Soil chemical properties under kauri (Agathis australis) in The Waitakere Ranges, New Zealand

Kauri is known to cause low soil pH and loss of Al from the Al-hydroxy-interlayers from interlayered vermiculite. Kauri is also associated with intense podzolisation and therefore we studied the Al and Fe phases in soil under kauri and under adjacent broadleaf/treefern vegetation for comparison. Kauri accumulates significantly higher amounts of organic matter, which cause a significantly lower soil pH. This lower soil pH under kauri results in increased breakdown of alumino-silicates relative to broadleaf/treefern vegetation. At the same time, the larger amount of organic carbon in soils under kauri causes higher amounts of bound Al and Fe. In Ah-horizons under kauri, sesquioxides appear to be protected by organic matter, which renders them inaccessible to oxalate extraction. The distribution of pyrophosphate-extractable Fe and Al suggests podzolisation, but is due to a combination of transport and local weathering and complexation. The effect of kauri on the soil, as compared to adjacent tree species, appears to be generated by its longevity: large amounts of litter and leachates on one site, rather than its litter quality.