Carbon and mineral nutrient pools in a gallery forest at Mogi Guacu River, Southeast Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study is to quantify the concentration and total amount of nutrients stored in a gallery forest ecosystem. The study was carried out in a forest along the Mogi Guacu River, Itapira, S.P., Southeast Brazil. Aboveground plant biomass and nutrient content were measured by the destructive method and the soil analysed for nutrient content. In the plant biomass, leaves showed the greatest nutrient concentrations, but stems comprised the major nutrient pools due to their greater biomass (95% of the total). Trees stored the greatest part of the forest aboveground nutrients, as they represent 88% of the total vegetation biomass. More nutrients were present in the soil than in the vegetation, due to the soil greater mass. The mean cycling times in this type of ecosystem were calculated as the ratio between the pools and the fluxes of each nutrient. Results were compared with other tropical ecosystems.