Soils were collected at a chronosequence of five seasonal
forests (range 5-100 yrs) at the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico one month before and
one month after the occurrence of hurricane Wilma in October of 2005. Soils are
sallow <10 cm and they are characterized by karstic features on limestone
bedrock. We estimate that the study site sustained winds over 190 km/hr and
>2m of precipitation between 12 and 24 hours. The hurricane removed 90% of
the canopy coverage and produced a massive enrichment of organic matter on the
soil. Pre-hurricane soil organic matter had a maximum of 62% in a mature forest
and soil organic carbon accounts for over 75 MgC/ha in the shallow soils. We
hypothesize that prior site history (forest age) might have different patters
and limiting process of responses on soil biomass, carbon and nutrients after
the hurricane. Nutrient limitations may occur because of the massive C:nutient
ratio and possible nutrient leaching during the hurricane disturbance.