Soil and leaf nutrient content of tree species support deciduous forests on limestone outcrops as a eutrophic ecosystem

Abstract

The leaf and soil nutrient status of plants has been used to infer structural and functional aspects at the ecosystem level. Such data are available for tropical and savanna systems growing on poor and acidic soils; however, information for species growing on eutrophic and basic soils is lacking. Deciduous tropical forest is one of the most endangered types of tropical forest, and despite the high level of attention aimed at it, little is known about the nutritional composition of its leaves. Here, we provided information on leaf nutrient content ratios and relationships for deciduous tree species growing on a limestone outcrop in Central Brazil. We compared our data on soil and leaf macronutrient concentration with previously published data from savannas and humid forests in the Neotropics. We found that deciduous forest tree species possessed elevated concentrations of N, K, and Ca compared with those of other forest and seasonal systems. The higher leaf Ca and P is due to the elevated Ca and P content in soils of deciduous forest. We discussed these findings in the light of soil aspects, functional adaptations, and priorities that should be given to the conservation and management of deciduous forest.