Soil‐Plant Relationships in a Eucalyptus Forest on the South Coast of New South Wales

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Abstract
The chemical and physical soil characteristics of the Eucalyptus associations in Benandra State Forest are described. Changes in species associations occur over a gradient of increasing moisture and nutrient status of soils from ridge to gully sites. Concentrations of major nutrients in leaves and bark of dominant trees on these sites generally follow the soil gradients. In particular, leaf phosphorus and bark calcium are correlated with the corresponding soil nutrients. Soil calcium and magnesium are also correlated with leaf phosphorus, indicating a possible interaction between these soil nutrients and phosphorus uptake by the trees. Soil magnesium is similarly correlated with bark calcium. Aluminum is the major exchangeable cation in soils of the poorer ridge sites which are the most acid. It is hypothesized that soil aluminum competes with other nutrient cations such as calcium and magnesium for sites of absorption on plant roots. In addition to the effect of soil pH on phosphate solubility, competition between aluminum ions and other cations may inhibit the absorption and uptake of calcium and phosphorus, both of which are important to the growth and nutrition of the Eucalyptus species in the study area.

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