Soil development and nitrogen turnover in montane rainforest soils on Hawaii

Author:

Vitousek, Peter M., Van Cleve, Keith, Balakrishnan, Nedarajah, Mueller-Dombois, Dieter

Title:

Soil development and nitrogen turnover in montane rainforest soils on Hawaii

Periodical:

Biotropica

Year:

1983

Volume:

15

Pages:

268-274

Subject:

Soils nitrogen content Rain forest ecology Hawaii Island

Summary:

Soil chronosequence studies have been an important means for understanding the regulation of nutrient accumulation and availability in natural terrestrial ecosystems. Using this approach allowed for increases in soil nitrogen in chronosequences that developed after mud flows, glacial recession, and sand dune stabilization, and flood plain deposition to be demonstrated, respectively. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the accumulation, availability, and turnover of soil nitrogen in soil chronosequences that developed on tephra and pahoehoe. Through this study it was found that substantial nitrogen fixation by an unknown organism or organisms is probably responsible for most of the nitrogen accumulated on ash. As a result, nitrogen availability is probably not related to most of the forms of ohia dieback that occurs in Hawaii. However, low nitrogen availability was observed in sites that are susceptible to the dryland form of dieback which occurs early in primary succession.

Label:

Ecology - Rain Forests

URL:

http://cletus.uhh.hawaii.edu:2075/stable/2387651

Date:

Dec. 1983

Collection:

Periodicals