不同混交类型对毛竹林土壤有机碳和土壤呼吸的影响

为了解不同混交类型对毛竹林土壤有机碳含量和组成以及土壤呼吸的影响,为武夷山地区毛竹林土壤环境改善和可持续生产经营积累实验数据,以武夷山地区毛竹(Phyllostachys edulis J.Houz.)纯林、毛竹-阔叶树混交林、毛竹-油茶(Camellia oleifera Abel.)混交林、毛竹-杉木[Cunninghamia lanceolate (Lamb.) Hook.]混交林和毛竹-油桐[Vernicia fordii (Hemsl.) Airy Shaw]混交林5种林地为研究对象,对林地土壤进行采样并测定土壤有机碳含量、土壤活性有机碳组成和比例以及土壤呼吸.结果显示:(1)5种林地的土壤总有机碳(soil organic carbon,SOC)含量和SOC富集系数均表现为毛竹-阔叶树>毛竹-油茶>毛竹-杉木>毛竹纯林>毛竹-油桐,且一年之中夏季SOC含量最低.(2)SOC、土壤可溶性有机碳(dissolved organic carbon,DOC)、土壤微生物生物量碳(microbial biomass carbon,MBC)和轻组碳(lightfractionorganiccarbon,LFOC)含量均随土层深度加深而降低;毛竹-油桐林、毛竹-杉木林和毛竹-阔叶树林的几种土壤有机碳之间均表现为显著(P <0.05)正相关,部分甚至达到极显著(P <0.01).(3)毛竹-阔叶树林地的DOC、MBC和LFOC含量显著(P <0.05)高于其他林地,毛竹-油桐林地的DOC和LFOC含量在几种混交类型中最低,但其在0-20 cm土层的MBC含量显著(P <0.05)高于其他林地;DOC占SOC的比例随土层深度加深而增大,LFOC比例随土壤深度加深而减小,但混交林的LFOC比例相对于毛竹纯林有所提高,MBC比例在一定范围内波动.(4)一年四季中夏季林地的土壤呼吸最高,而毛竹-油茶林的土壤呼吸在几种林地中较高.综上,不同混交类型对土壤有机碳含量和组成以及土壤呼吸产生影响,毛竹-油桐林的土壤有机碳相对毛竹纯林有所下降,但其能够提高土壤上层的MBC含量,毛竹-阔叶树和毛竹-油茶的混交类型对土壤有机碳含量的提升效果较好,但毛竹-油茶林的土壤呼吸较高,因此在选择毛竹林混交方式时需要综合考虑.(图5表2参53)     

Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks as affected by different land use in an Ultisol in Imo Watershed,southern Nigeria

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) concentrations and stocks are essential for improving soil quality and increasing C-reservoir. The study aimed at quantifying the dynamics of soil properties under different land use in Imo watershed where there is no knowledge about the effects of land use on SOC and STN pool. Six land use: arable land (AL), forest land (FL), grassland (GL), shrubland hills (SL), urban built-up green (UL), and freshwater swamp-mangrove wetland (WL) were classified using ArcGIS 10.1 and FAO land use classification system. Soil samples were collected and analyzed from each land use under different soil depths and slope positions with three replications. Topsoil layer (0–30?cm) contributed to more than 90% of the total soil nutrients. Land use significantly affected SOC content, STN content, and bulk density. SOC and STN concentrations were in the order of FL?>?WL?>?GL?>?SL?>?UL?>?AL which revealed the potentials of FL and WL for SOC and STN sequestration. The study provides land users with the information to improve soil quality, conserve C and N stocks for ecological sustainability and climate change mitigation.     

Seasonal variation of soil carbon and nitrogen under five typical Pinus massoniana forests

Five different typical Pinus massoniana forests were sampled in the Guizhou Province to evaluate the effects of seasons on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (STN), and inorganic nitrogen (SIN) in these forests. More seasonal variation occurred in the topsoil than in lower layers. The SOC and STN contents varied the least amongst the soil layers, but the SIN contents had the largest values and ranges during autumn. Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) exhibited neither a vertical change nor a seasonal trend. C/N was either maximal or minimal depending upon the sites during autumn, indicating that ecological process during summer soils would strongly change this. More gravel content resulted in higher litter stock, SOC, and STN level in low-productivity forests. A low phosphorus level might result in low SOC and STN contents in clay-rich soils. Low litter stock and clay content will result in low SOC and STN levels in coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests in contrast to pure forests. The SOC and soil N contents in P. massoniana forests are apparently affected by different sampling seasons, particularly in topsoil. This should be taken into account when evaluating C and N contents and their respective storages in other forest types.     

