Hurricane-Induced Massive Nutrient Return via Tropical Dry Forest Litterfall: Has Forest Biogeochemistry Resilience Changed?

High-intensity hurricane disturbances have severe consequences on forest structure and functioning. Through wind force and heavy rainfall, they cause extensive canopy removal and an input of fine litter and woody debris well above normal levels. We examined litterfall N and P concentrations and fluxes before and after Hurricane Patricia (category 4) landfall in October 2015 in the seasonally dry tropical forest of the Chamela region, Jalisco, Mexico. Additionally, we compared the forest response to Patricia with those to Hurricane Jova (2011), from the Eastern North Pacific basin and to Hurricane Dean (2007) from the Atlantic basin. Nutrient concentrations in hurricane-induced litterfall in October 2015 were 2.2 times higher in leaf litter than in the woody fraction. Both litterfall N and P concentrations during the period November–February following the hurricane were generally higher than in similar periods in years previous to and after Patricia. Nutrient fluxes in October 2015 (75.9 kgN/ha and 3.6 kgP/ha) represented 55% (N) and 52% (P) of the total fluxes that year, which were much higher than those in any of the three years following the hurricane. These results suggest that forest biogeochemical resilience has changed in the short term. The annual litterfall N and P fluxes during the year of Hurricane Dean were lower than in 2011 and 2015, but similar to non-hurricane years. After Patricia, the annual N flux was higher, but the annual P flux lower than after Jova, and the former represents the largest annual N flux in our more than 25 years record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]