%0 Research article
%T Inorganic and organic phosphorus fractions in peat from drained mires in northern Finland
%A Nieminen, Mika
%A Penttilä, Timo
%D 2004
%J Silva Fennica
%V 38
%N 3
%R doi:10.14214/sf.413
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/413
%X Soil samples from 15 eutrophic, 26 herb-rich, 15 tall-sedge, and 11  low-sedge drained peatland sites were analysed for easily soluble and  aluminum, iron, and calcium bound phosphorus (P) using the Chang and  Jackson sequential fractionation method. Compared to earlier  investigations, where only total and easily soluble P contents (e.g.  NH4OAc or dilute H2SO4 extractable P) in peat have been analysed,  significantly higher differences between sites were observed. The  eutrophic sites were characterized by four to six-fold greater Ca-bound  organic P and two to three-fold greater Ca-bound inorganic P contents  than on the other three site type groups, whereas the average Al-bound  inorganic P content of the eutrophic sites was only one-third of that at  the other site types. Substantial differences between sites were also  observed for Fe-bound inorganic P, i.e. two to four-fold greater Fe-P  contents were measured at the herb-rich sites compared with the other  three site type groups. The stand volume growth in the 67 studied  drained peatland sites correlated significantly with Al-bound organic P  and Fe-bound inorganic and organic P. The study showed that a detailed  fractionation and discrimination of different forms of soil P is  important in increasing the understanding of the relationship between P  availability and vegetation community types and stand growth on drained  peatlands.