Fine litter input to terrestrial humus forms in Colombian Amazonia

Lips, J.M.; Duivenvoorden, Joost F.

doi:10.1007/bf00333225

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The necromass on the Lambir sandstone soil also had higher Mg:Ca ratios than in many other tropical forests, although similar to those in other Bornean MDF soils on Tertiary clastic sediments (Burghouts et al 1998, Proctor et al 1983. However, because of its great lability and copious leaching from forest canopies, necromass concentrations of K vary widely in tropical forests, and the Lambir values are not particularly high (Lips & Duivenvoorden 1996). Overall, the distinctive lithogenic nutrient stoichiometry of the Lambir soils persists in the fresh litter and necromass, but with diminishing clarity at each stage.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Spatial associations of humus, nutrients and soils in mixed dipterocarp forest at Lambir, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

et al. 2006

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Discrete humus layers are common on podzols under temperate coniferous and tropical heath forests, and patchy layers also occur under some temperate broadleaved forests on non-podzolic soils. We used multiple data sets to test the reported association of humus with oligotrophic but non-podzolic soils under non-heath dipterocarp forest at Lambir, Sarawak. We examined the distribution, morphology and nutrient dynamics of necromass on soils derived from sandstone and shale. Concentrations of the main mineral nutrients were lower in fresh litter on the very oligotrophic sandstone soils than on shale. The rates of litterfall were similar, so that annual litterfall fluxes of all nutrients were lower on sandstone. The lower nutrient concentrations and fluxes in the litter on sandstone resulted in slower decomposition, longer residence times and larger standing crops of forest-floor necromass, with lower concentrations of nutrients. The necromass on sandstone sequestered significantly more N, K and Mg but less Ca and Mn than on shale, with no significant difference for P. The variations in necromass nutrient dynamics were associated with morphological differences. There were mats of densely rooted humus under the litter on sandstone, whereas litter lay directly over the mineral topsoil on shale. Spatial associations with soil nutrients were weak for necromass thickness, but clear for humus. The proportions of nutrients in the litterfall and necromass reflected the stoichiometric profiles of the soils. We attribute the differences in necromass nutrient dynamics and their association with soil reserve nutrients to lower rates of nutrient replenishment from the weathering of sandstone than from shale. Necromass characteristics are robust field indicators of multivariate edaphic differences in these and other tropical forests on Acrisols/Ultisols derived from Tertiary clastic sediments.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Spatial associations of humus, nutrients and soils in mixed dipterocarp forest at Lambir, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

et al. 2006

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“…On the basis of their horizons the humus forms we described under rock savanna belong to a group of tropical humus forms on nutrient-depleted or rocky substrates, which are characterized by the accumulation of faunal excrements within a dense root mat, without or with a poor incorporation of organic matter to the mineral soil (Lips and Duivenvoorden, 1996;Loranger et al, 2003). They share common features with moder which has been described in temperate regions (Green et al, 1993).…”

Section: The Sequence Of Soil Development On the Nouragues Inselbergmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Despite the widely reported lack of organic matter and nutrients in tropical soils, due to rapid mineralization of leaf and root litter and intense leaching (Lavelle, 1984;Lavelle et al, 1993), huge accumulations of organic matter can be observed on rocky substrates and nutrientdepleted sandy soils (Lips and Duivenvoorden, 1996;Loranger et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humus profiles under main vegetation types in a rock savanna (Nouragues inselberg, French Guiana)

et al. 2006

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International audienceThe aim of our study was to describe succession related changes in humus profiles on moderate slopes of a tropical inselberg (Nouragues, French Guiana). Nine humus profiles were collected in a stratified manner under two main communities on well-drained sites: carpets of Pitcairnia geyskesii (Bromeliaceae) and shrub thickets of Clusia minor (Clusiaceae), the latter including two stages of its dynamic development. The 53 sampled layers were analysed by an optical method, the volume ratio of 109 classes of litter/humus components being quantified by a count point method. Correspondence analysis (CA) revealed marked differences among humus forms. Pitcairnia carpets were characterized by the dominance of cyanobacteria which formed crusts with low faunal activity, except when they were colonized by enchytraeid worms. With advancing succession, we observed that leaf litter did not accumulate but rather was incorporated into organo-mineral excrements of macro-invertebrates under C minor. The late developmental stage of Clusia thickets, characterised by the establishment of Myrcia saxatilis (Myrtaceae), showed a thick layer of undecayed litter and near absence of organo-mineral aggregates. The humus form varied from mor in cyano-bacterial crusts to tropical moder (with a few mull features) in Clusia thickets, but comparisons among humus profiles revealed more complex successional processes than expected on the basis of the composition of plant and soil animal communities

