Substantial labile carbon stocks and microbial activity in deeply weathered soils below a tropical wet forest

Contrary to large areas in Amazonia of tropical moist forests with a pronounced dry season, tropical wet forests in Costa Rica do not depend on deep roots to maintain an evergreen forest canopy through the year. At our Costa Rican tropical wet forest sites, we found a large carbon stock in the subsoil of deeply weathered Oxisols, even though only 0.04–0.2% of the measured root biomass (>2 mm diameter) to 3 m depth was below 2 m. In addition, we demonstrate that 20% or more of this deep soil carbon (depending on soil type) can be mobilized after forest clearing for pasture establishment. Microbial activity between 0.3 and 3 m depth contributed about 50% to the microbial activity in these soils, confirming the importance of the subsoil in C cycling. Depending on soil type, forest clearing for pasture establishment led from no change to a slight addition of carbon in the topsoil (0–0.3 m depth). However, this effect was countered by a substantial loss of C stocks in the subsoil (1–3 m depth). Our results show that large stocks of relatively labile carbon are not limited to areas with a prolonged dry season, but can also be found in deeply weathered soils below tropical wet forests. Forest clearing in such areas may produce unexpectedly high C losses from the subsoil.     

Former land-use and tree species affect nitrogen oxide emissions from a tropical dry forest

Species composition in successional dry forests in the tropics varies widely, but the effect of this variation on biogeochemical processes is not well known. We examined fluxes of N oxides (nitrous and nitric oxide), soil N cycling, and litter chemistry (C/N ratio) in four successional dry forests on similar soils in western Puerto Rico with differing species compositions and land-use histories. Forests patch-cut for charcoal 60 years ago had few legumes, high litter C/N ratios, low soil nitrate and low N oxide fluxes. In contrast, successional forests from pastures abandoned several decades ago had high legume densities, low litter C/N ratios, high mean soil nitrate concentrations and high N oxide fluxes. These post-pasture forests were dominated by the naturalized legume Leuceana leucocephala, which was likely responsible for the rapid N cycling in those forests. We conclude that agriculturally induced successional pathways leading to dominance by a legume serve as a mechanism for increasing N oxide emissions from tropical regions. As expected for dry regions, nitric oxide dominated total N oxide emissions. Nitric oxide emissions increased with increasing soil moisture up to about 30% water-filled pore space then stabilized, while nitrous oxide emissions, albeit low, continued to increase with increasing soil wetness. Inorganic N pools and net N mineralization were greatest during peak rainfalls and at the post-agricultural site with the highest fluxes. Soil nitrate and the nitrate/ammonium ratio correlated positively with average N oxide fluxes. N oxide fluxes were negatively and exponentially related to litter C/N ratio for these dry forests and the relationship was upheld with the addition of data from seven wet forests in northeastern Puerto Rico. This finding suggests that species determination of litter C/N ratio may partly determine N oxide fluxes across widely differing tropical environments.     

哀牢山不同类型亚热带森林地表凋落物及土壤节肢动物群落特征

分别于2005年4月（干热季）、6月（雨季）和12月（干热季）,采用样线法对哀牢山中山湿性常绿阔叶林、山顶苔藓矮林和滇山杨次生林地表凋落物及其中的土壤节肢动物群落进行了调查.结果表明： 凋落物现存总量、C储量和C/N在干、湿季均表现为苔藓矮林＞滇山杨林＞常绿阔叶林,N储量差异不大.蜱螨目和弹尾目是3林地凋落物层节肢动物群落的优势类群,双翅目幼虫、鞘翅目、蚁类和同翅目为常见类群,3林地凋落物层土壤节肢动物群落相似性系数极高.3林地凋落物层土壤节肢动物群落密度(ind·m^-2)没有显著差异,但相对密度(ind·g^-1)呈现出常绿阔叶林和滇山杨林显著高于苔藓矮林;土壤节肢动物密度季节变化呈现干季（4月和12月）显著高于雨季（6月）,群落香农多样性指数差异不显著.干热季(4月)3林地枯枝落叶现存量与其土壤节肢动物群落和主要类群密度呈显著正相关关系,而在干冷季(12月)凋落物总现存量与其土壤节肢动物群落及蜱螨目相对密度则呈显著负相关关系;弹尾目和鞘翅目密度与地表凋落物层的N储量也有显著的正相关关系.哀牢山亚热带森林凋落物及其土壤节肢动物群落的发展与森林植被结构密切相关, 其群落个体数量和多样性受森林地表凋落物的调控, 但林内其他环境因素如温湿度对森林凋落物层土壤动物个体数的季节变动也有明显影响.     

