Final published version
Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSN › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSN › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
}
TY - CHAP
T1 - Revisiting nutrient cycling by litterfall—Insights from 15 years of litter manipulation in old-growth lowland tropical forest
AU - Sayer, E.J.
AU - Rodtassana, C.
AU - Sheldrake, M.
AU - Bréchet, L.M.
AU - Ashford, O.S.
AU - Lopez-Sangil, L.
AU - Kerdraon-Byrne, D.
AU - Castro, B.
AU - Turner, B.L.
AU - Wright, S.J.
AU - Tanner, E.V.J.
PY - 2020/3/1
Y1 - 2020/3/1
N2 - The crucial role of tropical forests in the global carbon balance is underpinned by their extraordinarily high biomass and productivity, even though the majority of tropical forests grow on nutrient-poor soils. Nutrient cycling by litterfall has long been considered essential for maintaining high primary productivity in lowland tropical forests but few studies have tested this assumption experimentally. We review and synthesise findings from the Gigante Litter Manipulation Project (GLiMP), a long-term experiment in lowland tropical forest in Panama, Central America, in which litter has been removed from or added to large-scale plots for 15 years. We assessed changes in soil and litter nutrient concentrations in response to the experimental treatments and estimated nutrient return and nutrient use efficiency to indicate changes in nutrient cycling. The soil concentrations of most nutrients increased with litter addition and declined with litter removal. Litter removal altered nitrogen, potassium, manganese and zinc cycling, demonstrating the importance of litter inputs for maintaining the availability of these elements to plants. By contrast, litter addition only altered nitrogen cycling and, despite low concentrations of available soil phosphorus, the effects of litter manipulation on phosphorus cycling were inconsistent. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying the observed changes, and we emphasise the importance of decomposition processes in the forest floor for retaining nutrient elements, which partially decouples nutrient cycling from the mineral soil. Finally, by synthesising GLiMP studies conducted during 15 years of litter manipulation, we highlight key knowledge gaps and avenues for future research into tropical forest nutrient cycling.
AB - The crucial role of tropical forests in the global carbon balance is underpinned by their extraordinarily high biomass and productivity, even though the majority of tropical forests grow on nutrient-poor soils. Nutrient cycling by litterfall has long been considered essential for maintaining high primary productivity in lowland tropical forests but few studies have tested this assumption experimentally. We review and synthesise findings from the Gigante Litter Manipulation Project (GLiMP), a long-term experiment in lowland tropical forest in Panama, Central America, in which litter has been removed from or added to large-scale plots for 15 years. We assessed changes in soil and litter nutrient concentrations in response to the experimental treatments and estimated nutrient return and nutrient use efficiency to indicate changes in nutrient cycling. The soil concentrations of most nutrients increased with litter addition and declined with litter removal. Litter removal altered nitrogen, potassium, manganese and zinc cycling, demonstrating the importance of litter inputs for maintaining the availability of these elements to plants. By contrast, litter addition only altered nitrogen cycling and, despite low concentrations of available soil phosphorus, the effects of litter manipulation on phosphorus cycling were inconsistent. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying the observed changes, and we emphasise the importance of decomposition processes in the forest floor for retaining nutrient elements, which partially decouples nutrient cycling from the mineral soil. Finally, by synthesising GLiMP studies conducted during 15 years of litter manipulation, we highlight key knowledge gaps and avenues for future research into tropical forest nutrient cycling.
KW - Forest floor
KW - Litterfall
KW - Litter addition
KW - Litter removal
KW - Nutrient use efficiency
KW - Nutrient cycling
KW - Soil fertility
KW - Trace elements
KW - Tropical lowland forest
U2 - 10.1016/bs.aecr.2020.01.002
DO - 10.1016/bs.aecr.2020.01.002
M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)
T3 - Advances in Ecological Research
SP - 173
EP - 223
BT - Tropical Ecosystems in the 21st Century
A2 - Dumbrell, Alex J.
A2 - Turner, Edgar C.
A2 - Fayle, Tom M.
PB - Academic Press
ER -