Die Bodenatmung in tropischen regenwäldern Südost-Asiens

Abstract

Soil respiration was measured in different types of rain forest in West, South, and East Java, and in Sarawak, North Borneo. The altitude of the experimental sites varied from sea level to 1500 m. In keeping with the different amount and distribution of precipitation during the year, and due to the very different soil types, the vegetation varied from lowland to montane rain forest, teak forest, monsoon forest and heath forest. In all these forest types soil respiration values were of the same order of magnitude. They indicate an oxidation of 10 to 13 tons organic matter per hectar per year. In some of the experimental sites soil respiration was measured during the rainy as well as during the dry season. The values obtained justify extrapolation to a yearly average.The difficulties connected with interpretation of the soil respiration values as equivalent to net production of the different forest types have been discussed.