Controls Over Leaf Litter and Soil Nitrogen Fixation in Two Lowland Tropical Rain Forests

Global comparisons suggest that rates of N fixation in tropical rain forests may be among the highest on earth. However, data supporting this contention are rare, and the factors that regulate N fixation within the biome remain largely unknown. We conducted a full-factorial (N × P) fertilization experiment in two lowland tropical rain forests in Costa Rica to explore the effects of nutrient availability on rates of free-living N fixation in leaf litter and soil. P fertilization significantly increased N fixation rates in both leaf litter and soil, and the effect was dependent on sampling date. Fertilization with N did not affect rates of N fixation at any time. In addition, variation in N fixation rates measured in unfertilized plots at four sampling time points suggested seasonal variability in N fixation: leaf litter N fixation ranged from 0.36 kg/ha/yr in the dry season to 5.48 kg/ha/yr in the wet season. Soil N fixation showed similar patterns ranging from a dry season low of 0.26 kg/ha/yr to a wet season high of 2.71 kg/ha/yr. While the observed temporal variability suggests potential climatic control over free-living N fixation in these forests, data suggest that neither soil nor leaf litter moisture alone regulate N fixation rates. Instead, we hypothesize that a combination of ample C availability, low leaf litter N:P ratios, and high rainfall coincide during the latter portions of the rainy season and drive the highest free-living N fixation rates of the year.     

Nitrogen Fixation by Termites in Tropical Forests, Thailand

Nitrogen (N) fixed by termites was evaluated as a N input to decomposition processes in two tropical forests, a dry deciduous forest (DDF) and the neighboring dry evergreen forest (DEF), Thailand. A diverse group of termite species were assayed by acetylene reduction method and only the wood/litter-feeding termites were found to fix N. More intensive samplings of two abundant species, Microcerotermes crassus and Globitermes sulphureus, were done across several seasons, suggesting N fixation rates of 0.21 and 0.28 kg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ by termites in the DDF and DEF, respectively. Also, estimates of asymbiotic N fixation rates were 0.75 and 3.95 kg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. N fixed by termites and by asymbiotic fixers is directly supplied to decomposers breaking down dead plant material and could be a major source of their N. N fixed by termites was 7–22% of that fixed by termites and asymbiotic fixers. Although N fixed by termites is a small input compared to other inputs, this N is likely important for decomposition processes.     

The influence of tree species on canopy soil nutrient status in a tropical lowland wet forest in Costa Rica

The canopy is host to a large percentage of the flora and fauna in tropical wet forests and is distinct from the forest floor in plant richness, soil type and microclimate. In this study, we examined the influence of tree species and season on soil nutrient cycling processes in canopy soils of four tree species common to Costa Rican wet forests. We also compared the canopy soils to the associated forest floor mineral soils. Both tree species and season had strong effects on canopy soil nutrients and processes. Canopy soils from trees with high litter lignin concentrations had higher net N-mineralization rates and higher dissolved inorganic N concentrations than those with low lignin concentrations. During the dry season, net N-immobilization occurred and dissolved organic and inorganic N and available P concentrations were significantly higher than during the wet season. Overall, canopy soils had higher N levels and higher fungi + bacteria richness than forest floor mineral soils. The differences in canopy soil properties observed among tree species indicates that these species have distinct N cycles that reflect differences in both soil origin and biological controls.     

