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The biogeochemistry of phosphorus after the first century of soil development on Rakata Island, Krakatau, Indonesia

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Abstract

This study examined the accumulation of organic carbon (C) and fractions ofsoil phosphorus (P) in soils developing in volcanic ash deposited in the1883 eruption of Krakatau. Organic C has accumulated at rates of 45 to 127g/m2/yr during 110 years of soil development, resulting inprofiles with as much as 14 kgC/m2. Most soil P is found inthe HCl-extractable forms, representing apatite. A loss of HCl-extractableP from the surface horizons is associated with a marked accumulation ofNaOH-extractable organic P bound to Al. A bioassay with hill rice suggeststhat P is limiting to plant growth in these soils, perhaps as a result ofthe rapid accumulation of P in organic forms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Duke University, Durham, N.C, 27708, USA

    William H. Schlesinger & Kimberly A. Mace

  2. Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, The Netherlands

    William H. Schlesinger, Emily M. Klein & Jane A. Raikes

  3. Faculty of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, 1081, HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    L.A. Bruijnzeel

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, 32901, USA

    Mark B. Bush

  5. School of Geography, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TB, U.K

    R.J. Whittaker

Authors
  1. William H. Schlesinger
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  2. L.A. Bruijnzeel
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  3. Mark B. Bush
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  4. Emily M. Klein
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  5. Kimberly A. Mace
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  6. Jane A. Raikes
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  7. R.J. Whittaker
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Schlesinger, W.H., Bruijnzeel, L., Bush, M.B. et al. The biogeochemistry of phosphorus after the first century of soil development on Rakata Island, Krakatau, Indonesia. Biogeochemistry 40, 37–55 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005838929706

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