High foliar K and P resorption efficiencies in old-growth tropical forests growing on nutrient-poor soils
Urbina Barreto, Ifigenia (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Grau Fernández, Oriol (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Sardans i Galobart, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Margalef, Olga (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Peguero, Guille (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Asensio, Dolores (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
LLusià Benet, Joan (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Ogaya Inurrigarro, Romà (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Gargallo-Garriga, Albert (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Van Langenhove, Leandro (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology. Centre of Excellence PLECO (Belgium))
Verryckt, Lore (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology. Centre of Excellence PLECO (Belgium))
Courtois, Elodie A. (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Université des Antilles. Université de Guyane (French Guiana))
Stahl, Clément (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Université des Antilles. Université de Guyane (French Guiana))
Soong, Jennifer L. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Climate and Ecosystem Science Division (USA))
Chave, Jerome (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Université Paul Sabatier. Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (France))
Hérault, Bruno (Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (Ivory Coast))
Janssens, Ivan (University of Antwerp. Department of Biology. Centre of Excellence PLECO (Belgium))
Sayer, Emma (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Republic of Panama))
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)

Date:	2021
Abstract:	Resorption is the active withdrawal of nutrients before leaf abscission. This mechanism represents an important strategy to maintain efficient nutrient cycling; however, resorption is poorly characterized in old-growth tropical forests growing in nutrient-poor soils. We investigated nutrient resorption from leaves in 39 tree species in two tropical forests on the Guiana Shield, French Guiana, to investigate whether resorption efficiencies varied with soil nutrient, seasonality, and species traits. The stocks of P in leaves, litter, and soil were low at both sites, indicating potential P limitation of the forests. Accordingly, mean resorption efficiencies were higher for P (35. 9%) and potassium (K; 44. 6%) than for nitrogen (N; 10. 3%). K resorption was higher in the wet (70. 2%) than in the dry (41. 7%) season. P resorption increased slightly with decreasing total soil P; and N and P resorptions were positively related to their foliar concentrations. We conclude that nutrient resorption is a key plant nutrition strategy in these old-growth tropical forests, that trees with high foliar nutrient concentration reabsorb more nutrient, and that nutrients resorption in leaves, except P, are quite decoupled from nutrients in the soil. Seasonality and biochemical limitation played a role in the resorption of nutrients in leaves, but species-specific requirements obscured general tendencies at stand and ecosystem level. Resorption is a key plant nutrition strategy in old-growth tropical forests. Trees with high foliar nutrient concentration reabsorb more nutrients. Nutrients resorption in leaves, except P, are quite decoupled from nutrients in the soil. Seasonality and biochemical limitation played a role in the resorption of nutrients in leaves, but species-specific requirements obscured general tendencies at stand and ecosystem level.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2016-79835-P Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-1005 European Commission 610028
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Nitrogen ; Nutrient ; Phosphorus ; Potassium ; Resorption ; Soil ; Stocks ; Tropical forest
Published in:	Ecology and evolution, Vol. 11, Issue 13 (July 2021) , p. 8969-8982, ISSN 2045-7758

DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7734
PMID: 34257939

14 p, 1.3 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) > Imbalance-P
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