Characteristics of floor litter and soil arthropod community in different types ot subtropical forest in Ailao Mountain of Yunnan, Southwest China

By using line transect method, an investigation was conducted on the floor litter and soil arthropod community in a mid mountain wet evergreen broad-leaved forest, a mossy dwarf forest, and a Populus bonatii forest in Ailao Mountain of Yunnan in April (dry and hot season), June (rainy season), and December (dry and cold season), 2005. In both dry and rainy seasons, the existing floor litter mass, C storage, and C/N ratio in the three forests all increased in the order of mossy dwarf forest > P. bonatii forest > evergreen broad-leaved forest, but the N storage had less difference. In the floor litter layer of the forests, Acari and Collembola were the dominant groups of soil arthropod community, while Diptera larvae, Coleoptera, ants, and Homoptera were the common groups. The Sorenson coefficients of soil arthropod community in the three forests were extremely great. No significant differences were observed in the soil arthropod density (ind x m(-2)) in the floor litter layer among the three forests, but the relative density (ind x g(-1)) of soil arthropods was higher in the evergreen broad-leaved forest and P. bonatii forest than in the mossy dwarf forest. In the three forests, the density of soil arthropods was significantly higher in dry season than in rainy season, but the Shannon diversity index had less difference. There were significant positive correlations between the existing floor litter mass and the individual density (ind x m(-2)) and dominant groups of soil arthropod communities in dry and hot season (April), but negative correlations between the existing floor litter mass and the relative density (ind x g(-1)) of soil arthropod communities and Acari in dry and cold season (December). The individual densities of Collembola and Coleoptera also had positive correlations with the N storage of the existing floor litter mass in the three forests. It was considered that the floor litter and the development of soil arthropod community in the litter layer of the subtropical forests in Ailao Mountain had a close relation with the vegetation structure of the forests, and the individual density and the diversity of the soil arthropod community were controlled by the floor litter, whereas the environmental factors such as temperature and moisture in the forests also had obvious effects on the seasonal dynamics of the individual density of the soil arthropods.     

Edaphic Factors are a More Important Control on Surface Fine Roots than Stand Age in Secondary Tropical Dry Forests

Although there are generalized conceptual models that predict how above and belowground biomass increase during secondary succession after abandonment from agriculture, there are few data to test these models for fine roots (defined as ≤2 mm diameter) in tropical forests. We measured live and dead fine roots (0–10 cm depth) in 18 plots of regenerating tropical dry forest in Costa Rica that varied in age from 5 to 60 yrs, as well as in soil properties. We predicted that both stand age and soil fertility would affect fine roots, with greater values in older forests on low fertility soils. Across two sampling dates and locations, live fine roots varied from 0.35 to 3.53 Mg/ha and dead roots varied from 0.15 to 0.93 Mg/ha. Surprisingly, there was little evidence that surface fine roots varied between sampling dates or in relation to stand age. By contrast, total, live, and dead fine roots averaged across sampling dates within plots were negatively correlated with a multivariate index of soil fertility (Pearson correlations coefficients were ?0.64, ?0.58, and ?0.68, respectively; P < 0.01) and other individual edaphic variables including pH, silt, calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. These results suggest that soil fertility is a more important determinant of fine roots than forest age in tropical dry forests in Costa Rica, and that one‐way these plant communities respond to low soil fertility is by increasing fine roots. Thus, simple conceptual models of forest responses to abandonment from agriculture may not be appropriate for surface fine roots.     

