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An Exotic Tree Alters Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling in A Hawaiian Montane Forest

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Abstract

We evaluated the effects of the exotic tree Fraxinus uhdei on decomposition dynamics and nutrient turnover in a montane Hawaiian rainforest. We used reciprocal transplants of litterbags between forests dominated by Fraxinus and by the native Metrosideros polymorpha to distinguish between endogenous (litter quality) and exogenous (for example, microclimate, nutrient availability, microbial and invertebrate communities) effects of Fraxinus on mass loss and nutrient dynamics of decomposing litter. Fraxinus produced greater quantities of litter that was thinner, had higher N and P concentrations, and lower concentrations of lignin and soluble polyphenols. Microbes decomposing Fraxinus litter produced fewer enzymes involved in N and P acquisition and more of those involved in cellulose degradation. Differences in litter quality and microbial activity resulted in a strong effect of litter type on rates of mass loss, whereby Fraxinus litter decomposed and released nutrients at nearly twice the rate of Metrosideros litter (k = 0.82 versus 0.48), regardless of site of decomposition. Although site of decomposition had no effect on rates of litter mass loss, Fraxinus litter decomposed under a Fraxinus canopy mineralized approximately 20% less P after one year than Fraxinus litter decomposed under a Metrosideros canopy. Furthermore, Fraxinus litter decomposed under a Fraxinus canopy immobilized greater amounts of N and P in the early stages of decay, suggesting that the large amounts of N and P in Fraxinus litterfall have raised nutrient availability to decomposers in the forest floor. Greater immobilization of N and P under a Fraxinus canopy may act as a governor on rates of nutrient cycling, limiting the degree to which Fraxinus invasion accelerates N and P cycling in this system.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the State of Hawaii for access to field sites, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for logistical support and access to laboratory facilities. We thank Heraldo Farrington, Gordon Holtgrieve, and Steve LeDuc for assistance in the field and Doug Turner for assistance in the laboratory. Robert Sinsabaugh and Don Zak provided advice and lab facilities necessary to conduct enzyme assays. David Foote provided advice and lab facilities for extracting and analyzing arthropods. This research was supported by a USDA-NRI grant to Stanford University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forestry Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824-1222, USA

    David E. Rothstein

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA

    Peter M. Vitousek

  3. Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA

    Breana L. Simmons

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  1. David E. Rothstein
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  2. Peter M. Vitousek
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  3. Breana L. Simmons
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Correspondence to David E. Rothstein.

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Rothstein, D.E., Vitousek, P.M. & Simmons, B.L. An Exotic Tree Alters Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling in A Hawaiian Montane Forest. Ecosystems 7, 805–814 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-004-0009-y

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