Differences in Extractable Phosphorus Among Soils of the La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica

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Abstract
Low levels of extractable phosphorus (1.6 .+-. 0.14 .mu.g/g) were observed in soils which apparently developed from an old larva flow at La Selva, and progressively higher levels were found in soils derived from another lava flow (2.6 .+-. 0.15 .mu.g/g), old alluvial material (3.9 .+-. 0.31), and recently deposited alluvium (36.6 .+-. 3.4). No significant differences in nitrogen mineralization were observed among these soils. Seedlings of Phytolacca rivinoides accumulated more biomass when grown in old alluvial soils than in soils in derived from lava flow. Studies of population-, physiological-, and ecosystem-level processes could benefit from considering such differences.