Biomass,Carbon, and Nitrogen Pools in Mexican Tropical Dry Forest Landscapes

Tropical dry forest is the most widely distributed land-cover type in the tropics. As the rate of land-use/land-cover change from forest to pasture or agriculture accelerates worldwide, it is becoming increasingly important to quantify the ecosystem biomass and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools of both intact forests and converted sites. In the central coastal region of México, we sampled total aboveground biomass (TAGB), and the N and C pools of two floodplain forests, three upland dry forests, and four pastures converted from dry forest. We also sampled belowground biomass and soil C and N pools in two sites of each land-cover type. The TAGB of floodplain forests was as high as 416 Mg ha^–1, whereas the TAGB of the dry forest ranged from 94 to 126 Mg ha^–1. The TAGB of pastures derived from dry forest ranged from 20 to 34 Mg ha^–1. Dead wood (standing and downed combined) comprised 27%–29% of the TABG of dry forest but only about 10% in floodplain forest. Root biomass averaged 32.0 Mg ha^–1 in floodplain forest, 17.1 Mg ha^–1 in dry forest, and 5.8 Mg ha^–1 in pasture. Although total root biomass was similar between sites within land-cover types, root distribution varied by depth and by size class. The highest proportion of root biomass occurred in the top 20 cm of soil in all sites. Total aboveground and root C pools, respectively, were 12 and 2.2 Mg ha^–1 in pasture and reached 180 and 12.9 Mg ha^–1 in floodplain forest. Total aboveground and root pools, respectively, were 149 and 47 kg ha^–1 in pasture and reached 2623 and 264 kg ha^–1 in floodplain forest. Soil organic C pools were greater in pastures than in dry forest, but soil N pools were similar when calculated for the same soil depths. Total ecosystem C pools were 306. The Mg ha^–1 in floodplain forest, 141 Mg ha^–1 in dry forest, and 124 Mg ha^–1 in pasture. Soil C comprised 37%–90% of the total ecosystem C, whereas soil N comprised 85%–98% of the total. The N pools lack of a consistent decrease in soil pools caused by land-use change suggests that C and N losses result from the burning of aboveground biomass. We estimate that in México, dry forest landscapes store approximately 2.3 Pg C, which is about equal to the C stored by the evergreen forests of that country (approximately 2.4 Pg C). Potential C emissions to the atmosphere from the burning of biomass in the dry tropical landscapes of México may amount to 708 Tg C, as compared with 569 Tg C from evergreen forests.     

Short dry spells in the wet season increase mortality of tropical pioneer seedlings

Variation in plant species performance in response to water availability offers a potential axis for temporal and spatial habitat partitioning and may therefore affect community composition in tropical forests. We hypothesized that short dry spells during the wet season are a significant source of mortality for the newly emerging seedlings of pioneer species that recruit in treefall gaps in tropical forests. An analysis of a 49-year rainfall record for three forests across a rainfall gradient in central Panama confirmed that dry spells of ≥10 days during the wet season occur on average once a year in a deciduous forest, and once every other year in a semi-deciduous moist and an evergreen wet forest. The effect of wet season dry spells on the recruitment of pioneers was investigated by comparing seedling survival in rain-protected dry plots and irrigated control plots in four large artificially created treefall gaps in a semi-deciduous tropical forest. In rain-protected plots surface soil layers dried rapidly, leading to a strong gradient in water potential within the upper 10 cm of soil. Seedling survival for six pioneer species was significantly lower in rain-protected than in irrigated control plots after only 4 days. The strength of the irrigation effect differed among species, and first became apparent 3–10 days after treatments started. Root allocation patterns were significantly, or marginally significantly, different between species and between two groups of larger and smaller seeded species. However, they were not correlated with seedling drought sensitivity, suggesting allocation is not a key trait for drought sensitivity in pioneer seedlings. Our data provide strong evidence that short dry spells in the wet season differentially affect seedling survivorship of pioneer species, and may therefore have important implications to seedling demography and community dynamics.     

模拟酸雨对南亚热带典型森林土壤N2O排放的影响

基于长期模拟酸雨森林样地,利用箱式法同步测定了不同酸雨强度处理下森林土壤N2O排放通量,研究了模拟酸雨对我国南亚热带针阔叶混交林和季风常绿阔叶林两种代表性森林土壤N2O排放的影响.结果 表明:连续5年(2014-2018年)观测周期内,两种林型土壤N2O排放通量在各模拟酸雨处理下均表现出明显的季节变化特征,湿季排放通量...     

Tree stem bases are sources of CH4 and N2O in a tropical forest on upland soil during the dry to wet season transition

Tropical forests on upland soils are assumed to be a methane (CH₄) sink and a weak source of nitrous oxide (N₂O), but studies of wetland forests have demonstrated that tree stems can be a substantial source of CH₄, and recent evidence from temperate woodlands suggests that tree stems can also emit N₂O. Here, we measured CH₄ and N₂O fluxes from the soil and from tree stems in a semi‐evergreen tropical forest on upland soil. To examine the influence of seasonality, soil abiotic conditions and substrate availability (litter inputs) on trace greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, we conducted our study during the transition from the dry to the wet season in a long‐term litter manipulation experiment in Panama, Central America. Trace GHG fluxes were measured from individual stem bases of two common tree species and from soils beneath the same trees. Soil CH₄ fluxes varied from uptake in the dry season to minor emissions in the wet season. Soil N₂O fluxes were negligible during the dry season but increased markedly after the start of the wet season. By contrast, tree stem bases emitted CH₄ and N₂O throughout the study. Although we observed no clear effect of litter manipulation on trace GHG fluxes, tree species and litter treatments interacted to influence CH₄ fluxes from stems and N₂O fluxes from stems and soil, indicating complex relationships between tree species traits and decomposition processes that can influence trace GHG dynamics. Collectively, our results show that tropical trees can act as conduits for trace GHGs that most likely originate from deeper soil horizons, even when they are growing on upland soils. Coupled with the finding that the soils may be a weaker sink for CH₄ than previously thought, our research highlights the need to reappraise trace gas budgets in tropical forests.     

