Nutrient regulation of organic matter decomposition in a tropical rain forest

Ecology
Cory C ClevelandAlan R Townsend

Abstract

Terrestrial biosphere-atmosphere CO2 exchange is dominated by tropical forests, so understanding how nutrient availability affects carbon (C) decomposition in these ecosystems is central to predicting the global C cycle's response to environmental change. In tropical rain forests, phosphorus (P) limitation of primary production and decomposition is believed to be widespread, but direct evidence is rare. We assessed the effects of nitrogen (N) and P fertilization on litter-layer organic matter decomposition in two neighboring tropical rain forests in southwest Costa Rica that are similar in most ways, but that differ in soil P availability. The sites contain 100-200 tree species per hectare and between species foliar nutrient content is variable. To control for this heterogeneity, we decomposed leaves collected from a widespread neotropical species, Brosimum utile. Mass loss during decomposition was rapid in both forests, with B. utile leaves losing >80% of their initial mass in <300 days. High organic matter solubility throughout decomposition combined with high rainfall support a model of litter-layer decomposition in these rain forests in which rapid mass loss in the litter layer is dominated by leaching of dissolved organic ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Nov 4, 2009·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Michael KaspariNatalie A Clay
May 23, 2012·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Tana E WoodSasha C Reed
Jun 24, 2006·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Cory C Cleveland, Alan R Townsend
Feb 4, 2010·Ecology·William R WiederAlan R Townsend
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Aug 9, 2016·The Science of the Total Environment·Guilherme Henrique A PereiraMarcos Gervasio Pereira
May 11, 2007·Ecology·Alan R TownsendMercedes M C Bustamante
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Apr 14, 2017·Global Change Biology·Jordi SardansJosep Peñuelas
Nov 23, 2017·The New Phytologist·Katherine A Dynarski, Benjamin Z Houlton
Apr 18, 2017·Ecology Letters·Philip G TaylorAlan R Townsend

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