A decade of belowground reorganization following multiple disturbances in a subtropical wet forest

Abstract

Humid tropical forests are dynamic ecosystems that experience multiple and overlapping disturbance events that vary in frequency, intensity, and spatial extent. Here we report the results of a 10-year study investigating the effects of forest clearing and multiple hurricanes on ecosystem carbon reservoirs, nutrient pools and vegetation. The aboveground plant community was most heavily affected by multiple disturbances, with the 9-year-old stands showing high rates of hurricane-induced mortality relative to surrounding forest. Belowground pools were less affected. Live fine root biomass fluctuated in response to multiple disturbances, but returned to pre-disturbance levels after 10 years. Soil C was resilient to clearing and hurricanes, probably due to the large pool size and high clay content. Soil P fluctuated over time, declining during periods of rapid plant recovery and growth. With the exception of K, base cations recovered within 2 years following clearing and showed little response to hurricane disturbance.

Reducing conditions, reactive metals, and their interactions can explain spatial patterns of surface soil carbon in a humid tropical forest

“…In the lower montane forest, soils on stable ridges are dominantly Ultisols (Typic Haplohumults), slopes are Oxisols (Inceptic and Aquic Hapludox), and valleys are Inceptisols (Typic Eutrudepts; Soil Survey Staff 2002). These sites are frequently impacted by hurricanes, although storms do not have a discernable short-term impact on soil C as evidenced by repeated measurements over a decade that included multiple hurricanes (Teh et al 2009). The lower montane forest received a long-term mean annual precipitation of 3800 mm year -1 , which varied between 2600 and 5800 mm year -1 from 1989 to 2011 (http:// criticalzone.org/luquillo/data/dataset/2403/).…”

Non-arborescent vegetation trajectories following repeated hurricane disturbance: ephemeral versus enduring responses

“…Additionally, the storms generated large-scale deposition of green litter and debris to the forest floor and increased soil disturbance through erosion, landslides, and treefalls Lugo 1995, Lenart et al 2010). These disturbances may alter nutrient availability and nutrient cycling pathways as well as creating favorable establishment microsites for some plant species (Lodge and McDowell 1991, Teh et al 2009, Walker et al 2010.…”

Natural and human disturbances affect natural regeneration of Swietenia macrophylla: Implications for rainforest management

“…However, tropical rain forests are constantly disturbed by extreme environmental events such as tropical storms and hurricanes (Flynn et al, 2010;Imbert and Portecop, 2008;Sánchez and Islebe, 1999), which can completely change the physiognomy of forests and consequently abiotic conditions related with regeneration (Sánchez and Islebe, 1999;Scalley et al, 2010;Tanner et al, 1991). The most common hurricane impacts are the breaking of big branches, the defoliation of tree crowns, and the falling of trees as a result of strong winds and lightning strikes, which create canopy openings promoting the regeneration within the gap (Meléndez-Ackerman et al, 2003;Teh et al, 2009). Nonetheless, natural disturbances not only cause plant injuries, it also affects fauna and probably the interactions between them (Horvitz et al, 2005;Koptur et al, 2002).…”