Plant communities and ecosystem processes in a succession-altitude matrix after shifting cultivation in the tropical montane forest zone of northern Borneo

Abstract

Abstract:Plant communities and ecosystem processes in seres at multiple altitudes in the tropical montane forest zone of northern Borneo were studied to understand the patterns and mechanisms of the secondary succession after shifting cultivation. A total of 25 stands (and additional three stands) were sampled with stand ages ranging from 2 to 55 y after slash and burn at altitudes between 900 and 1400 m asl. Plant species composition, above-ground biomass (AGB), chemical properties of soils, litter and foliar samples were investigated in each stand. A TWINSPAN analysis classified five plant communities primarily as a sere but with two altitudinal communities in the later successional phase. AGB accumulated steadily at the rate of 2.42 Mg ha−1 y−1 during the succession for the first 55 y due to the ontogenetic development of plants as well as plant community shifts. At the onset of secondary succession, pool of soil NO3-N and soil total P was high probably because burning caused flushes of minerals originating from the burnt plant materials. Pool of soil NO3-N and soil total P decreased with increasing stand age during the succession. Leaf-litter N:P ratios of dominant species significantly increased with increasing stand age suggesting disproportionately greater P deficiency than N deficiency in the later successional phase. It is suggested that tree species shifted to those of greater P-use efficiency during succession in response to decreasing soil P availability. We conclude that the interaction of altitude with the reduction of soil N and P availability was related to the altitudinal split of plant communities in the later phase, while pioneer communities were wide-ranging across altitudes reflecting richer soil nutrients.

Recovery of soil macronutrients following shifting cultivation and ethnopedology of the Adi community in the Eastern Himalaya

“…The soil acidity, however, increases and nutrients decrease during the cultivation phase due to the utilization of organic matter by crops (Arunachalam, ). In contrast to our findings of an increase in nitrogen and phosphorus with age, there was no significant increase in these macronutrients with the stand age in a tropical montane forest in Borneo (Fujiki et al ., ). This was suggested to be a consequence of plants taking up nitrogen and phosphorus during succession.…”

Estimation of the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Vegetation and Associated Ecosystem Services in a Bornean Montane Zone Using Three Shifting-Cultivation Scenarios

“…One family slashes and burns patches of young-to old-growth forests, cultivates upland rice for the first year, and abandons the land for fallow [22]. In between the two parks, there is another local forest reserve (Tenompok Forest Reserve) with pristine vegetation, which is strictly protected from any subsistence use by local regulations.…”

“…To evaluate the spatiotemporal relationships between ecosystem services and farmlands, the integration of ecological understanding and remote-sensing data is crucial [21]. Fujiki et al [22] found that plant-species composition (richness) and above-ground biomass (a surrogate of carbon stock) demonstrated explicit temporal patterns after the abandonment of slash-and-burn cultivation in the same Bornean upland area where we conducted this study. In this case, the time elapsed after slash and burn is the most important determinant of species composition and biomass in the secondary-vegetation patches of this site.…”

“…Provided that stand ages (i.e., time elapsed after slash and burn) of vegetation patches are identified by remote sensing, species composition and biomass can be mapped at a landscape level, and even their spatiotemporal patterns can be simulated as a function of time with appropriate land-use scenarios. Fujiki et al [12] developed an algorithm to estimate stand ages of vegetation patches based on remote-sensing data in the same area as the study of Fujiki et al [22].…”

“…Therefore, the objective of our study was to evaluate the spatiotemporal patterns of ecosystem services associated with vegetation succession in the shifting cultivation area by extrapolating the explicit temporal patterns of species composition and biomass derived by Fujiki et al [22] into the stand-age algorithm developed by Fujiki et al [12]. Firstly, we evaluated the spatial patterns of plant-species composition and biomass of vegetation patches as of 2010, when high-resolution satellite data were taken.…”