THE EFFECTS OF ACIDIC DEPOSITION ON FORESTED SOILS

This chapter provides an overview of soil acidification that is one of the effects of acidic deposition on forest ecosystems. It also provides a brief synopsis of the dominant physical and chemical processes in forest ecosystems that interact with, modify, and respond to acidic inputs. The degree of interaction between acidic deposition and the forest canopy is illustrated. The chapter presents several case histories of soil change in regions where acid deposition may be causal and in regions where it is not. A set of recommendations is outlined, concerning areas for future research that are needed to be characterized properly and models for the effects of acidic deposition on forest soils are developed. Several hypotheses are proposed as the basis for future research on potential atmosphere–rhizosphere interactions that include above-ground physiology, nutrient uptake, heavy metal uptake, aluminum uptake, or microbes essential for nutrient absorption and changes in the forest ecosystem due to atmospheric deposition that alters rhizosphere regulation of root pathogens and soil saprophyte ecology. © 1992, Academic Press Inc.