NITRATE DISTRIBUTION IN MOJAVE DESERT SOILS

Abstract

Extensive sampling shows high variability in nitrate concentration within profiles of Mojave Desert soils. This high variability greatly complicates studies of desert soil N and its ecological role. Patterns in nitrate distribution suggest effects of litter decomposition under shrubs, surface leaching in bare areas, and plant uptake in the root zone. Two mechanisms proposed to explain high concentrations found at seemingly random depths are concentration at drying fronts and distribution along water potential gradients.