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Science 23 April 1993:
Vol. 260. no. 5107, pp. 521 - 523
DOI: 10.1126/science.260.5107.521
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Articles

The Relation Between Biological Activity of the Rain Forest and Mineral Composition of Soils

Y. Lucas 1, F. J. Luizao 2, A. Chauvel 2, J. Rouiller 3, and D. Nahon 4

1 Núcleo de Pesquisa da Geoquimica da Utosfera and Institut Français de Recherche Scientifique pour le Développement en Coopération, Université de Säo Paulo, CP 9638, 01065 Säo Paulo, Brazil
2 Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Laboratório de Ecologia, CP 478, 69060 Manaus, Brazil
3 Centre de Pédologie Biologique, 54500 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France
4 Université Saint-Jérôme, Géosciences de l'Environnement, 13397 Marseille Cedex 13, France

In most soils of the humid tropics, kaolinitic topsoil horizons overlie more gibbsitic horizons. This arrangement cannot be produced simply by leaching. Quantitative measurement of the turnover of chemical elements in the litterfall in an Amazonian ecosystem indicates that the forest cycles a significant amount of elements, particularly silicon. As a result, fluids that percolate through topsoil horizons already contain dissolved silicon. This effect keeps silicon from being leached down and may account for the stability of kaolinite in the soil upper horizons. The soil mineral composition is thus maintained by biological activity.

Submitted on September 8, 1992
Accepted on December 24, 1992


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