Importance of the Local Environment on Nutrient Cycling and Litter Decomposition in a Tall Eucalypt Forest

Importance of the Local Environment on Nutrient Cycling and Litter Decomposition in a Tall Eucalypt Forest

Abstract

:

1. Introduction

• Field measurements on the standing pattern (size structure, density, and species composition) of mature trees, used as a proxy for productivity;
• Sampling and analysis of the soil-nutrient composition in the local environment (i.e., across field sites) and assessment of its relationship to site biomass; and
• Evaluation of the association between forest-litter quality (different species mixes) and quantity, and the rate of decomposition, as a measure of turnover.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Site

2.2. Site Selection and Survey Technique

2.3. Soil Sampling and Processing

2.4. Assessing Field Nutrient Availability

2.5. Determining Nitrogen Mineralisation Rate

2.6. Statistical Methods

2.7. Laboratory Litter Experiment

3. Results

3.1. Relationship between Size of Trees and Total Basal Area across All 24 Plots

3.2. Local Soil Nutrient Availability

3.3. Local C and N Dynamics

3.4. Relationship between Litter Quality, Quantity, and Litter Decomposition

4. Discussion

5. Conclusions

Supplementary Materials

Author Contributions

Funding

Conflicts of Interest

References

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Evenness	E. obliqua	A. dealbata	B. salicina
0	100%	0%	0%
0%	100%	0%
0%	0%	100%
0.2	95%	2.5%	2.5%
2.5%	95%	2.5%
2.5%	2.5%	95%
0.4	88%	6%	6%
6%	88%	6%
6%	6%	88%
0.6	79%	10.5%	10.5%
10.5%	79%	10.5%
10.5%	10.5%	79%
0.8	65%	17.5%	17.5%
17.5%	65%	17.5%
17.5%	17.5%	65%
0.9	55%	22.5%	22.5%
22.5%	55%	22.5%
22.5%	22.5%	55%
1	33.3%	33.3%	33.3%
33.3%	33.3%	33.3%
33.3%	33.3%	33.3%

Model (Median)	Intercept (α)	95% CI	Slope (β)	95% CI	Sigma	R2%
Initial	2838	1818–3859	177	155–199	2829	81.8
Resampled	2877	290–5509	169	36–267	2192	81.7

Model (Median)	Asymptote (α)	95% CI	Half Saturation Point (β)	95% CI	Sigma	R2 (%)
Eucalyptus obliqua
Initial	92,189	84,612–101,407	9.9	7.8–12.7	2210	93.3
Resampled	90,526	72,756–116,217	9.8	5.7–18.0	8355	93.7
Acacia dealbata
Initial	89,561	81,141–100,055	5.6	3.9–8.0	3769	90.9
Resampled	89,563	74,410–105,699	5.7	3.5–9.1	6729	92.8
Bedfordia sp.
Initial	92,476	76,899–117,482	10.1	5.8–18.0	4637	89.1
Resampled	84,947	67,487–113,376	7.9	4.4–7.9	8859	90.2

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Buettel, J.C.; Ringwaldt, E.M.; Hovenden, M.J.; Brook, B.W. Importance of the Local Environment on Nutrient Cycling and Litter Decomposition in a Tall Eucalypt Forest. Forests 2019, 10, 340. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10040340

Buettel JC, Ringwaldt EM, Hovenden MJ, Brook BW. Importance of the Local Environment on Nutrient Cycling and Litter Decomposition in a Tall Eucalypt Forest. Forests. 2019; 10(4):340. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10040340

Chicago/Turabian Style

Buettel, Jessie C., Elise M. Ringwaldt, Mark J. Hovenden, and Barry W. Brook. 2019. “Importance of the Local Environment on Nutrient Cycling and Litter Decomposition in a Tall Eucalypt Forest” Forests 10, no. 4: 340. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10040340