模拟干旱和磷添加对热带低地雨林氮矿化过程的影响

土壤氮矿化作为氮转化的主要过程决定土壤供氮能力。热带森林生态系统往往受磷限制, 氮矿化过程对干旱的响应是否受磷限制的调控值得探讨。该研究以海南三亚甘什岭自然保护区热带低地雨林为研究对象, 利用2019年建立的林内穿透雨减少(50%)及磷添加双因素交互实验平台, 通过野外树脂芯原位培养法研究模拟干旱及磷添加对土壤无机氮(包括铵态氮和硝态氮)含量和氮矿化过程的影响。结果表明: 1)减雨处理显著降低了5和15 cm深度土壤的水分含量, 而对土壤温度没有显著影响。2)减雨处理和减雨与磷添加共同处理无论在旱季还是湿季对0-10 cm土壤无机氮含量均没有产生显著影响, 但磷添加处理在旱季显著降低了土壤硝态氮含量, 表明磷添加处理对氮有效性的影响主要体现在旱季, 而非湿季。3)干旱处理在旱季和湿季均显著降低了土壤净氨化速率和净氮矿化速率, 而磷添加处理和减雨与磷添加共同处理无论在旱季还是湿季对净氨化速率、净硝化速率和净氮矿化速率均没有产生显著影响, 结果表明了干旱能够显著降低土壤净氮矿化速率。4)土壤水分含量与土壤净氨化速率和净氮矿化速率呈显著正相关关系, 同时减雨处理显著影响了土壤净氨化速率与铵态氮含量的关系, 并且在铵态氮含量相等的情况, 随着干旱的影响净氨化速率下降得更快。这表明土壤水分含量变化是影响该研究样地土壤氮矿化的主要因素。上述研究结果说明, 降水变化对热带低地雨林中土壤氮矿化有重要影响, 短期磷添加没有显著影响, 减雨与磷添加对土壤氮矿化过程并没有交互效应。     

Wet- vs. Dry-Season Transpiration in an Amazonian Rain Forest Palm Iriartea deltoidea

The wet and dry seasons in tropical rain forests can differ in precipitation, soil moisture and irradiance more significantly than often assumed. This could potentially affect the water relations of many tree species that may exhibit either increased transpiration in the dry season as a response to the increased irradiance or decreased transpiration as a result of decreases in soil moisture and increases in atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Atmospheric data, soil moisture data and sap fluxes in Iriartea deltoidea palms were measured in eastern Ecuador during the wet and dry seasons. There were no differences between total daily sap fluxes in I. deltoidea palms during the wet and dry seasons; however, evaporative demand was significantly higher in the dry season and therefore, transpiration was more restricted by stomatal closure during the dry season than the wet season. This is likely the result of larger atmospheric VPD during the dry season compared with the wet season and possibly the result of reduced soil moisture availability. Additionally, based on published tree abundances in this area, measured sap fluxes in I. deltoidea were scaled up to the hectare level. Transpiration from I. deltoidea palms was estimated to be around 0.03 mm/d, which could represent about 1 percent of total transpiration in this area of the Amazon rain forest. If climate change predictions for more lengthy tropical dry periods are realized, greater stomatal control of dry-season sap flux has the potential to become even more prevalent in tropical species.     

Leaf-litter and changing nutrient levels in a seasonally dry tropical hardwood forest,Belize, C.A.