围湖造田不同土地利用方式土壤有机碳和易氧化碳

围湖造田是我国20世纪50年代后期开始大量出现的与水争地的人类干扰活动。以太湖流域肖甸湖区为试验地,测定分析了该围湖造田区香樟（Cinnamomum camphora）林、水杉（Metasequoia glyptostroboides）林、毛竹（Phyllostachys heterocycla）林和农田4种不同典型土地利用方式35年后0～10 cm、10～20 cm、20～40 cm土壤有机碳和易氧化碳含量的差异,以及土壤易氧化碳的季节动态。结果表明：表层（0～10 cm）土壤有机碳含量林地显著高于农田,阔叶林高于针叶林。土壤易氧化碳含量随季节与土层深度的变化而变化,香樟林与毛竹林春夏季节大于冬季,水杉林与农田季节波动较平缓。4种土地利用方式下土壤有机碳和易氧化碳均随土层增加含量递减。与围湖地区内的溪流底泥相比,林地与农田表层土壤有机碳含量均有明显增加;与旱地发育的植被土壤相比,围湖后的土壤有机碳含量较低,易氧化碳含量较高,土壤有机碳稳定性较差。围湖造田作为人类对自然生态系统的一种干扰方式,显著改变了原有生态系统的碳循环特征,因此在研究全球碳循环中,围湖造田对生态系统碳循环的影响应该给予充分考虑。     

不同恢复年限刺槐林土壤碳、氮、磷含量及其生态化学计量特征

地处西秦岭山地的甘肃天水吕二沟小流域土壤侵蚀问题严重,上世纪五六十年代开始,当地政府在研究区实施了多年的生态恢复措施以保持水土,但目前尚未有植被恢复对土壤生态计量特征的系统调查。分析不同林龄人工林土壤碳、氮、磷含量及其生态化学计量特征可在一定程度上揭示土壤养分的限制情况。选取黄土丘陵沟壑区不同生长年限(5、20、40、56 a)的人工刺槐林(Robinia pseudoacacia L.)为研究对象,以荒地为对照,探讨不同恢复年限人工刺槐林0-100 cm土壤碳、氮、磷含量及其生态化学计量特征。结果表明,5年恢复期后,随林龄的增加,土壤有机碳、全氮、C:P比和N:P比均显著增加(P<0.05),平均值分别为5.09 g·kg^-1、0.66 g·kg^-1、9.02、1.18,均低于中国土壤生态计量平均水平;土壤含水率下降,土壤干化明显;土壤容重和C:N比的变化不大(P>0.05);全磷无明显变化规律,均值为0.56 g·kg^-1,接近中国土壤的平均值。长期的植被恢复有利于增加土壤有机碳和全氮含量,但仍需要更长期的人工刺槐林种植来提高土壤肥力。研究区人工恢复水保林水分亏空是限制刺槐生长的重要因素,氮是流域土壤的主要限制性营养元素。本研究有助于当地政府调整植树造林措施、保持土壤质量稳步提升、预防人工林地退化,为人工林管理提供参考。     

Soil C and N changes with afforestation of grasslands across gradients of precipitation and plantation age

Afforestation, the conversion of unforested lands to forests, is a tool for sequestering anthropogenic carbon dioxide into plant biomass. However, in addition to altering biomass, afforestation can have substantial effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) pools, some of which have much longer turnover times than plant biomass. An increasing body of evidence suggests that the effect of afforestation on SOC may depend on mean annual precipitation (MAP). The goal of this study was to test how labile and bulk pools of SOC and total soil nitrogen (TN) change with afforestation across a rainfall gradient of 600-1500 mm in the Rio de la Plata grasslands of Argentina and Uruguay. The sites were all former grasslands planted with Eucalyptus spp. Overall, we found that afforestation increased (up to 1012 kg C x ha(-1) x yr(-1)) or decreased (as much as 1294 kg C x ha(-1) x yr(-1)) SOC pools in this region and that these changes were significantly related to MAP. Drier sites gained, and wetter sites lost, SOC and TN (r2 = 0.59, P = 0.003; and r2 = 0.57, P = 0.004, respectively). Labile C and N in microbial biomass and extractable soil pools followed similar patterns to bulk SOC and TN. Interestingly, drier sites gained more SOC and TN as plantations aged, while losses reversed as plantations aged in wet sites, suggesting that plantation age in addition to precipitation is a critical driver of changes in soil organic matter with afforestation. This new evidence implies that longer intervals between harvests for plantations could improve SOC storage, ameliorating the negative trends found in humid sites. Our results suggest that the value of afforestation as a carbon sequestration tool should be considered in the context of precipitation and age of the forest stand.     

