Tropical cyclones dominate the disturbance regime experienced by forest ecosystems in many parts of the world. Interactions between cyclone disturbance regimes and nutrient availability strongly influence forest ecosystem dynamics. However, uncertainty exists over the importance of soil fertility properties (i.e., total soil phosphorus-P concentration) in mediating forest resistance and recovery from cyclone disturbance. We hypothesized that forests on soils with low total P (e.g., developed on limited-P parent material) have a higher resistance to but a slower recovery from cyclone disturbance than forests on high P soils. We investigated cyclone impacts on litterfall, an essential conduit for nutrient recycling in forest ecosystems. We compiled site-level forest litterfall data from 53 studies and datasets associated with 15 naturally-occurring one simulated tropical cyclone in 23 sites within five regions (Taiwan, Australia, Mexico, Hawaii, and the Caribbean)and four cyclone basins. We calculated the effect sizes of cyclone disturbance on the litterfall mass and nutrient (P and nitrogen-N) concentrations and fluxes during the first (< five) years post-disturbance across a total soil P gradient. We also assessed the effect of 20 covariates on the degree of cyclone impact on litterfall. Total litterfall mass flux increased by 4820%following cyclone disturbance. Such an initial increase in litterfall mass reflects the magnitude of cyclone-derived plant material input to the forest floor, which was highest in the Caribbean and lowest in Taiwan. Among 20 covariates, soil P and region were the best predictors of cyclone effects on total litterfall mass, explaining 80% of the variance. The effect sizes increased linearly with soil P and region, from significantly lower in Taiwan (low-P) to largest in the Caribbean (high-P). Total litterfall P and N fluxes increased significantly post-cyclone, whereas the increase in leaf P flux was twice as that in Nflux. Results highlight the importance of understanding the interactions between disturbance and nutrient gradients in forest ecosystems to understand forest responses to altered cyclone regimes expected under climate change.

Catchments in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico are warm, wet, and tropical with steep elevational relief creating gradients in temperature and rainfall. Long-term objectives of research at the site are to understand how changing climate and disturbance regimes alter hydrological and biogeochemical processes in the montane tropics and to provide information critical for managing and conserving tropical forest ecosystems globally. Measurements of hydrology and meteorology span decades, and currently include temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloud base, throughfall, groundwater table elevation, and stream discharge. The chemistry of rain, throughfall, and streams is measured weekly, and lysimeters and wells are sampled monthly to quarterly. Multiple data sets document the effects of major hurricanes including Hugo (1989), Georges (1998), and Maria (2017) on vegetation, biota, and catchment biogeochemistry and provide some of the longest available records of biogeochemical fluxes in tropical forests. Here we present an overview of the findings and the data sets that have been generated from the Luquillo Mountains, highlighting their importance for understanding montane tropical watersheds in the context of disturbance and global environmental change