determinants of leaf litter nutrient cycling in a tropical.pdfVIP

Ecosystems (2006) 9: 700–710 DOI: 10.1007/s10021-005-0016-7 Determinants of Leaf Litter Nutrient Cycling in a Tropical Rain Forest: Soil Fertility Versus Topography 1 1 2 Tana E. Wood, * Deborah Lawrence, and Deborah A. Clark 1Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, P O Box 400123, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4123, USA; 2Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63121, USA ABSTRACT We investigated the influence of landscape-level concentrations in the leaf litter were much less variation in soil fertility and topographic position on variable than those of Fe and Al. Lower variability leaf litter nutrient dynamics in a tropical rain forest in essential plant nutrients suggests a great deal of in Costa Rica. We sampled across the three main plant control over the amount of nutrients resorbed edaphic conditions (ultisol slope, ultisol plateau, before senescense. Leaf litter macronutrient con- and inceptisol) to determine the effect of soil centrations varied significantly over the 4-year nutrients on leaf litter nutrient concentrations period, but the temporal variation did not differ while controlling for topography, and to examine among the three edaphic types as anticipated. topographic effects while controlling for soil nutri- Hence, although the magnitude of nutrient fluxes ents. Both leaf litter macronutrient [phosphorus may be controlled by local factors such as soil (P), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), calcium (Ca), potas- fertility, temporal pattern