{"title":"Invasive <i>Acacia mangium</i> Leaf Litter Modifies Soil Chemical Properties of A Bornean Tropical Heath Forest: A Soil Incubation Study.","authors":"Mohamad Hilmi Ibrahim, Faizah Metali, Kushan U Tennakoon, Rahayu Sukmaria Sukri","doi":"10.21315/tlsr2025.36.1.14","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigated the effects of <i>Acacia mangium</i> Willd. leaf litter on soil chemical properties of a tropical heath forest in Borneo using a controlled soil incubation experiment. The litter of exotic <i>A. mangium</i> and selected native heath forest species (<i>Buchanania arborescens</i> Blume., <i>Calophyllum inophyllum</i> L., <i>Dillenia suffruticosa</i> Griff. and <i>Ploiarium alternifolium</i> Vahl.) were incubated with heath forest soils collected under natural conditions and nine different treatments of heath forest soils (soils without leaf litter, soils treated with single species leaf litter, and soils treated with native leaf litter with and without <i>A. mangium</i> leaf litter). We quantified mass litter loss (%), and soil concentrations of exchangeable nitrogen ( <math> <mrow> <mrow> <msubsup><mrow><mtext>NO</mtext></mrow> <mn>3</mn> <mo>-</mo></msubsup> </mrow> </mrow> </math> and <math> <mrow> <mrow> <msubsup><mrow><mtext>NH</mtext></mrow> <mn>4</mn> <mo>+</mo></msubsup> </mrow> </mrow> </math> ) and cations (K <i><sup>+</sup></i> , Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Mg<sup>2+</sup>), available phosphorus (P), total organic carbon (TOC) and organic matter (OM), and total acidity with exchangeable concentrations of Al<sup>3+</sup> and H<sup>+</sup> in each treatment after a 9-month incubation period. Mass litter loss (%) varied significantly between species, with <i>A. mangium</i> leaf litter only showing higher mass loss than <i>D. suffruticosa</i> litter, but lower than <i>C. inophyllum</i> litter. The effects of incubation with single-species native leaf litter were variable and species-specific, but incubation with <i>A. mangium</i> litter increased soil pH and exchangeable <math> <mrow> <mrow> <msubsup><mrow><mtext>NO</mtext></mrow> <mn>3</mn> <mo>-</mo></msubsup> </mrow> </mrow> </math> and K<sup>+</sup> concentrations and decreased exchangeable Al<sup>3+</sup> concentrations. Soils incubated with a combination of <i>C. inophyllum</i> and <i>A. mangium</i> leaf litters, as opposed to those incubated with <i>C. inophyllum</i> alone, exhibited decreased pH, lower total organic carbon (TOC), and reduced exchangeable concentrations of potassium (K<sup>+</sup>) and magnesium (Mg<sup>2+</sup>). Additionally, there was an increase in organic matter (OM) content, total acidity, and exchangeable concentrations of ammonium ( <math> <mrow> <mrow> <msubsup><mrow><mtext>NH</mtext></mrow> <mn>4</mn> <mo>+</mo></msubsup> </mrow> </mrow> </math> ) and hydrogen (H<sup>+</sup>). Our results provide preliminary evidence that <i>C. inophyllum</i> may be a promising native plant species for use in enrichment planting of degraded or disturbed tropical heath forests with co-occurring invasive <i>A. mangium</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":23477,"journal":{"name":"Tropical life sciences research","volume":"36 1","pages":"277-296"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12017284/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Tropical life sciences research","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.21315/tlsr2025.36.1.14","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/3/30 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of Acacia mangium Willd. leaf litter on soil chemical properties of a tropical heath forest in Borneo using a controlled soil incubation experiment. The litter of exotic A. mangium and selected native heath forest species (Buchanania arborescens Blume., Calophyllum inophyllum L., Dillenia suffruticosa Griff. and Ploiarium alternifolium Vahl.) were incubated with heath forest soils collected under natural conditions and nine different treatments of heath forest soils (soils without leaf litter, soils treated with single species leaf litter, and soils treated with native leaf litter with and without A. mangium leaf litter). We quantified mass litter loss (%), and soil concentrations of exchangeable nitrogen ( and ) and cations (K + , Ca2+ and Mg2+), available phosphorus (P), total organic carbon (TOC) and organic matter (OM), and total acidity with exchangeable concentrations of Al3+ and H+ in each treatment after a 9-month incubation period. Mass litter loss (%) varied significantly between species, with A. mangium leaf litter only showing higher mass loss than D. suffruticosa litter, but lower than C. inophyllum litter. The effects of incubation with single-species native leaf litter were variable and species-specific, but incubation with A. mangium litter increased soil pH and exchangeable and K+ concentrations and decreased exchangeable Al3+ concentrations. Soils incubated with a combination of C. inophyllum and A. mangium leaf litters, as opposed to those incubated with C. inophyllum alone, exhibited decreased pH, lower total organic carbon (TOC), and reduced exchangeable concentrations of potassium (K+) and magnesium (Mg2+). Additionally, there was an increase in organic matter (OM) content, total acidity, and exchangeable concentrations of ammonium ( ) and hydrogen (H+). Our results provide preliminary evidence that C. inophyllum may be a promising native plant species for use in enrichment planting of degraded or disturbed tropical heath forests with co-occurring invasive A. mangium.
期刊介绍:
Tropical Life Sciences Research (TLSR) formerly known as Journal of Bioscience seeks to publish relevant ideas and knowledge addressing vital life sciences issues in the tropical region. The Journal’s scope is interdisciplinary in nature and covers any aspects related to issues on life sciences especially from the field of biochemistry, microbiology, biotechnology and animal, plant, environmental, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. TLSR practices double blind peer review system to ensure and maintain the good quality of articles published in this journal. Two issues are published annually in printed and electronic form. TLSR also accepts review articles, experimental papers and short communications. The Chief Editor would like to invite researchers to use this journal as a mean to rapidly promote their research findings.