Influence of polyphenols on soil nitrogen mineralization through the formation of bound protein in tropical montane forests of Mount Kinabalu, Borneo

► We quantify bound protein (protein-polyphenol complexes or PPC) in the soil. ► Greater PPC is found in soil solution of nutrient poor forest. ► A small fraction of PPC exists in nutrient poor forest. ► PPC sequester nitrogen in soil which is biotically unavailable to plants.