Experimental Investigation of Nutrient Limitation of Forest Growth on Wet Tropical Mountains

Tanner, Edmund V. J.; Vitousek, Peter M.; Cuevas, Elvira

doi:10.2307/176860

Cited by 152 publications

(276 citation statements)

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“…In the fragile montane ecosystems, it is frequently assumed that nutrient constraints limit plant growth and primary production, which are known to be regulated by the supply of key elements, like N and P (Vitousek and Howarth, 1991;Tanner et al, 1998). In younger soils, N limitations were alleged to be more frequent, since N must be accumulated from the atmosphere, while P limitations often occur in older soils, because availability of P, which is derived from the parent material, is declining during soil formation (Walker and Syers, 1976).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since nutrient limitation was thought to be widespread in tropical soils, P would usually limit productivity in lowland rain forests growing on heavily weathered soils, while N, in contrast, would be the limiting nutrient in montane rain forests growing on less weathered young soils (Tanner et al, 1998). Single nutrient limitations which vary with soil age were tested in several studies, where N additions to tropical montane forests and P additions to lowland forests increased forest growth and primary production (Vitousek, 1984;Tanner et al, 1990Tanner et al, , 1992Vitousek et al, 1993;Adamek et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the past century, the N cycle was markedly changed in the northern hemisphere because of human-induced N emissions to the environment and the use of mineral fertilizers to increase crop yields (Van Breemen, 2002;Galloway et al, 2004Galloway et al, , 2008. A widely used method to determine the response of ecosystems to increased nutrient supply and to determine which elements might have limiting effects on ecosystem processes is to set up fertilizer experiments, were nutrients are applied at a high rates to ecosystems (up to 250 kg ha −1 a −1 ), to trigger fast responses that can be observed within short time (Tanner et al, 1998;LeBauer and Treseder, 2008;Fisher et al, 2013). However, these rates are much higher than actual or expected nutrient deposition of a few tens of kg ha −1 a −1 (Galloway et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Response of Dissolved Carbon and Nitrogen Concentrations to Moderate Nutrient Additions in a Tropical Montane Forest of South Ecuador

2016

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In the past two decades, the tropical montane rain forests in south Ecuador experienced increasing deposition of reactive nitrogen mainly originating from Amazonian forest fires, while Saharan dust inputs episodically increased deposition of base metals. Increasing air temperature and unevenly distributed rainfall have allowed for longer dry spells in a perhumid ecosystem. This might have favored mineralization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by microorganisms and increased nutrient release from the organic layer. Environmental change is expected to impact the functioning of this ecosystem belonging to the biodiversity hotspots of the Earth. In 2007, we established a nutrient manipulation experiment (NUMEX) to understand the response of the ecosystem to moderately increased nutrient inputs. Since 2008, we have continuously applied 50 kg ha −1 a −1 of nitrogen (N), 10 kg ha −1 a −1 of phosphorus (P), 50 kg + 10 kg ha −1 a −1 of N, and P and 10 kg ha −1 a −1 of calcium (Ca) in a randomized block design at 2000 m a.s.l. in a natural forest on the Amazonia-exposed slopes of the south Ecuadorian Andes. Nitrogen concentrations in throughfall increased following N+P additions, while separate N amendments only increased nitrate concentrations. Total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) concentrations showed high seasonal variations in litter leachate and decreased significantly in the P and N+P treatments, but not in the N treatment. Thus, P availability plays a key role in the mineralization of DOM. TOC/DON ratios were narrower in throughfall than in litter leachate but their temporal course did not respond to nutrient amendments. Our results revealed an initially fast, positive response of the C and N cycling to nutrient additions which declined with time. TOC and DON cycling only change if N and P supply are improved concurrently, while NO 3 -N leaching increases only if N is separately added. This indicates co-limitation of the microorganisms by N and P. The current increasing reactive N deposition will increase N export from the root zone, while it will only accelerate TOC and DON turnover if P availability is simultaneously increased. The Saharan dust-related Ca deposition has no impact on TOC and DON turnover.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Response of Dissolved Carbon and Nitrogen Concentrations to Moderate Nutrient Additions in a Tropical Montane Forest of South Ecuador

2016

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“…[4] Many tropical montane forests, including the north Andean forests, are believed to be mainly N limited, although other nutrient limitations may also play a role [Tanner et al, 1998;Wullaert et al, 2010]. However, the view of monoelement limitation of whole ecosystems is currently questioned, particularly for tropical forests [Townsend et al, 2011;Wright et al, 2011].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results of Homeier et al [2012] indicate colimitation of litter production and microbial activity by N, although N storages in the organic layer of the studied tropical montane forest in Ecuador (87-2100 g m À2 ) [Wilcke et al, 2002] and N export with stream water (300-500 g m À2 ) [Wilcke et al, 2008] were high. There are reports of a number of manipulative experiments to assess the response of tropical ecosystems to improved biological N availability [Tanner et al, 1998;Corre et al, 2010;Lohse and Matson, 2005;Wullaert et al, 2010;Cusack et al, 2011;Wright et al, 2011]. Hietz et al [2011] concluded from the comparison of archived with recent leaf samples and from the N isotopic composition of dated wood rings that the N cycle of tropical lowland forests changed in the last decades.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The nitrogen cycle of tropical montane forest in Ecuador turns inorganic under environmental change

Wilcke

Leimer

Peters

et al. 2013

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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[1] Water-bound nitrogen (N) cycling in temperate terrestrial ecosystems of the Northern Hemisphere is today mainly inorganic because of anthropogenic release of reactive N to the environment. In little-industrialized and remote areas, in contrast, a larger part of N cycling occurs as dissolved organic N (DON). In a north Andean tropical montane forest in Ecuador, the N cycle changed markedly during 1998-2010 along with increasing N deposition and reduced soil moisture. The DON concentrations and the fractional contribution of DON to total N significantly decreased in rainfall, throughfall, and soil solutions. This inorganic turn of the N cycle was most pronounced in rainfall and became weaker along the flow path of water through the system until it disappeared in stream water. Decreasing organic contributions to N cycling were caused not only by increasing inorganic N input but also by reduced DON production and/or enhanced DON decomposition. Accelerated DON decomposition might be attributable to less waterlogging and higher nutrient availability. Significantly increasing NO 3 -N concentrations and NO 3 -N/NH 4 -N concentration ratios in throughfall and litter leachate below the thick organic layers indicated increasing nitrification. In mineral soil solutions, in contrast, NH 4 -N concentrations increased and NO 3 -N/NH 4 -N concentration ratios decreased significantly, suggesting increasing net ammonification. Our results demonstrate that the remote tropical montane forests on the rim of the Amazon basin experienced a pronounced change of the N cycle in only one decade. This change likely parallels a similar change which followed industrialization in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere more than a century ago.

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Leaky nitrogen cycle in pristine African montane rainforest soil

Rütting

Ntaboba

Roobroeck

et al. 2015

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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Experimental Investigation of Nutrient Limitation of Forest Growth on Wet Tropical Mountains

Cited by 152 publications

References 0 publications

Response of Dissolved Carbon and Nitrogen Concentrations to Moderate Nutrient Additions in a Tropical Montane Forest of South Ecuador

Response of Dissolved Carbon and Nitrogen Concentrations to Moderate Nutrient Additions in a Tropical Montane Forest of South Ecuador

The nitrogen cycle of tropical montane forest in Ecuador turns inorganic under environmental change

Leaky nitrogen cycle in pristine African montane rainforest soil

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