Karen L. Vandecar

Biotic and abiotic controls on diurnal fluctuations in labile soil phosphorus of a wet tropical forest

The productivity of many tropical wet forests is generally limited by bioavailable phosphorus (P). Microbial activity is a key regulator of P availability in that it determines both the supply of P through organic matter decomposition and the depletion of bioavailable P through microbial uptake. Both microbial uptake and mineralization occur rapidly, and their net effect on P availability varies with soil moisture, temperature, and soil organic matter quantity and quality. Exploring the mechanisms driving P availability at fine temporal scales can provide insight into the coupling of carbon, water, and nutrient cycles, and ultimately, the response of tropical forests to climate change. Despite the recognized importance of P cycling to the dynamics of wet tropical forests and their potential sensitivity to short-term fluctuations in bioavailable P, the diurnal pattern of P remains poorly understood. This study quantifies diurnal fluctuations in labile soil P and evaluates the importance of biotic and abiotic factors in driving these patterns. To this end, measurements of labile P were made every other hour in a Costa Rican wet tropical forest oxisol. Spatial and temporal variation in Bray-extractable P were investigated in relation to ecosystem carbon flux, soil CO2 efflux, soil moisture, soil temperature, solar radiation, and sap-flow velocity. Spatially averaged bi-hourly (every two hours) labile P ranged from 0.88 to 2.48 microg/g across days. The amplitude in labile P throughout the day was 0.61-0.82 microg/g (41-54% of mean P concentrations) and was characterized by a bimodal pattern with a decrease at midday. Labile P increased with soil CO2 efflux and soil temperature and declined with increasing sap flow and solar radiation. Together, soil CO2 efflux, soil temperature, and sap flow explained 86% of variation in labile P.

The impact of changing moisture conditions on short-term P availability in weathered soils

Background and AimsBioavailable phosphorus (P) represents a primary constraint on productivity in many ecosystems on highly-weathered soils. Soil moisture can be important to determining P bioavailability and net primary productivity in these systems. However, hydrologic controls on P availability remain poorly understood.MethodsWe used “resins” (anion-exchange membranes) to quantify the response of labile P, an estimate of bioavailable P, to soil moisture conditions in two highly-weathered soils (rendzina, ultisol). The resins were either incubated in soil or shaken with a soil-water slurry.ResultsResin incubations in aerobic soil effectively quantified labile P in soils under changing moisture conditions, extracting significant amounts of labile P while avoiding the disturbance imposed by slurries. Wetting field-moist soils resulted in pulsed labile P, with lagged peaks occurring days after the largest moisture additions. Re-wetting air-dried soils enhanced labile P immediately, with the largest amounts observed at the highest moisture levels; labile P steadily declined following the moisture addition.ConclusionsSoil moisture levels and history strongly impacted labile P, indicating the importance of both variables when interpreting labile P measurements. These results also suggest that P availability is linked to both the amount and timing of rainfall, with implications for plant productivity in regions exposed to changing moisture regimes.

Climate change, population, and poverty: vulnerability and exposure to heat stress in countries bordering the Great Lakes of Africa

Global climate models predict increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events across the African continent during the remainder of the twenty-first century. Projected increases in temperature extremes have significant implications for humanity, particularly in the African Great Lakes region (GLR) where some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations reside. Using high-resolution Community Earth System Model (CESM) simulations to investigate the impacts of climate change under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 and spatially explicit population trajectories consistent with two shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs), we contrast early and projected late century human exposure to temperature extremes and the associated potential health impacts for nine countries of the GLR. While all countries are projected to experience increases in the number of heat stress days, the greatest increases occur in the north and west, in parts of Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nighttime relief diminishes due to 3–8° increases in average minimum temperatures. Country-wide population exposure to extreme heat stress increases 7- to 269-fold over current levels. Total population growth as well as rural-urban distribution patterns strongly influence outcomes, but to a lesser degree than the warming climate.

Phosphorus input through fog deposition in a dry tropical forest

In many tropical forests, where phosphorus (P) is considered a limiting nutrient, atmospheric deposition can contribute significantly to available P. Previous studies have shown that P inputs from atmospheric deposition are enhanced by plant canopies. This effect is explained as the result of increased deposition of P-rich aerosol particles (dry deposition) and fog droplets (fog or “occult” deposition) onto leaf surfaces. Here we studied the importance of fog as a source of P to a P-limited dry tropical forest. Throughout an 80 day period during the dry season when fog is most common, we sampled fog water and bulk precipitation in a clearing and measured leaf wetness and throughfall in an adjacent secondary and mature forest stand. During the study period, total P (PT) concentrations in fog water ranged from 0.15 to 6.40 mg/L, on average fourteenfold greater than PT concentrations in bulk precipitation (0.011 to 0.451 mg/L), and sixfold and sevenfold greater than throughfall PT concentrations in the secondary and mature forest stands, respectively (0.007 to 1.319 mg/L; 0.009 to 0.443 mg/L). Based on leaf area index, the frequency of fog deposition, and amount of water deposited per fog event, we estimate that fog delivers a maximum of 1.01 kg/ha/yr to secondary forest stands and 1.75 kg/ha/yr to mature forest stands, compared to 0.88 kg/ha/yr to secondary forest stands and 1.98 kg/ha/yr to mature forest stands via throughfall (wet + dry deposition) and stemflow. Thus, fog deposition may contribute substantially to available P in tropical dry forests.