Precipitation effects on soil characteristics in tropical rain forests of the Chocó biogeographical region

Average annual precipitation (AAP) is one of the principal environmental factors that regulates processes in terrestrial ecosystems. The effect of AAP on the availability of edaphic nutrients is poorly understood, especially in tropical zones with high rainfall. In order to evaluate the effects of h...

Full description

Autores:
Quinto Mosquera, Harley
Moreno Hurtado, Flavio
Tipo de recurso:
Article of journal
Fecha de publicación:
2016
Institución:
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Repositorio:
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Idioma:
spa
OAI Identifier:
oai:repositorio.unal.edu.co:unal/58583
Acceso en línea:
https://repositorio.unal.edu.co/handle/unal/58583
http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/55367/
Palabra clave:
57 Ciencias de la vida; Biología / Life sciences; biology
58 Plantas / Plants
lixiviation
nutrient limitation
tropical rainforest
Ultisol
Rights
openAccess
License
Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional
Description
Summary:Average annual precipitation (AAP) is one of the principal environmental factors that regulates processes in terrestrial ecosystems. The effect of AAP on the availability of edaphic nutrients is poorly understood, especially in tropical zones with high rainfall. In order to evaluate the effects of high AAP on the availability of soil N, P, and K, physicochemical parameters were measured in soils of three tropical rainforests in the Chocó biogeographical region with different AAPs (7,500, 8,000, and 10,000 mm yr-1). Furthermore, a bibliographical review was carried out that including studies for distinct tropical Ultisols and AAP ranging from 1,800 to 10,000 mm yr-1. The evaluated soils presented extreme acidity with high contents of Al, organic matter (OM) and total N, and low quantities of P, Mg, and Ca. The K concentrations were intermediate and the effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) was low. On the other hand, in the evaluation of the influence of the AAP on the availability of N, P, and K in the soil, contrasting tendencies were observed. On one side, a positive curvilinear relationship was found between the availability of N and the increase in the AAP. On the other side, the available P content significantly decreased with increasing AAP. In conclusion, the excessive AAP resulted in increases in total N and low availability of P, thereby altering the dynamics of the nutrients and the carbon balance of the tropical forest