Long-Term C, N and P Losses by Sediment Yield in Five Watershed in a Mexican Tropical Deciduous Forest Ecosystem

摘要

The present study describes the losses of C, N and P by sediment yield in five small catchments over a six-year period in a tropical deciduous forest ecosystem in western Mexico. The sediment yields were highly variable among years due to the high variability of rainfall. The distribution of rainfall within year explains sediment yield, rather than annual rainfall. C, N and P losses also were highly variable among years, explained mainly by losses of mass sediment. Although nutrient losses by sediment yield are negligible in relation to nutrient budget under forest cover, this values can increased significantly after deforestation. The high variability of nutrient losses suggests that the effects of soil management on soil nutrients losses could be very unpredictable among years.