scholarly journals Relationships between Plant Biodiversity and Soil Fertility in a Mature Tropical Forest, Costa Rica

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin B. Nadeau ◽  
Thomas P. Sullivan

We aimed to study relationships between plant biodiversity and soil chemical fertility in a mature tropical forest of Costa Rica. Soil samples were collected in nine sampling plots (5 m by 25 m) in order to identify P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and Al and total N contents, soil fertility index, CEC, pH, and C/N ratio. Furthermore, species richness, Shannon-Wiener and Simpson’s species diversities, structural richness, and structural diversity were calculated for each plot. Simple linear regression analyses were conducted. Tree species richness was inversely related to concentration levels of K, Ca, and P, CEC, and soil fertility index. Therefore, higher tree species richness tended to be found on sites with lower soil fertility, which is the complete opposite of temperate forests. As a result, tropical and temperate forest ecology should be considered separately. Shannon-Wiener tree species diversity was positively correlated to C/N ratio. Herb structural richness was positively correlated with soil fertility index and P concentration. Therefore, herb structural richness may be a good indicator of soil fertility. This study gives important insights on ecological relationships between plant biodiversity and soil chemical fertility in a primary tropical forest.

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 799-815
Author(s):  
Victor P. Zwiener ◽  
André A. Padial ◽  
Márcia C. M. Marques

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 053-067
Author(s):  
Apezi Okiemute EDEWOR ◽  
Augustus Orowhigo ATUBI

The derived savanna landscape of Delta state situated within the rainforest region are always considered with apathy as they are viewed as idle, marginalized or abandoned landscapes. The study therefore focused on statistical analysis of the physiochemical properties of the derived savanna, rainforest and fallow landscapes of Delta state. The statistical analysis gave impetus for the derivation of Soil Fertility Index (SFI). The hypothesis formulated to guide the study was tested using the one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). This was used to test the variation between soil physiochemical parameters of the various landscapes at 0.05 significance level. Specifically, the study found out that the physiochemical parameters of the landscapes studied are significantly correlated. Thus, implying basic similarities in soil fertility and soil constituent tendencies between the landscapes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 322-330
Author(s):  
Rong Sun ◽  
Xiaojie Luo ◽  
Xiangyu Meng ◽  
Yan Wang

Abstract The streams in a watershed form a hierarchical network system. From the perspective of the river continuum, this classification system is the result of gradual increase in traffic. This study analyzed the riparian species richness, diversity and environmental factors along a six-order hierarchical mountain river in the Donghe watershed, China. A total of 34 sampling sites were sampled to study the spatial distribution of riparian plants among different stream orders. The results showed: Environmental factors among stream orders had significant differences. Among stream order, species richness showed remarkable differences. The species richness rose firstly and dropped afterwards except for tree species richness; tree species richness decreased while stream order increased. The same is true for shrub quadrat species richness. Shannon-Wiener diversity, Simpson dominance and Pielou uniformity showed significant difference among stream orders; Shannon-Wiener diversity rose firstly then dropped afterwards. For integrated environmental factors and community characteristics, we found the changes of stream orders had a significant impact on riparian habitats and riparian vegetation. Further analysis showed that riparian vegetation experienced different types and degrees of disturbance in different stream orders. This meant that a hierarchical management strategy should be applied to riparian vegetation management.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83
Author(s):  
MAHEDI HASAN LIMON ◽  
SAIDA HOSSAIN ARA ◽  
MOHAMMAD GOLAM KIBRIA

Natural regeneration is an indicator of a healthy forest, hence, understanding the influence of site factors on natural regeneration is a significant concern for ecologists. This work aimed to assess the impact of site factors on natural tree regeneration at Khadimnagar National Park (KNP). Biotic factors (tree density, tree species richness, and basal area), physical factors (elevation, canopy openness), and soil properties (bulk density, moisture content, soil pH, organic matter, sand, silt, and clay) data were investigated from 71 sample plots to examine their effects on natural regeneration density and richness in KNP. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was done to predict both regeneration density and regeneration richness. The results showed that soil pH (p<0.001), canopy openness (p<0.001), tree species richness (p<0.01), and bulk density (p<0.01) had a significant effect on regeneration density, explaining 42% of the total variation. Regeneration richness was driven by four factors: tree species richness (p<0.01), soil pH (p<0.001), elevation (p<0.01), and canopy openness (p<0.01) with a model that explained 60% of the total variation. This study observed that soil pH, tree species richness, and canopy openness are the main controlling factors that influenced both the density and richness of regenerating species in KNP. Therefore, these findings have implications for natural resource management, especially in selecting suitable silvicultural systems in a tropical forest under protected area management where enhanced tree cover and conservation of biodiversity are needed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 440-453
Author(s):  
Jason Vleminckx ◽  
David Bauman ◽  
Marine Demanet ◽  
Olivier J. Hardy ◽  
Jean‐Louis Doucet ◽  
...  

Ecology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. e02653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lionel R. Hertzog ◽  
Roschong Boonyarittichaikij ◽  
Daan Dekeukeleire ◽  
Stefanie R. E. de Groote ◽  
Irene M. van Schrojenstein Lantman ◽  
...  

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