Why Do Logged Tropical Rain Forest Soils Typically Have Nutrient-Poor

Question

Why do logged tropical rain forest soils typically have nutrient-poor soils?
A) Tropical bedrock contains little phosphorous.
B) Logging results in soil temperatures that are lethal to nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
C) Most of the nutrients in the ecosystem are removed in the harvested timber.
D) The cation exchange capacity of the soil is reversed as a result of logging.
E) Nutrients evaporate easily into the atmosphere in the post-logged forest.

Accepted Answer

Most of the nutrients in tropical rainforests are stored in the biomass of the vegetation. When trees are logged and removed, the nutrients contained in them are also removed from the ecosystem, leaving the soil nutrient-poor.