Journal ArticleDOI
Litterfall, litter decomposition and the use of mulch of four indigenous tree species in the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica.
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The results show that these species could be used in agroforestry combinations with different advantages according to the specific objectives desired, whether these are soil protection, nutrient recycling, or enhancement of the growth of associated crops.Abstract:
Litterfall, forest-floor litter biomass and nutrients, short-term litter decomposition and the effects of leaf mulches on initial growth of maize were studied for four indigenous tree species with agroforestry potential:Stryphnodendron microstachyum Poepp. et Endl.(S. excelsum), Vochysia ferruginea Mart,Vochysia guatemalensis Donn. Sm. (V. hondurensis) andHyeronima alchorneoides (O), growing in a young experimental plantation in the Atlantic humid lowlands of Costa Rica. Total annual leaf litterfall was higher inV. ferruginea plots, followed byS. microstachyum, V. guatemalensis andH. alchorneoides; all with values comparable to those reported for other tree species grown in agroforestry combinations in humid tropical regions. Forest-floor litter accumulation was highest underV. ferruginea andV. guatemalensis. Both litterfall and forest-floor litter material had similar patterns in nutrient concentrations: N was higher inS. microstachyum, Ca was higher inV. guatemalensis, K was higher inH. alchorneoides; Mg was higher inV. guatemalensis andH. alchorneoides; H. alchorneoides andV. guatemalensis had the highest P.V. ferruginea litter decomposed more slowly, whileS. microstachyum apparently decomposed faster than the other species. The twoVochysia species showed increases in N and P concentration in decomposing litter after seven weeks in the field,H. alchorneoides showed an increase in litter N and a decrease in litter P, andS. microstachyum showed a net decrease in both N and P over the same time period. The patterns found in the litter bag study were confirmed by results obtained in a tethered-leaves experiment.S. microstachyum andV. ferruginea litters lost more weight when mixed in a 1∶1 proportion than either of them alone. Maize seedlings growing in plots mulched withS. microstachyum andH. alchorneoides leaves showed greatest initial growth, confirming patterns found in decomposition and nutrient release studies. The results show that these species could be used in agroforestry combinations with different advantages according to the specific objectives desired, whether these are soil protection, nutrient recycling, or enhancement of the growth of associated crops.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Biodiversity and Litter Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems
TL;DR: Empirical and theoretical evidence is explored for the functional significance of plant-litter diversity and the extraordinary high diversity of decomposer organisms in the process of litter decomposition and the consequences for biogeochemical cycles.
Journal ArticleDOI
Decomposition dynamics in mixed-species leaf litter
Tracy B. Gartner,Zoe G. Cardon +1 more
TL;DR: Emerging patterns in the mixed-litter decomposition literature have implications for relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem function, and for potential mechanisms through which invasive plant species could alter carbon and nutrient dynamics in ecosystems.
Journal ArticleDOI
Tree species richness affects litter production and decomposition rates in a tropical biodiversity experiment
TL;DR: There are no coherent and general effects of tree species richness on both litter production and decomposition from a manipulative biodiversity experiment with trees in tropical Panama, which has been designed to explore the relationship between tree diversity and ecosystem functioning.
Journal ArticleDOI
Tree Species Effects on Soil Properties in Experimental Plantations in Tropical Moist Forest
TL;DR: It is hypothesized that differences among species in the capacity to increase SOC stocks involved fine-root traits that promoted soil microbial turnover and, thus, greater production of recalcitrant, microbial-derived C fractions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Long-term effects of different land use types on C, N, and P stoichiometry and storage in subtropical ecosystems: A case study in China
TL;DR: Wang et al. as discussed by the authors explored the long-term effects of different land use types on C, N, and P stoichiometry and storage in a subtropical region, southern China.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Nitrogen release from the leaves of some tropical legumes as affected by their lignin and polyphenolic contents
Cheryl A. Palm,Pedro A. Sanchez +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the chemical composition and N release patterns of legumes being used in tropical agroecosystems were determined in a laboratory experiment and three patterns of net N mineralization emerged during the 8-weeks.
Journal ArticleDOI
Decomposition and nutrient release patterns of the leaves of three tropical legumes
Cheryl A. Palm,Pedro A. Sanchez +1 more
TL;DR: It is apparent from this study that not all leguminous leaves decompose and release nitrogen quickly, despite high nitrogen concentrations in the leaves, and Nitrogen release by legume with high polyphenolic concentrations will be slower than that by legumes with low polyphenolics concentrations and has important implications to nitrogen cycling and the selection of legumes for agroforestry systems.
Journal ArticleDOI
Litter production and nutrient cycling in coffee (Coffea arabica) or cacao (Theobroma cacao) plantations with shade trees
TL;DR: Litter productivity is a more important shade tree characteristic than N fixation in fertilized plantations of cacao and coffee, and the consequences of competition with the crop should not be a serious limitation.
Journal ArticleDOI
Soil-plant interactions in agroforestry systems
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review the nature of soil constraints in the humid and semi-arid tropics and how these limitations affect plant/soil interactions related to nutrient additions, losses, and cycling via littersoil organic matter (SOM) pathways in agroforestry systems.