Abstract

The importance of nutrients in the ecosystem and the role played by the vegetation in conserving the same in tropical forest ecosystems is well recognised. The present study was carried out to assess the nutrient status in the vegetation, litter and soil of an evergreen forest ecosystem. A typical evergreen forest ecosystem at Pothumala of Nemmara Forest Division was divided into three components viz. vegetation (above ground and root), litter and soil. Biomass was estimated by harvesting and weighing. Soil samples were collected from pits of one metre depth and analysis for total forms of N, P, K, Ca and Mg were carried out in plant and soil samples and the nutrient inventory of each component in the ecosystem was arrived at. The forest biomass (511 Mg ha-1) is comparable to that of similar ecosystems in the world. Stocks of nutrients in the biomass follow the trend CaNKMgP. Potassium is the element most abundantly present in the soil with other elements in the order NCaPMg. The bulk of the nutrients in the ecosystem (85) is contained in the soil component, the only exception being calcium