Hello everyone!
Could you please give me an opinion on this topic?
Decomposition typically occurs quickly in moist tropical forests. However, waterlogging in the soil of some moist tropical forests results over time in a buildup of organic matter called “peat.” Discuss the relationship of net primary production, net ecosystem production, and decomposition for such an ecosystem. Are NPP and NEP likely to be positive? What do you think would happen to NEP if a landowner drained the water from a tropical peatland, exposing the organic matter to air?
This is my answer:
Waterlogging prevents oxygen from reaching decomposing microorganisms, so the decomposition slows down when there is an excess of water. Absence of oxygen will also decrease NPP and NEP, and since the soils in tropical forests are usually low in nutrients, these two factors are likely to limit the productivity of such a system and NPP and NEP are not likely to be positive there. However, exposing the organic matter to air would make the peat a very fertile soil for microorganism and plant growth. NEP and NPP are bound to skyrocket after the exposure of the organic matter to oxygen (the limiting factor).
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