Does low phosphorus supply limit seedling establishment and tree growth in groves of ectomycorrhizal trees in a central African rainforest?

Newbery, David McClintock; Chuyong, Georg; Green, J. J.; Songwe, N. C.; Tchuenteu, F.; Zimmermann, Lukas

doi:10.1046/j.1469-8137.2002.00505.x

Cited by 53 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…94,No. 7 2011, Townsend et al 2011), and complements data suggesting that these forests do not generally show a strong community-level response to either N or P fertilization in the short term (Mirmanto et al 1999, Newbery et al 2002, Wright et al 2011. In our study, we could not detect treatment effects on tree BA increase, litterfall productivity, or root biomass or growth, two years after initial fertilization.…”

Section: S Alvarez-clare Et Al 1546supporting

confidence: 68%

A direct test of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation to net primary productivity in a lowland tropical wet forest

Alvarez‐Clare

Mack

Brooks

2013

Ecology

189

180

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Experimental evidence for limitation of net primary productivity (NPP) by nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) in lowland tropical forests is rare, and the results from the few existing studies have been inconclusive. To directly test if N or P limit NPP in a lowland tropical wet forest in Costa Rica, we conducted a full factorial fertilization experiment (4 treatments × 6 replicates in 30 × 30 m plots). We focused on the influence of tree size and taxa on nutrient limitation, because in these forests a wide variety of tree functional traits related to nutrient acquisition and use are likely to regulate biogeochemical processes. After 2.7 years, a higher percentage of trees per plot increased basal area (BA) with P additions (66.45% ± 3.28% without P vs. 76.88% ± 3.28% with P), but there were no other community-level responses to N or P additions on BA increase, litterfall productivity, or root growth. Phosphorus additions resulted in doubled stem growth rates in small trees (5-10 cm diameter at breast height (dbh); [P 0.01]) but had no effect on intermediate (10-30 cm dbh) or large trees (>30 cm dbh). Phosphorus additions also increased the percentage of seedling survival from 59% to 78% (P < 0.01), as well as the percentage of seedlings that grew (P = 0.03), and increased leaf number (P = 0.02). Trees from Pentaclethra macroloba, the most abundant species, did not increase growth rates with fertilization (P = 0.40). In contrast, the most abundant palms (Socratea exorrhiza) had more than two times higher stem growth rates with P additions (P = 0.01). Our experiment reiterates that P availability is a significant driver of plant processes in these systems, but highlights the importance of considering different aspects of the plant community when making predictions concerning nutrient limitation. We postulate that in diverse, lowland tropical forests "heterogeneous nutrient limitation" occurs, not only driven by variability in nutrient responses among taxa, but also among size classes and potential functional groups. Heterogeneous responses to nutrient additions could lead to changes in forest structure or even diversity in the long term, affecting rates of NPP and thus carbon cycling. Abstract. Experimental evidence for limitation of net primary productivity (NPP) by nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) in lowland tropical forests is rare, and the results from the few existing studies have been inconclusive. To directly test if N or P limit NPP in a lowland tropical wet forest in Costa Rica, we conducted a full factorial fertilization experiment (4 treatments 3 6 replicates in 30 3 30 m plots). We focused on the influence of tree size and taxa on nutrient limitation, because in these forests a wide variety of tree functional traits related to nutrient acquisition and use are likely to regulate biogeochemical processes. After 2.7 years, a higher percentage of trees per plot increased basal area (BA) with P additions (66.45% 6 3.28% without P vs. 76.88% 6 3.28% with P), but there were no other community-level respon...

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Section: S Alvarez-clare Et Al 1546supporting

confidence: 68%

A direct test of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation to net primary productivity in a lowland tropical wet forest

Alvarez‐Clare

Mack

Brooks

2013

Ecology

189

180

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“…Further studies showed that N addition increased tree diameter growth in N-limited sites, whereas P addition increased tree diameter growth in P-limited sites in Hawaiian montane forest (Vitousek et al 1993;Herbert and Fownes 1995). In mature lowland tropical forest, no diameter growth stimulation of trees was observed in Kalimantan, Indonesia in response to N and P additions (Mirmanto et al 1999), nor in Korop, Cameroon in response to P addition (Newbery et al 2002). In lowland secondary forest near Paragominas, Brazil, tree biomass increased significantly with N addition or N and P, but not with P alone (Davidson et al 2004).…”

