In tropical montane forests, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) usually decreases with increasing altitude. Besides low photosynthesis (Kitayama and Aiba 2002) and direct impact of low temperatures on plant growth (Hoch and Körner 2003), low ANPP at high altitudes has often been attributed to nutrient limitation (Bruijnzeel et al. 1993; Bruijnzeel and Veneklaas 1998; Tanner et al. 1998).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Soethe, N., Wilcke, W., Homeier, J., Lehmann, J., Engels, C. (2008). Plant Growth Along the Altitudinal Gradient — Role of Plant Nutritional Status, Fine Root Activity, and Soil Properties. In: Beck, E., Bendix, J., Kottke, I., Makeschin, F., Mosandl, R. (eds) Gradients in a Tropical Mountain Ecosystem of Ecuador. Ecological Studies, vol 198. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73526-7_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73526-7_24
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-73525-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-73526-7
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)