Lignin and enhanced litter turnover in tree plantations of lowland Costa Rica

Raich, James W.; Russell, Ann E.; Bedoya-Arrieta, Ricardo

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2006.11.016

Cited by 35 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…The decoupling of lability (as determined by the extraction method) and decomposition rate in our study is consistent with the more rapid litter decomposition rates found for lignin-rich litter (approximately comparable to the residue fraction, although the latter is likely also to contain recalcitrant aliphatic compounds; Raich et al 2007). More rapid rates of humification and lower long-term mass losses have been reported for litter with a higher initial N content (Berg et al 1982), potentially reflecting the slow decomposition of R. taedigera litter which had the greatest proportion of N in the more labile water-and acid-extractable fractions (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Impact of Simulated Changes in Water Table Depth on Ex Situ Decomposition of Leaf Litter from a Neotropical Peatland

Wright

Black

Cheesman³

et al. 2013

Wetlands

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Although water table depth is commonly regarded as the primary determinant of litter decomposition rate in tropical peatlands, this has rarely been tested experimentally. This study explored the influence of flooding on decomposition of litter from three dominant plant species in a neotropical peatland. The non-flooded treatment reduced the mass remaining after 14 months from 84 to 81 % for Raphia taedigera, 65 to 58 % for Campnosperma panamensis, and 69 to 58 % for Cyperus sp. The proportions of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the labile, semi-labile and recalcitrant carbon pools, did not reliably predict differences among species in the mass loss rate of litter. Phosphorus was rapidly lost from litter, while carbon losses, including soluble carbon, were slower, but significant for all fractions. The nonflooded treatment substantially reduced the quantity of C remaining in the residue fraction of leaf litter after 12 weeks, with 31, 19 and 6 % less remaining in the non-flooded treatment for R. taedigera, C. panamensis and Cyperus sp. This suggests that lower water table depth on litter decay increase degradation of mainly aliphatic and aromatic carbon in the residual fraction. Thus, although lowering the water table increased decomposition, the chemical composition of litter clearly influences peat accumulation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Impact of Simulated Changes in Water Table Depth on Ex Situ Decomposition of Leaf Litter from a Neotropical Peatland

Wright

Black

Cheesman³

et al. 2013

Wetlands

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“…The marked changes in nutrient status of belowground organisms and species composition of the forest canopy are likely to influence the carbon cycle (Raich et al 2007;Troxler 2007). Indeed, potential soil respiration determined on drained samples in the current study showed a clear link to nutrient status.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Biogeochemical processes along a nutrient gradient in a tropical ombrotrophic peatland

et al. 2010

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Biogeochemical properties, including nutrient concentrations, carbon gas fluxes, microbial biomass, and hydrolytic enzyme activities, were determined along a strong nutrient gradient in an ombrotrophic peatland in the Republic of Panama. Total phosphorus in surface peat decreased markedly along a 2.7 km transect from the marginal Raphia taedigera swamp to the interior sawgrass swamp, with similar trends in total nitrogen and potassium. There were parallel changes in the forest structure: basal area decreased dramatically from the margins to the interior, while tree diversity was greatest at sites with extremely low concentrations of readily-exchangeable phosphate. Soil microbial biomass concentrations declined in parallel with nutrient concentrations, although microbes consistently contained a large proportion (up to 47%) of the total soil phosphorus. Microbial C:P and N:P ratios and hydrolytic enzyme activities, including those involved in the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, increased towards the nutrient-poor wetland interior, indicating strong belowground nutrient limitation. Soil CO 2 fluxes and CH 4 fluxes did not vary systematically along the nutrient gradient, although potential soil respiration determined on drained soils was lower from nutrient-poor sites. Soil respiration responded strongly to drainage and increased temperature. Taken together, our results demonstrate that nutrient status exerts a strong control on above and below-ground processes in tropical peatlands with implications for carbon dynamics and hence long term development of such ecosystems.