Summary Total above ground plant biomass in a 45 year old seasonally dry tropical hardwood forest was estimated to be approximately 56,000 kg/ha oven dry weight. Nutrients immobilized in the standing vegetation were: N, 203 kg/ha; P, 24 kg/ha; K, 234 kg/ha; Ca, 195 kg/ha; Mg, 47 kg/ha; Na, 9 kg/ha; Mn, 1 kg/ha; Cu, 0.5 kg/ha; Zn, 3 kg/ha; Fe, 4 kg/ha. Total nutrients returned each year through the litter were: N, 156 kg/ha; P, 9 kg/ha; K, 59 kg/ha; Ca, 373 kg/ha; Mg, 32 kg/ha; Na, 5 kg/ha; Mn, 1 kg/ha; Al, 21 kg/ha; Zn, 0.3 kg/ha; Fe, 9 kg/ha. Half of the nutrients immobilized in the standing vegetation were found in the leaves and are returned annually to the soil. Although litter fall is interrupted during the year, the mean nutrient content of the litter was high –5.2%.A decomposition rate of 0.48 percent per day was considered high for a seasonally dry tropical hardwood forest. Fluctuations in soil nutrient levels showed a sharp increase at the start of the rainy season. Later during the dry season nutrient levels decreased to concentrations similar to what they were just prior to the rainy season. Soil organic matter levels were very high –20% in the top 12 cm.     

Experimental litterfall manipulation drives large and rapid changes in soil carbon cycling in a wet tropical forest

Global changes such as variations in plant net primary production are likely to drive shifts in leaf litterfall inputs to forest soils, but the effects of such changes on soil carbon (C) cycling and storage remain largely unknown, especially in C‐rich tropical forest ecosystems. We initiated a leaf litterfall manipulation experiment in a tropical rain forest in Costa Rica to test the sensitivity of surface soil C pools and fluxes to different litter inputs. After only 2 years of treatment, doubling litterfall inputs increased surface soil C concentrations by 31%, removing litter from the forest floor drove a 26% reduction over the same time period, and these changes in soil C concentrations were associated with variations in dissolved organic matter fluxes, fine root biomass, microbial biomass, soil moisture, and nutrient fluxes. However, the litter manipulations had only small effects on soil organic C (SOC) chemistry, suggesting that changes in C cycling, nutrient cycling, and microbial processes in response to litter manipulation reflect shifts in the quantity rather than quality of SOC. The manipulation also affected soil CO ₂ fluxes; the relative decline in CO ₂ production was greater in the litter removal plots (?22%) than the increase in the litter addition plots (+15%). Our analysis showed that variations in CO ₂ fluxes were strongly correlated with microbial biomass pools, soil C and nitrogen (N) pools, soil inorganic P fluxes, dissolved organic C fluxes, and fine root biomass. Together, our data suggest that shifts in leaf litter inputs in response to localized human disturbances and global environmental change could have rapid and important consequences for belowground C storage and fluxes in tropical rain forests, and highlight differences between tropical and temperate ecosystems, where belowground C cycling responses to changes in litterfall are generally slower and more subtle.     

Effects of nitrogen additions on above- and belowground carbon dynamics in two tropical forests

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is increasing rapidly in tropical regions, adding N to ecosystems that often have high background N availability. Tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle, yet the effects of N deposition on C cycling in these ecosystems are poorly understood. We used a field N-fertilization experiment in lower and upper elevation tropical rain forests in Puerto Rico to explore the responses of above- and belowground C pools to N addition. As expected, tree stem growth and litterfall productivity did not respond to N fertilization in either of these N-rich forests, indicating a lack of N limitation to net primary productivity (NPP). In contrast, soil C concentrations increased significantly with N fertilization in both forests, leading to larger C stocks in fertilized plots. However, different soil C pools responded to N fertilization differently. Labile (low density) soil C fractions and live fine roots declined with fertilization, while mineral-associated soil C increased in both forests. Decreased soil CO₂ fluxes in fertilized plots were correlated with smaller labile soil C pools in the lower elevation forest (R² = 0.65, p < 0.05), and with lower live fine root biomass in the upper elevation forest (R² = 0.90, p < 0.05). Our results indicate that soil C storage is sensitive to N deposition in tropical forests, even where plant productivity is not N-limited. The mineral-associated soil C pool has the potential to respond relatively quickly to N additions, and can drive increases in bulk soil C stocks in tropical forests.     

