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Nitrogen (N) deposition and its impact on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is a concern facing federal land managers at the Lye Brook Wilderness in Vermont and other protected aras throughout the northeastern United States. In this study, we compared N production in soils with N concentrations and outputs in leachates to determine how forest cover types differ in regulating N losses. Also, precipitation inputs and modeled estimates of streamwater outputs were used to calculate a watershed N budget. Most ammonium and nitrate were produced in organic soils with deciduous cover. Softwood stands had low net nitrification rates and minimal N leaching. A comparison of watershed inputs and outputs showed a net gain in total dissolved N (5.5 kg ha-1 yr-1) due to an accumulation of dissolved inorganic N. The Lye Brook Wilderness ecosystem has N budgets similar to other forested ecosystems in the region, and appears to be assimilating the accumulating N. However seasonal losses of nitrate observed in mineral soils and streamwater may be early warnings of the initial stages of N saturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relatively high deposition of nitrogen (N) in the northeastern United States has caused concern because sites could become N saturated. In the past, mass-balance studies have been used to monitor the N status of sites and to investigate the impact of increased N deposition. Typically, these efforts have focused on dissolved inorganic forms ofN (DIN = NH4-N + NO3-N) and have largely ignored dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) due to difficulties in its analysis. Recent advances in the measurement of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) have facilitated measurement of DON as the residual of TDN - DIN.We calculated DON and DIN budgets using data on precipitation and streamwater chemistry collected from 9 forested watersheds at 4 sites in New England. TDN in precipitation was composed primarily of DIN. Net retention of TDN ranged from 62 to 89% (4.7 to 10 kg ha-1 yr -1) of annual inputs. DON made up the majority of TDNin stream exports, suggesting that inclusion of DON is critical to assessing N dynamics even in areas with large anthropogenic inputs of DIN. Despite the dominance of DON in streamwater, precipitation inputs of DON were approximately equal to outputs. DON concentrations in streamwater did not appear significantly influenced by seasonal biological controls, but did increase with discharge on some watersheds. Streamwater NO3-N was the only fraction of N that exhibited a seasonal pattern, with concentrations increasing during the winter months and peaking during snowmelt runoff. Concentrations of NO3-N varied considerably among watersheds and are related to DOC:DON ratios in streamwater. Annual DIN exports were negatively correlated with streamwater DOC:DON ratios, indicating that these ratios might be a useful index of N status of upland forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]