Abstract
Nutrient content of the vegetation in the humid tropics does not necessarily reflect the nutrient paucity of tropical soils. Acquired nutrients are retained very tightly within the vegetation and reacquisition from decomposition of dead biomass is very effective (for reviews see Vitousek and Sanford 1986; Bruijnzeel 1990; Grubb 1995). In undisturbed primary forests, the amount of nutrients lost through leaching from soil is typically less or equal to amounts added by precipitation. By far the greatest proportion of the annual nutrient requirement of the forest is satisfied by nutrients that are cycled within the forest. Because of the limited availability of free nutrients, nutrient cycling is a key process in tropical rainforests.
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© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Wirth, R., Herz, H., Ryel, R.J., Beyschlag, W., Hölldobler, B. (2003). Nutrient Cycling and Water Relations. In: Herbivory of Leaf-Cutting Ants. Ecological Studies, vol 164. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05259-4_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05259-4_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-07865-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-05259-4
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