Effects of logging on phosphorus pools in a tropical rainforest of Borneo

We quantified the amount of various phosphorus (p) fractions in a tropical lowland rainforest of borneo and estimated the potential effects of selective logging on the p availability during the following regrowth period through the export of p as timber. ecosystem pools of p (sum of aboveground vegetation, standing litter, roots and soils to 1 m deep) and of simultaneously quantified nitrogen (n) and carbon (c) were 3.4, 11.5 and 365 mg ha-1 respectively. only 2.6% of the total ecosystem p was in the aboveground vegetation, unlike c (61%) and n (16%). soil p largely consisted of recalcitrant occluded fractions (78–91%) and only 4% was labile (bicarbonate-extractable). the concentration of labile organic p, acid phosphatase activity and fine root biomass were greatest in the topsoil (top 5 cm) and decreased with depth, suggesting that the supply of p to plants took place mainly in the topsoil. the amount of total p which was exported out as timber from the ecosystem by heavy selective logging was estimated at 24.0 kg ha-1, while the amount of labile p in the topsoil was 12.8 kg ha-1, indicating that the labile p might become deficient by more than 12 kg ha-1 for biomass recovery. our results imply that excessive logging can induce p-limitation of postlogging biomass recovery.