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    Leaky nitrogen cycle in pristine African montane rainforest soil

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    Date
    2015-11-11
    Author
    Rutting, T.
    Cizungu-Ntaboba, L.
    Roobroeck, D.
    Bauters, M.
    Huygens, D.
    Boeckx, P.
    Type
    Journal Article
    Target Audience
    Scientists
    Metadata
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    Abstract
    Many pristine humid tropical forests show simultaneously high nitrogen (N) richness and sustained loss of bioavailable N forms. To better understand this apparent upregulation of the N cycle in tropical forests, process-based understanding of soil N transformations, in geographically diverse locations, remains paramount. Field-based evidence is limited and entirely lacking for humid tropical forests on the African continent. This study aimed at filling both knowledge gaps by monitoring N losses and by conducting an in situ 15N labeling experiment in the Nyungwe tropical montane forest in Rwanda. Here we show that this tropical forest shows high nitrate (NO3−) leaching losses, confirming findings from other parts of the world. Gross N transformation rates point to an open soil N cycle with mineralized N nitrified rather than retained via immobilization; gross immobilization of NH4+ and NO3− combined accounted for 37% of gross mineralization, and plant N uptake is dominated by ammonium (NH4+). This study provided new process understanding of soil N cycling in humid tropical forests and added geographically independent evidence that humid tropical forests are characterized by soil N dynamics and N inputs sustaining bioavailable N loss.
    https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015gb005144
    Multi standard citation
    Permanent link to this item
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/1150
    Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
    https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015gb005144
    IITA Subjects
    Forestry
    Agrovoc Terms
    Tropical Forests; Nitrogen Cycle; Mineralization
    Regions
    Central Africa
    Countries
    Rwanda
    Journals
    Global Biogeochemical Cycles
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    • Journal and Journal Articles4136
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