Forest ecology
Interesting link from Back40 at
CrumbTrail. It is to an article in the journal
Science which says:
bq. The forests of the world are not the stable and unchanging ecosystems they have been assumed to be. Without the occurrence of wide-spread disturbances in nature, such as forest fires, icing, or volcanic activity, forests will eventually be impoverished, owing to a lack of phosphorous...
bq. In all six locations forests grew least well in the oldest soils, because the access to absorbable phosphorous was limited in comparison with access to absorbable nitrogen. When soils age, less phosphorous becomes available to trees, since phosphorous is not biologically replenished in the soil or supplied to the ecosystem in any other way. Nitrogen, on the other hand, is renewable; atmospheric nitrogen is continuously supplied to the soil and is transformed by soil bacteria to forms of nitrogen that the trees can take up. It is not a lack of nitrogen, as has previously been thought, but a lack of phosphorous that lies behind poor growth in forests when they become old.
So... Let me get this straight... Preserving the forest as it is, ie: preventing damage, contributes to an overall lack of health. The natural recycling of dead trees back into the environment maintains the vitality of the forest.
The Environmental Press is sure to jump on this one. Oh yeah...
Posted by DaveH at June 21, 2004 10:36 AM