A continental-scale synthesis of nitrogen mineralization and nitrification assays from sites in the Long-Term Ecological Research Network, including our previous work from boreal and Arctic sites, confirmed a role of soil organic carbon in nitrogen dynamics. Soils containing high concentration of organic carbon, including the boreal forest and arctic tundra, support lower rates of nitrification relative to mineralization than sites with less carbon.
Gill, A. L., R. M. Grinder, C. R. See, F. S. Chapin, L. C. DeLancey, M. C. Fisk, P. M. Groffman, T. Harms, S. E. Hobbie, J. D. Knoepp, J. M. H. Knops, M. Mack, P. B. Reich, and A. D. Keiser. 2023. Soil carbon availability decouples net nitrogen mineralization and net nitrification across United States Long Term Ecological Research sites. Biogeochemistry.