广东省森林球囊霉素相关土壤蛋白含量及影响因素

植被和土壤组成的差异将影响土壤微生物的组成及动态,土壤微生物的动态变化将体现在微生物产物上。球囊霉素相关土壤蛋白(Glomalin-related soil protein,GRSP)被认为是唯一来源于丛枝菌根真菌(Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi,AMF)的糖蛋白,是土壤碳库的稳定组分,可用于指示AMF对土壤碳固持的影响。鉴于已有GRSP相关研究多集中在样点尺度,缺乏区域水平的研究这一事实,该研究选择广东省164个代表性森林样地为研究对象,通过测定表层(0-10 cm)土壤GRSP含量、土壤理化性质,旨在了解广东省森林土壤中GRSP水平及其对土壤有机碳固持的贡献。结合土壤理化性质、植被特征探讨区域范围内GRSP的影响因素。结果表明,(1)广东省森林土壤表层土(0-10 cm)中总球囊霉素相关土壤蛋白(total GRSP,T-GRSP)质量分数为(3.26±0.11) g?kg-1,易提取球囊霉素相关土壤蛋白(easily extractable GRSP,EE-GRSP)质量分数为(1.11±0.03) g?kg-1,植被起源和植被类型对GRSP含量的影响不显著,GRSP在地带性土壤中呈现黄壤>红壤>赤红壤>砖红壤的显著变化趋势。(2)针叶林GRSP的平均水平高于常绿阔叶林,这一趋势与3种植被类型下灌木草本层生物量的趋势一致。(3)GRSP与土壤有机碳含量、阳离子交换量呈显著正相关关系,与土壤pH值呈显著负相关关系,GRSP含量随土壤细颗粒(粒径<50μm)含量的增加而增加。广东省森林土壤GRSP对土壤有机碳的绝对贡献率为2.3%,GRSP能够与土壤细颗粒结合促进土壤团聚体的形成,并提高土壤保水性能和肥力。     

降水变化、氮添加对鼎湖山主要森林土壤有机碳矿化和土壤微生物碳的影响

全球变化对土壤有机碳(SOC)存贮与分解的影响在全球碳(C)循环中具有重要地位.分别通过室内土壤培养法和氯仿熏蒸法,研究了降水变化和氮(N)添加处理对鼎湖山3种不同演替阶段的季风常绿阔叶林、针阔混交林和马尾松针叶林SOC矿化和土壤微生物量碳(SMBC)的影响.结果表明:1)降水量增加能够提高森林演替晚期SOC累积矿化量和矿化速率,而对森林演替早期SOC累积矿化量和矿化速率没有显著影响(P>0.05).2)干旱条件(降水量减少)降低森林SMBC含量,且在鼎湖山季风林表层土壤(0～10 cm)中SMBC的减少达到显著水平(P<0.05).3)N添加处理对鼎湖山3种森林类型SOC累积矿化量、矿化速率以及SMBC都没有显著影响(P>0.05).未来关于SOC矿化对全球变化响应的研究,要综合考虑土壤有机质质量、C/N比例、外源性氮输入等因素的作用.图4表2参37     

Agricultural legacies in forest environments: tree communities, soil properties, and light availability.

Temperate deciduous forests across much of Europe and eastern North America reflect legacies of past land use, particularly in the diversity and composition of plant communities. Intense disturbances, such as clearing forests for agriculture, may cause persistent environmental changes that continue to shape vegetation patterns as landscapes recover. We assessed the long-term consequences of agriculture for environmental conditions in central New York forests, including tree community structure and composition, soil physical and chemical properties, and light availability. To isolate the effects of agriculture, we compared 20 adjacent pairs of forests that were never cleared for agriculture (primary forests) and forests that established 85-100 years ago on plowed fields (secondary forests). Tree communities in primary and secondary forests had similar stem density, though secondary forests had 14% greater basal area. Species composition differed dramatically between the two forest types, with primary forests dominated by Acer saccharum and Fagus grandifolia and secondary forests by Acer rubrum and Pinus strobus. Primary and secondary forests showed no consistent differences in soil physical properties or in the principal gradient of soil fertility associated with soil pH. Within stands, however, soil water content and pH were more variable in primary forests. Secondary forest soils had 15% less organic matter, 16% less total carbon, and 29% less extractable phosphorus in the top 10 cm than adjacent primary stands, though the ranges of the forest types mostly overlapped. Understory light availability in primary and secondary forests was similar. These results suggest that, within 100 years, post-agricultural stands have recovered conditions comparable to less disturbed forests in many attributes, including tree size and number, soil physical properties, soil chemical properties associated with pH, and understory light availability. The principal legacies of agriculture that remain in these forests are the reduced levels of soil organic matter, carbon, and phosphorus; the spatial homogenization of soil properties; and the altered species composition of the vegetation.     

