Abstract
Standing stocks and fluxes of nitrogen, including nitrogen fixation and denitrification, were measured in a tropical rainforest on Oxisol in the Amazon Territory of Venezuela. The standing stock of nitrogen was comparable to that of temperate forests, but was higher than that in an adjacent forest on Spodosol. Fluxes were higher than in forests in the temperate zone, but lower than in another tropical forest on more fertile soil. Even though nitrogen was abundant, this does not mean that nitrogen could not be limiting to agriculture if the forest is cleared and the land cultivated. The nitrogen fixing and nitrogen conserving mechanisms are dependent upon the structure of the undisturbed forest, and destruction of the forest would eventually decrease the input of nitrogen to the soil.
Resumen
Los contenidos y flujos de nitrógeno, incluyendo fijación de nitrógeno y denitrificación, se midieron en un bosque lluvioso tropical que crece sobre oxisoles en el Territorio Amazonas de Venezuela. El contenido de nitrógeno era comparable con el de bosques templados, pero era más elevado que en un bosque adyacente sobre spodosoles. Los flujos eran más elevados que en bosques de zonas templadas, pero más bajos que en otro bosque tropical de suelos más fértiles. A pesar de que el nitrógeno era abundante, esto no significa que este elemento no podría ser un factor limitante para la agricultura si el bosque se corta, y se cultiva la tierra. Los mecanismos de fijación y conservación de nitrógeno dependen de la estructura del bosque no perturbado, y la destrucción del bosque eventualmente disminuiría el suministro de nitrógeno al suelo.
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© 1982 Martinus Nijhoff/Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague
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Jordan, C. et al. (1982). The nitrogen cycle in a ‘Terra Firme’ rainforest on oxisol in the Amazon territory of Venezuela. In: Robertson, G.P., Herrera, R., Rosswall, T. (eds) Nitrogen Cycling in Ecosystems of Latin America and the Caribbean. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7639-9_29
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7639-9_29
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