Herbivory makes major contributions to ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling in tropical forests.
Ecol Lett
; 17(3): 324-32, 2014 Mar.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24372865
ABSTRACT
The functional role of herbivores in tropical rainforests remains poorly understood. We quantified the magnitude of, and underlying controls on, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycled by invertebrate herbivory along a 2800 m elevational gradient in the tropical Andes spanning 12°C mean annual temperature. We find, firstly, that leaf area loss is greater at warmer sites with lower foliar phosphorus, and secondly, that the estimated herbivore-mediated flux of foliar nitrogen and phosphorus from plants to soil via leaf area loss is similar to, or greater than, other major sources of these nutrients in tropical forests. Finally, we estimate that herbivores consume a significant portion of plant carbon, potentially causing major shifts in the pattern of plant and soil carbon cycling. We conclude that future shifts in herbivore abundance and activity as a result of environmental change could have major impacts on soil fertility and ecosystem carbon sequestration in tropical forests.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Árboles
/
Ecosistema
/
Hojas de la Planta
/
Ciclo del Carbono
/
Herbivoria
/
Alimentos
/
Modelos Biológicos
Límite:
Animals
País/Región como asunto:
America do sul
/
Peru
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Ecol Lett
Año:
2014
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Suecia