Authors
Emma J Sayer, Susan F Leitman, Stuart Joseph Wright, C Rodtassana, Alex G Vincent, Laetitia M Brechet, Biancolini Castro, Ortensia Lopez, Abby Wallwork, Edmund VJ Tanner
Publication date
2024/4
Journal
Journal of Ecology
Volume
112
Issue
4
Pages
690-700
Description
- Tropical forest productivity represents an important global carbon sink, but many tropical forests grow on infertile soils. Efficient nutrient cycling by litterfall has long been assumed to maintain tropical tree growth, but there is no direct evidence that the nutrients cycled in litterfall are essential for tropical forest productivity.
- To test whether nutrient cycling by litterfall maintains tropical forest above‐ground productivity, we established large‐scale long‐term litter removal (L−) and litter addition (L+) treatments in a mature lowland tropical forest. We hypothesised that the removal of nutrients in litter would reduce tree growth, survival and litter production in L− plots. By contrast, the addition of nutrients in litter would enhance tree growth, survival and litter production in L+ plots. To test our hypotheses, we recorded tree growth and survival every 2 years, and measured litterfall monthly during 17 years of treatments.
- Tree …
Total citations
20244
Scholar articles
EJ Sayer, SF Leitman, SJ Wright, C Rodtassana… - Journal of Ecology, 2024