The Quantity and Turnover of Dead Wood in Permanent Forest Plots in Six Life Zones of Venezuela1

Dead wood can be an important component of the carbon pool in many forests, but few measurements have been made of this pool in tropical forests, To fill this gap, we determined the quantity of dead wood (downed and standing dead) in 25 long-term (up to 30 yr) permanent forest plots located in six different life zones of Venezuela. Downed wood was separated into fine (< 10 cm in diameter) and coarse (≥ 10 cm in diameter) classes, and three decomposition states (sound, intermediate, or rotten). The total quantity of dead wood, averaged by life zone, was lowest in the dry (2.43 Mg/ha), reached a peak in the moist (42.33 Mg/ha) and decreased slightly in the wet (34.50 Mg/ha) life zone. Most of the dead wood was in the standing dead category (about 42–76% of the total). The decomposition state of dead wood in all plots was mostly rotten (45%) or intermediate (44%); there was little sound wood (11%). Turnover rates of dead wood generally ranged between 0.03/yr to 0.52/yr with no clear trend with life zone. The large amount of dead wood in some plots was equivalent to about 20 percent or less of aboveground biomass, indicating that dead wood can represent a significant amount of carbon in these forests.     

Responses of fine roots and soil N availability to short-term nitrogen fertilization in a broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest in northeastern China

Knowledge of the responses of soil nitrogen (N) availability, fine root mass, production and turnover rates to atmospheric N deposition is crucial for understanding fine root dynamics and functioning in forest ecosystems. Fine root biomass and necromass, production and turnover rates, and soil nitrate-N and ammonium-N in relation to N fertilization (50 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)) were investigated in a temperate forest over the growing season of 2010, using sequential soil cores and ingrowth cores methods. N fertilization increased soil nitrate-N by 16% (P<0.001) and ammonium-N by 6% (P<0.01) compared to control plots. Fine root biomass and necromass in 0-20 cm soil were 13% (4.61 vs. 5.23 Mg ha(-1), P<0.001) and 34% (1.39 vs. 1.86 Mg ha(-1), P<0.001) less in N fertilization plots than those in control plots. The fine root mass was significantly negatively correlated with soil N availability and nitrate-N contents, especially in 0-10 cm soil layer. Both fine root production and turnover rates increased with N fertilization, indicating a rapid underground carbon cycling in environment with high nitrogen levels. Although high N supply has been widely recognized to promote aboveground growth rates, the present study suggests that high levels of nitrogen supply may reduce the pool size of the underground carbon. Hence, we conclude that high levels of atmospheric N deposition will stimulate the belowground carbon cycling, leading to changes in the carbon balance between aboveground and underground storage. The implications of the present study suggest that carbon model and prediction need to take the effects of nitrogen deposition on underground system into account.     

Short and Long-Term Soil Moisture Effects of Liana Removal in a Seasonally Moist Tropical Forest

Lianas (woody vines) are particularly abundant in tropical forests, and their abundance is increasing in the neotropics. Lianas can compete intensely with trees for above- and belowground resources, including water. As tropical forests experience longer and more intense dry seasons, competition for water is likely to intensify. However, we lack an understanding of how liana abundance affects soil moisture and hence competition with trees for water in tropical forests. To address this critical knowledge gap, we conducted a large-scale liana removal experiment in a seasonal tropical moist forest in central Panama. We monitored shallow and deep soil moisture over the course of three years to assess the effects of lianas in eight 0.64 ha removal plots and eight control plots. Liana removal caused short-term effects in surface soils. Surface soils (10 cm depth) in removal plots dried more slowly during dry periods and accumulated water more slowly after rainfall events. These effects disappeared within four months of the removal treatment. In deeper soils (40 cm depth), liana removal resulted in a multi-year trend towards 5–25% higher soil moisture during the dry seasons with the largest significant effects occurring in the dry season of the third year following treatment. Liana removal did not affect surface soil temperature. Multiple and mutually occurring mechanisms may be responsible for the effects of liana removal on soil moisture, including competition with trees, and altered microclimate, and soil structure. These results indicate that lianas influence hydrologic processes, which may affect tree community dynamics and forest carbon cycling.