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“…Tree species influenced the magnitude of N losses, however, and these differences among species were associated with various plant attributes related to the capture and utilization of C and N. The species differed primarily in: growth-rate trajectories, and thus accumulation of biomass C (4); partitioning of N uptake to fine-root growth, hereafter referred to as partitioning to fine roots (Tables S3 and S4); tissue N concentrations (Tables S4 and S6); decay of nonwoody litter and fine roots (35,36); NUE (Table 1 and Table S4); and soil N MRT (Table 1). Specifically, Pentaclethra was characterized by consistently low rates of tree growth throughout this experiment and thus lower biomass C, lower partitioning to fine roots, higher N concentrations in all tissues, lower NUE, faster decay of nonwoody litter, and faster turnover of soil N. In contrast, Vochysia was distinguished by its consistently higher growth rate and biomass C, greater NUE, slower decay of nonwoody litter, and faster decay of fine roots.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapidly growing tropical trees mobilize remarkable amounts of nitrogen, in ways that differ surprisingly among species

Russell¹,

Raich

2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Fast-growing forests such as tropical secondary forests can accumulate large amounts of carbon (C), and thereby play an important role in the atmospheric CO 2 balance. Because nitrogen (N) cycling is inextricably linked with C cycling, the question becomes: Where does the N come from to match high rates of C accumulation? In unique experimental 16-y-old plantations established in abandoned pasture in lowland Costa Rica, we used a mass-balance approach to quantify N accumulation in vegetation, identify sources of N, and evaluate differences among tree species in N cycling. The replicated design contained four broadleaved evergreen tree species growing under similar environmental conditions. Nitrogen uptake was rapid, reaching 409 (±30) kg·ha −1 ·y −1 , double the rate reported from a Puerto Rican forest and greater than four times that observed at Hubbard Brook Forest (New Hampshire, USA). Nitrogen amassed in vegetation was 874 (±176) kg·ha −1 , whereas net losses of soil N (0-100 cm) varied from 217 (±146) to 3,354 (±915) kg·ha −1 (P = 0.018) over 16 y. Soil C:N, δ 13 C values, and N budgets indicated that soil was the main source of biomass N. In Vochysia guatemalensis, however, N fixation contributed >60 kg·ha −1 ·y −1 . All species apparently promoted soil N turnover, such that the soil N mean residence time was 32-54 y, an order of magnitude lower than the global mean. High rates of N uptake were associated with substantial N losses in three of the species, in which an average of 1.6 g N was lost for every gram of N accumulated in biomass.carbon sequestration | forest regrowth | nitrogen cycle | soil organic nitrogen | species effects R ates of C accumulation can be rapid in secondary forests, to the extent that forest regrowth following harvest, abandonment of agricultural lands, and deforestation serves as an important sink for atmospheric CO 2 (1). The magnitude is on the order of 2.8 Pg C·y −1 (2), and thereby mitigates climate change. Moist tropical forests are especially productive: Tropical tree plantations capture 7-10 Mg C·ha −1 ·y −1 (3, 4). Abandoned agricultural and pasture land represents roughly half the landscape in the tropics (5); given its high C sequestration potential, if even half of these degraded ecosystems were reforested, it would substantially reduce rates at which CO 2 accumulates in the atmosphere. Tropical forests accounted for 55% of the 861 Pg C of the world's forest C stocks in 2007, a decrease from 58% in 1990 (6). From 1990 to 2007, deforestation of 284 Mha of intact tropical forests resulted in a loss of 58 Pg C while tropical forest regrowth on 110 Mha accrued 27 Pg C (6).Rapid C cycling is integrally linked to N cycling, because N-rich enzymes underlie photosynthesis and high N availability promotes plant productivity. The question becomes: Where does the N come from to match the observed high rates of C accumulation in biomass? Further, do tree species differ in this coupling of C and N cycling? From a conceptual framework, speciesspecific differences in the capture and ...

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Lignin and enhanced litter turnover in tree plantations of lowland Costa Rica

Cited by 35 publications

References 36 publications

Impact of Simulated Changes in Water Table Depth on Ex Situ Decomposition of Leaf Litter from a Neotropical Peatland

Impact of Simulated Changes in Water Table Depth on Ex Situ Decomposition of Leaf Litter from a Neotropical Peatland

Biogeochemical processes along a nutrient gradient in a tropical ombrotrophic peatland

Rapidly growing tropical trees mobilize remarkable amounts of nitrogen, in ways that differ surprisingly among species

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