Faculty, Chair of EEB Department Cornell University, New York, United States
Deforestation can have huge consequences for plant nutrient dynamics. Heavy metal pollution, accelerated greenhouse gas emissions, and soil organic matter losses are all well documented in deforested areas. However, these dynamics are relatively understudied in dry tropical systems. Kenya’s remnant coastal forests provide a built-in disturbance gradient due to decades of regional deforestation driven by tourism, urbanization, and agricultural expansion. We used C and N stable isotopes and resin strips to examine how deforestation influences plant and soil mediated nutrient dynamics in Kenya’s dry coastal forest system. These data were collected from Annona senegalensis, a common native fruit bearing shrub which we used as a focal species. Preliminary results indicate losses of key essential nutrients such as K and Ca as well as increases in Al pollution in areas exposed to deforestation. Foliar δ15N values were 50.4% greater in deforested areas (3.86o/oo) than in the remnant forest interior (2.57o/oo). These differences may reflect increases in cattle grazing, pollution from proximity to roads, and loss of soil organic matter in deforested sites. Indigenous communities, state agencies, and international non-governmental organizations alike are advocating for continued protection of these remnant dry tropical forests. Our detailed assessment of the vulnerability of these natural and cultural resources to deforestation aims to both build on scientific understanding of dry tropical forests’ responses to disturbance and serve as evidence in support of regional conservation efforts.
