Journal article
Recycling of phenolic compounds in Borneo’s tropical peat swamp forests
Carbon Balance and Management, Vol.13(3)
2018
Abstract
Background: Tropical peat swamp forests (TPSF) are globally significant carbon stores, sequestering carbon mainly as phenolic polymers and phenolic compounds (particularly as lignin and its derivatives) in peat layers, in plants, and in the acidic blackwaters. Previous studies show that TPSF plants have particularly high levels of phenolic compounds which inhibit the decomposition of organic matter and thus promote peat accumulation. The studies of phenolic compounds are thus crucial to further understand how TPSF function with respect to carbon sequestration. Here we present a study of cycling of phenolic compounds in five forests in Borneo differing in flooding and acidity, leaching of phenolic compounds from senescent Macaranga pruinosa leaves, and absorption of phenolics by M. pruinosa seedlings. Results: The results of the study show that total phenolic content (TPC) in soil and leaves of three species of Macaranga were highest in TPSF followed by freshwater swamp forest and flooded limestone forest, then dry land sites. Highest TPC values were associated with acidity (in TPSF) and waterlogging (in flooded forests). Moreover, phenolic compounds are rapidly leached from fallen senescent leaves, and could be reabsorbed by tree roots and converted into more complex phenolics within the leaves. Conclusions: Extreme conditions-waterlogging and acidity-may facilitate uptake and synthesis of protective phenolic compounds which are essential for impeded decomposition of organic matter in TPSF. Conversely, the ongoing drainage and degradation of TPSF, particularly for conversion to oil palm plantations, reverses the conditions necessary or peat accretion and carbon sequestration.
Details
- Title
- Recycling of phenolic compounds in Borneo’s tropical peat swamp forests
- Authors
- Catherine M Yule (Author) - Monash University Malaysia, MalaysiaYau Yan Lim (Author) - Monash University Malaysia, MalaysiaTse Tuen Lim (Author) - Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
- Publication details
- Carbon Balance and Management, Vol.13(3); 14
- Publisher
- SpringerOpen
- Date published
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1186/s13021-018-0092-6
- ISSN
- 1750-0680
- Copyright note
- Copyright © The Author(s) 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451239902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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