Section: Nutrient Limitation Of Whole Plant Processesmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Otherwise, when nutrients are added and there is no response, the interpretation is that the added nutrient was not limiting (Vitousek 2004). The most comprehensive tropical nutrient addition experiments have occurred as stand-level fertilization with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and/or potassium (K) in large (up to 40 9 40 m) plots (Tanner et al 1992;Vitousek et al 1993;Mirmanto et al 1999;Newbery et al 2002;Campo and Vázquez-Yanes 2004;Davidson et al 2004;Lu et al 2010;Wright et al 2011;Á lvarez-Clare et al 2013;Fisher et al 2013). These large experiments are especially valuable because they allow researchers to evaluate nutrient limitation at scales ranging from leaf-level physiology to whole-tree growth, as well as ecosystem-scale processes such as litterfall and nutrient cycling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient limitation of eco-physiological processes in tropical trees

Santiago

2015

Trees

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Key Message Tropical forests play a disproportionately large role in the global climate system, yet the extent to which nutrients limit the potential for tropical trees to increase carbon gain as atmospheric carbon dioxide rises is unknown. Abstract This review focuses on what is known about tropical tree responses to experimental nutrient addition and how such information is critical for developing a more complete picture of the ability of tropical forest to respond to a changing world. Most of our knowledge of nutrient limitation of eco-physiological processes in tropical trees is derived from stand-scale nutrient addition experiments, in which physiological or growth responses signify limitation by that element. Our knowledge is further supplemented by fertilization studies of individual plants in pots. There is emerging evidence that fine root biomass decreases and maximum photosynthetic rates, water transport capacity and plant growth in tropical trees increase with nutrient addition, but the magnitude of response depends upon the successional status of the species, the size of the individual, light availability and the element in question. The sheer variation in responses of tropical trees to nutrient addition calls for a more complete evaluation across tropical environments.

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“…En este sentido, se han realizado experimentos de fertilización para evaluar el efecto de la aplicación de nutrientes sobre el CDA en bosques lluviosos tropicales maduros (Mirmanto, Proctor, Green, Nagy, & Suriantata, 1999;Newbery et al, 2002;Wright et al, 2011;Sullivan et al, 2014;Sayer & Banin, 2016, entre otros). Sin embargo, tales experimentos han mostrado patrones y tendencias contradictorias.…”

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“…se observó un mayor CDA con la fertilización, pero tales incrementos no fueron significativos (Mirmanto et al, 1999). De manera similar, Newbery et al (2002) reportaron que no hubo un efecto significativo sobre el CDA con la aplicación de P en el suelo en bosques húmedos tropicales de Camerún, en África central.…”

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Efectos de la fertilización del suelo sobre el crecimiento arbóreo en bosques pluviales tropicales del Chocó, Colombia

Mosquera

Urrutia

Hurtado

2017

RBT

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Efectos de la fertilización del suelo sobre el crecimiento arbóreo en bosques pluviales tropicales del Chocó, Colombia Abstract: Effects of soil fertilization on tree growth in tropical rainforests of Choco, Colombia. The tree diameter growth (CDA) is a fundamental component of net primary productivity (NPP) and carbon storage in forest ecosystems; therefore, it plays a key role in mitigating global climate change. It has been hypothesized that CDA in lowland tropical rain forests is limited by the availability of soil nutrients, yet little experimental evidence is available, especially in forest of high precipitation (>5 000 mm per year). This study evaluated the effects of soil fertilization on CDA in tropical rainforests of the Colombian Pacific, one of the wettest areas of the world. Such effects were assessed at the level of localities, diametric categories, wood density, and functional groups. To do this, two arboreal inventories (2014 and 2015) were performed, five fertilization treatments (Nitrogen-N, Phosphorus-P, Potassium-K, NPK and Control) were applied, and the CDA was determined in five permanent plots of one hectare. We found that the application of N and NPK had little effect on CDA as compared to the control; while the addition of P and K produced significant reduction of the trees relative growth rate, with respect to the control at the level of localities, in small and medium sized trees, in all wood densities (low, medium and high), and in the group of dicotyledonous species. Although these results did not corroborate the hypothesis of nutrient limitation on CDA in the studied forests, it was found that during the early years of fertilization (mainly with P and K), different patterns of aboveground and belowground NPP occurred to maximize photosynthesis and soil nutrient acquisition. Rev. Biol. Trop. 65 (3): 1161-1173. Epub 2017 September 01.

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Does low phosphorus supply limit seedling establishment and tree growth in groves of ectomycorrhizal trees in a central African rainforest?

Cited by 53 publications

References 21 publications

A direct test of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation to net primary productivity in a lowland tropical wet forest

A direct test of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation to net primary productivity in a lowland tropical wet forest

Nutrient limitation of eco-physiological processes in tropical trees

Efectos de la fertilización del suelo sobre el crecimiento arbóreo en bosques pluviales tropicales del Chocó, Colombia

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