*2.4. Statistical Analysis*

Descriptive statistics to relate mean, median, and standard errors for rates of inorganic N production were developed for each landscape patch with JMP v.15 software (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Regression analysis was used to examine possible linear relationships between mineralization and nitrification rates for each landscape patch, also with JMP v.15 software.

#### **3. Results and Discussion**