粤北亚热带山地森林土壤有机碳沿海拔梯度的变化

选择位于南岭国家级自然保护区的广东第一峰——石坑崆,从海拔300 m起到山顶部1 900 m范围,每隔100 m高程设置1条10 m×120 m的样带,共17条样带,研究土壤有机碳含量沿海拔梯度的变化规律及其与植被类型和凋落物层厚度的关系。结果表明,0～20 cm和>20～40 cm土层有机碳含量均随海拔梯度变化呈极显著差异(P<0.001),并随林分类型不同而呈高度显著差异(P<0.01),土壤有机碳含量总体上呈随海拔上升而升高的变化趋势。凋落物层厚度仅对0～20 cm土层有机碳含量有显著影响(P<0.05)。可见,海拔梯度变化是影响土壤有机碳含量的综合和主导因素,而最表层土壤有机碳含量还易受林分因子的影响,这些因子反映了土地利用变化及自然保护历史。该研究结果提示,减少人类活动的干扰和保持林地适合的凋落物层厚度有助于增加森林生态系统的碳储量。     

密云水库上游流域不同林分土壤有机碳分布特征

在全球气候变化背景下,森林土壤有机碳库作为全球土壤碳库的重要组成部分,已成为全球碳循环研究的重点之一。以密云水库上游流域天然次生山杨（Populus davidiana Dode）、白桦（Betula platyphylla Suk.）混交林、天然次生辽东栎（Quercus wutaishanica Blume）林、人工华北落叶松（Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr.）林、人工油松（Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.）林和灌丛等5种典型林分为研究对象,选取典型样区,进行密集采样和试验分析,探讨了不同林分土壤有机碳质量分数和密度的分布特征。结果表明：在整个土壤剖面上（0~40 cm）,不同林分土壤有机碳质量分数和密度大小顺序均为：杨桦林〉辽东栎林〉灌丛〉落叶松林〉油松林,总体上呈现出随土地利用强度和人为干扰程度增加而降低的变化趋势,即天然次生林比人工林更有利于土壤有机碳的储存和积累;不同林分类型土壤有机碳质量分数和密度均在表层（0~10 cm）最大,并随着土层深度的增加呈下降趋势,剖面分布差异明显;此外,不同林分在0~20 cm土层中的单位面积土壤有机碳储量均占其剖面总储量的57%以上,即土壤有机碳富集在0~20 cm深的表层土体中。因此,为增加森林土壤固碳,应加强对天然次生林的保护,减少人类活动对森林及其表土层的干扰。     

Vertical infiltration of fuel oil hydrocarbons in an agricultural soil

The influence of rainfall, air temperature and soil moisture on the vertical mobility in the soil of fuel oil hydrocarbons (HC) was investigated in a field experiment. A controlled spreading of fuel oil (nC10‐nC25) was performed at a rate of 5 L HCm^‐2 on an agricultural soil in summer and in winter. Concentration, chemical composition of HC and soil moisture were regularly determined at different soil depths between 0 and 140 cm, 1 h, 3, 8and 15 days (d) after the spreading of oil. Sorption of hydrocarbons onto the organo‐mineral matrix of the soil was studied in laboratory experiments. The results showed that in summer, with an air temperature of 24°C and without water leaching in the soil profile, 65% of the initial HC remained trapped in the 0–140 cm soil layer, about 20% of the HC volatilized and around 15% migrated deeper. A vertical selective migration of the lightest (nC10‐nC15) HC (naphthas) was shown lSd after the spreading of fuel oil. Naphthas progressively reached the 120–140 cm soil layers whereas the heavy fractions of oil (nC17‐nC25) migrated and concentrated in the 0–60 cm soil layers. In winter, when soil was regularly watered by rainfalls and at low air temperatures, only 47% of the initial HC remained in the 0–140 cm profile after 15 d. A fast vertical infiltration of naphthas occurred within the first 3 d. After 15 d, all HC were detected in the same relative amounts as in the initial oil in the whole profile. Volatilization was negligible in winter and an increase in the migration of total oil at depth in the soil profile was shown. As inferred from the laboratory experiments, the high soil moisture led to the decrease in HC sorption on the organo‐mineral matter of the soil.     