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“…Although leaf‐fall rates peak during the dry season (Wieder & Wright 1995), the larger return of nutrients from forest trees to the forest floor during the wet season than during the dry season (Table 1) coincides with 65% of the annual leaf‐fall during the longer wet season. Overall, nutrient return in leaf‐fall was at the high end of values published in reports for other lowland tropical forests (Lips & Duivenvoorden 1996); in a large part, this reflects the large litter mass in the study area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

“…The question of whether nutrient concentrations in leaf‐fall vary systematically with seasonal drought in tropical forests is still open to debate. Some have concluded that nutrient concentrations in leaf‐fall vary haphazardly during the year (Lips & Duivenvoorden 1996; Herbohn & Congdon 1998). In contrast, others have found relatively strong evidence for lower K concentrations and greater N concentrations in wet‐season leaf‐fall (Scott et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal drought and dry‐season irrigation influence leaf‐litter nutrients and soil enzymes in a moist, lowland forest in Panama

Yavitt¹,

Wright

Wieder

2004

Austral Ecology

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Climatic conditions should not hinder nutrient release from decomposing leaf-litter (mineralization) in the humid tropics, even though many tropical forests experience drought lasting from several weeks to months. We used a dry-season irrigation experiment to examine the effect of seasonal drought on nutrient concentrations in leaffall and in decomposing leaf-litter. In the experiment, soil in two 2.25-ha plots of old-growth lowland moist forest on Barro Colorado Island, Republic of Panama, was watered to maintain soil water potential at or above field capacity throughout the 4-month dry season. Wet-season leaf-fall had greater concentrations of nitrogen (N, 13.5 mg g~^) and calcium (Ca, 15.6 mg g~') and lower concentrations of sulfur (S, 2.51 mg g~^) and potassium (K, 3.03 mg g~^) than dry-season leaf-fall (N = 11.6 mg g~\ Ca =13.6 mg g~', S = 2.98 mg g~^ K = 5.70 mg g~'). Irrigation did not affect nutrient concentrations or nutrient return from forest trees to the forest floor annually (N = 18gm~^, phosphorus (P) = 1.06 g m~^, S = 3.5 g m~^, Ca = 18.9 g m~^, magnesium = 6.5 g m~^, K = 5.7 g m~^). Nutrient mineralization rates were much greater during the wet season than the dry season, except for K, which did not vary seasonally. Nutrient residence times in forest-fioor material were longer in control plots than in irrigated plots, with values approximately equal to that for organic matter (210 in control plots vs 160 in irrigated plots). Calcium had the longest residence time. Forest-floor material collected at the transition between seasons and incubated with or without leaching in the laboratory did not display large pulses in nutrient availability'. Rather, microorganisms immobilized nutrients primarily during the wet season, unlike observations in tropical forests with longer dry seasons. Large amounts of P moved among different pools in forest-fioor material, apparentiy mediated by microorganisms. Arylsulfatase and phosphatase enzymes, which mineralize organically bound nutrients, had high activity throughout the dry season. Low soil moisture levels do not hinder nutrient cycling in this moist lowland forest.

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Fine litter input to terrestrial humus forms in Colombian Amazonia

Cited by 23 publications

References 43 publications

Spatial associations of humus, nutrients and soils in mixed dipterocarp forest at Lambir, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Spatial associations of humus, nutrients and soils in mixed dipterocarp forest at Lambir, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Humus profiles under main vegetation types in a rock savanna (Nouragues inselberg, French Guiana)

Seasonal drought and dry‐season irrigation influence leaf‐litter nutrients and soil enzymes in a moist, lowland forest in Panama

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