paddock trees are a common feature of agri-pastoral landscapes in south-eastern Australia. We assessed the impact of trees on soil nutrients by examining (1) changes in soil nutrients under clumped and isolated (living and dead) trees at four microsites corresponding with increasing distance from the trunk (trunk, mid-canopy, drip line, open), and (2) changes with depth under trees growing in clearly-defined clumps. We detected significantly greater concentrations of organic C, and total N and S under trees growing in clumps compared with either isolated living or dead trees. Levels of soluble Ca 2+, K+ and Mg2+, pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and available P declined with increasing distance from the trees, but there were no significant trends for organic C, or total N and S. The concentration of most nutrients declined with depth, particularly at microsites close to the trunk, while pH increased with depth. We believe that differences in chemistry were largely driven by greater inputs of organic matter under the trees. This study reinforces the view that trees, whether scattered or in clumps, are important for soil nutrient conservation in agri-pastoral landscapes.