Temporal changes in C and N stocks of restored prairie: implications for C sequestration strategies

The recovery of ecosystem C and N dynamics after disturbance can be a slow process. Chronosequence approaches offer unique opportunities to use space-for-time substitution to quantify the recovery of ecosystem C and N stocks and estimate the potential of restoration practices for C sequestration. We studied the distribution of C and N stocks in two chronosequences that included long-term cultivated lands, 3- to 26-year-old prairie restorations, and remnant prairie on two related soil series. Results from the two chronosequences did not vary significantly and were combined. Based on modeling predictions, the recovery rates of different ecosystem components varied greatly. Overall, C stocks recovered faster than N stocks, but both C and N stocks recovered more rapidly for aboveground vegetation than for any other ecosystem component. Aboveground C and N reached 95% of remnant levels in only 13 years and 21 years, respectively, after planting to native vegetation. Belowground plant C and N recovered several decades later, while microbial biomass C, soil organic C (SOC), and total soil N recovered on a century timescale. In the cultivated fields, SOC concentrations were depleted within the surface 25 cm, coinciding with the depth of plowing, but cultivation apparently led to redistribution of soil C, increasing SOC stocks deeper in the soil profile. The restoration of prairie vegetation was effective at rebuilding soil organic matter (SOM) in the surface soil. Accrual rates were maintained at 43 g C x m(-2) x yr(-1) and 3 g N x m(-2) x yr(-1) in the surface 0.16 Mg/m2 soil mass during the first 26 years of restoration and were predicted to reach 50% of their storage potential (3500 g C/m2) in the first 100 years. We conclude that restoration of tallgrass prairie vegetation can restore SOM lost through cultivation and has the potential to sequester relatively large amounts of SOC over a sustained period of time. Whether restored prairies can retain the C apparently transferred to the subsoil by cultivation practices remains to be seen.     

黄河下游灌区土壤碳储量及碳密度分布

土壤碳（C）,特别是土壤有机碳（SOC）,对于提高作物产量和减少温室气体排放具有重要影响,深入理解 SOC 空间分布特征对于未来区域生态环境和农业的可持续发展也具有重要作用。黄河下游引黄灌区是我国重要的粮、棉生产基地,具有50年以上的引黄灌溉历史,长期引黄灌溉对区域土壤C储量和分布的改变毋庸置疑。以往关于土壤C的估算多集中于较大尺度,受采样数据量和大区域环境因素复杂变异影响,结果经常出现较大差异,并且对于大型水利灌溉对土壤 C 分布的长期影响研究较少,尤其对于我国黄河下游引黄灌区土壤 C 分布的研究稀缺。本文通过收集黄河下游鲁、豫灌区相关统计资料,灌区土壤、水文资料等,分7层（0～5 cm、5～10 cm、10～20 cm、20～40 cm、40～60 cm、60～80 cm、80～100 cm）采集0～1 m剖面土壤样品,利用GIS空间差值、空间统计方法,分析不同土层、土地利用、土壤类型碳储量和碳密度（CD）空间分布特征,为研究区长期引黄灌溉条件下生态农业的发展提供依据。结果表明研究区（面积54153 km2）1 m土层总碳（TC）储量为1045.13 Tg,SOC储量达815.76 Tg,其0～20 cm,20～40 cm,40～60 cm,60～80 cm和80～100 cm分别占23.44%,20.06%,18.95%,18.83%,18.72%。估算1 m土层耕地和荒地SOC储量分别约为610 Tg和18.99 Tg,而草地和林地仅为25.97 Tg和16.41 Tg;不同土壤成土类型之间,半水成土所占的比例最大（约77.82%）,初育土最小（约5.49%）。1 m土层平均总碳密度（TCD）为（19.37±1.48） kg·m^-2,而平均有机碳密度（SCD）为（15.12±1.14） kg·m^-2,其变化范围从荒地的（14.98±0.91） kg·m^-2到林地的（16±1.15） kg·m^-2,同一或不同土地利用类型各层储量变化略有不同,主要是受人类活动、植被凋落物输入以及地下水环境等影响。不同的土壤类型间SCD则介于?     

