Root nutrient uptake strategies across forest types in Singapore's Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Abstract

Growth and development of plants are highly reliant on the concentration of nutrients present in the soil, which are mainly absorbed through the plant roots. • Widespread cash crop agriculture depleted Singapore’s soil nutrients and established distinct forest types ranging from early secondary to old-growth forests. • Despite recent advances in our understanding of roots and their processes, tropical belowground ecology remains understudied, especially in Southeast Asia.