We estimated the live aboveground biomass (AGB) and soil nutrient pools of the Scalesia pedunculata monodominant tropical montane forest at 600 m above sea level on Santa Cruz, Galápagos, an isolated oceanic island. The estimated AGB was 60.4 Mg ha−1, which was considerably lower than that of other montane forests of similar climates elsewhere. Nutrient pools were ample for inorganic N, soluble P, and exchangeable cations. We suggest that the low AGB, in spite of the ample nutrients, is related to the absence of tall-statured climax species, that have high demands for nutrients (particularly N) to fix C, due to the isolation.
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Kitayama, K., Itow, S. Aboveground biomass and soil nutrient pools of a Scalesia pedunculata montane forest on Santa Cruz, Galápagos. Ecol Res 14, 405–408 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1703.1999.00314.x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1703.1999.00314.x