Nitrogen Rather Than Phosphorus Limits the Productivity of the Dominant Tree Species at Mine-Disturbed Ultramafic Areas in the Southern Philippines

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
File version

Version of Record (VoR)

Author(s)
Goloran, Honey B
Along, Archie A
Loquere, Christina Y
Demetillo, Meljan T
Seronay, Romell A
Goloran, Johnvie B
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
2022
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract

Understanding the stoichiometry of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) plays a pivotal role in the ecological restoration of degraded landscapes. Here, the N and P limitation and stoichiometry of dominant tree species in mine-disturbed ultramafic areas in the Southern Philippines are reported. Field surveys revealed that out of a total of 1491 trees/shrubs recorded from all quadrats, comprising 22 native and 9 non-native species, there were six tree species (native: Alstonia macrophylla Wallich., Buchanania arborescens Blume., Syzygium sp., and non-native: Casuarina equisetifolia L., Terminalia catappa L. and Acacia mangium Wild.) that were found dominant, having >10% relative abundance. Significant differences (p < 0.01) in the leaf N and leaf P content among these species were observed, where C. equisetifolia (due to N fixation ability) and T. catappa had the highest values, respectively. These did not, however, translate to statistical differences in the leaf N:P ratios either in individual species or when grouped by origin (native or non-native). Interestingly, all dominant tree species revealed very low leaf N:P ratios (<4), suggesting that N rather than P limits the productivity in mine-disturbed ultramafic areas, which is also confirmed by low levels of leaf N (<2.0%). Results further revealed a poor correlation between leaf N and leaf N:P ratios (r = 0.13; p = 0.60), while leaf P (r = 0.49; p < 0.05) revealed otherwise, reinforcing that P is not a limiting factor as also shown in high levels of leaf P (>0.20%). Despite the N-limitation, B. arborescens, C. equisetifolia, and T. catappa had the highest leaf N and P content, suggesting their higher suitability for revegetation of the sites. These findings warrant further verification taking into account the plant physiology, phenology, and soil nutrient availability in natural, degraded, and rehabilitated ultramafic environments.

Journal Title

Nitrogen

Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume

3

Issue

3

Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject

Soil sciences

Terrestrial ecology

Geology

Geomorphology and earth surface processes

Science & Technology

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Environmental Sciences

Environmental Sciences & Ecology

NP stoichiometry

Persistent link to this record
Citation

Goloran, HB; Along, AA; Loquere, CY; Demetillo, MT; Seronay, RA; Goloran, JB; Chiurazzi, M, Nitrogen Rather Than Phosphorus Limits the Productivity of the Dominant Tree Species at Mine-Disturbed Ultramafic Areas in the Southern Philippines, Nitrogen, 2022, 3 (3), pp. 502-513

Collections