Journal Article

Potassium, phosphorus, or nitrogen limit root allocation, tree growth, or litter production in a lowland tropical forest

Wurzburger, Nina, Tanner, Edmund V. J., Corre, Marife D., Santiago, Louis S., Harms, Kyle E., Turner, Benjamin L., Sayer, Emma J., Wright, S. Joseph, Yavitt, Joseph B., Kaspari, Michael, Garcia, Milton N., Hedin, Lars O.

2011

Overview

We maintained a factorial nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) addition experiment for 11 years in a humid lowland forest growing on a relatively fertile soil in Panama to evaluate potential nutrient limitation of tree growth rates, fine‐litter production, and fine‐root biomass. We replicated the eight factorial treatments four times using 32 plots of 40 × 40 m each. The addition of K was associated with significant decreases in stand‐level fine‐root biomass and, in a companion study of seedlings, decreases in allocation to roots and increases in height growth rates. The addition of K and N together was associated with significant increases in growth rates of saplings and poles (1–10 cm in diameter at breast height) and a further marginally significant decrease in stand‐level fine‐root biomass. The addition of P was associated with a marginally significant (P = 0.058) increase in fine‐litter production that was consistent across all litter fractions. Our experiment provides evidence that N, P, and K all limit forest plants growing on a relatively fertile soil in the lowland tropics, with the strongest evidence for limitation by K among seedlings, saplings, and poles.

• Publisher: Ecological Society of America
• Subject: Animal and plant ecology / Animal, plant and microbial ecology / Barro Colorado Nature Monument, Panama / Biological and medical sciences / Biomass / Ecosystem / fertilization / fine litter / fine roots / Forest ecology / Forest soils / Forestry / Forests / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / General aspects / General forest ecology / Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology / Growth rate / Litter / lowland forests / Lowlands / Nitrogen / Nitrogen - chemistry / Nitrogen - pharmacology / nutrient limitation / Panama / Phosphorus / Phosphorus - chemistry / Phosphorus - pharmacology / Plant growth / Plant nutrition / Plant Roots - drug effects / Plant Roots - growth & development / Plants / Potassium / Potassium - chemistry / Potassium - pharmacology / saplings / Seedlings / soil / Soil - chemistry / Soil ecology / Soil fertility / Soil nutrients / tree and stand measurements / tree growth / Trees / Trees - drug effects / Trees - growth & development / Tropical Climate / Tropical environments / Tropical forests / Tropical soils / tropics