Effects of Recent Land-Use Practices on Soil Nutrients and Succession under Tropical Wet Forest in Costa Rica

The effects of a variety of agricultural land uses were studied using soil nutrients, forest structure, and species assemblages as indicators. We compared soil properties and successional forests between abandoned cacao ( Theobroma cacao ) and abandoned palm ( Bactris gasipaes ) orchards, abandoned pasture, and mature forest. These sites co-occupy an alluvial terrace soil ( Andic Dystropept ) at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. The agricultural sites were originally cleared of most or all forest vegetation approximately 30 years ago and went into succession approximately 7 years ago. Forest structure, species composition, soil nitrogen and phosphorus pools, and nitrogen-mineralization and nitrification rates were measured for each site. The abandoned palm orchard had lower basal area and stem density than other secondary forests of the same age. It also had significantly smaller nitrate (NaOH-extractable) and organic phosphorus pools and significantly lower net rates of nitrogen-mineralization and nitrification. It is evident that preserving tree cover does not necessarily maintain soil fertility. We found species richness and diversity in the secondary forests to be positively correlated with basal area at the time of abandonment.     

The effects of forest harvest intensity in combination with wind disturbance on carbon dynamics in Lake States Mesic Forests

Total forest carbon (C) storage is determined by succession, disturbances, climate, and the edaphic properties of a site or region. Forest harvesting substantially affects C dynamics; these effects may be amplified if forest harvesting is intensified to provide biofuel feedstock. We tested the effects of harvest intensity on landscape C using a simulation modeling approach that included C dynamics, multiple disturbances, and successional changes in composition. We developed a new extension for the LANDIS-II forest landscape disturbance and succession model that incorporates belowground soil C dynamics derived from the CENTURY soil model. The extension was parameterized and calibrated using data from an experimental forest in northeastern Wisconsin, USA. We simulated a 9800 ha forested landscape over 400 years with wind disturbance combined with no harvesting, harvesting with residual slash left on site (‘standard harvest’), and whole-tree harvesting. We also simulated landscapes without wind disturbance and without eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) to examine the effects of detrital quantity and quality on C dynamics. We estimated changes in live C, detrital C, soil organic C, total C, and forest composition. Overall, the simulations without harvesting had substantially greater total C and continued to sequester C. Standard harvest simulations had more C than the whole tree harvest simulations. Under both harvest regimes, C accrual was not evident after 150 years. Without hemlock, SOC was reduced due to a decline in detritus and a shift in detrital chemistry. In conclusion, if the intensity of harvesting increases we can expect a corresponding reduction in potential C storage. Compositional changes due to historic circumstances (loss of hemlock) may also affect forest C although to a lesser degree than harvesting. The modeling approach presented enabled us to consider multiple, interacting drivers of landscape change and the subsequent changes in forest C.     

Climatic/edaphic controls on soil carbon/nitrogen response to shrub encroachment in desert grassland.

The proliferation of woody plants in grasslands over the past 100+ years can alter carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles and influence land surface-atmosphere interactions. Although the majority of organic carbon in these ecosystems resides belowground, there is no consensus on how this change in land cover has affected soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) pools. The degree to which duration of woody plant occupation, climate, and edaphic conditions have mediated SOC and TN responses to changes in life-form composition are poorly understood. We addressed these issues at a desert grassland site in Arizona, USA, where the leguminous shrub velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) has proliferated along an elevation/precipitation/temperature gradient and on contrasting soil morphologic surfaces. On sandy loam complexes of mid-Holocene origin, mean SOC and TN of soils in the grassland matrix increased approximately 68% and approximately 45%, respectively, with increasing elevation. Soil organic carbon pools were comparable and TN pools were approximately 23% higher in Pleistocene-aged clay loam complexes co-occurring with Holocene-aged soils at the upper elevation/climatic zone. Across the site, belowground resources associated with large Prosopis plants were 21-154% (SOC) and 18-127% (TN) higher than those in the grassy matrix. The variance in SOC and TN pools accounted for by Prosopis stem size (a rough surrogate for time of site occupation) was highest at the low- and mid-elevation sites (69-74%) and lowest at the upper elevation site (32-38%). Soil delta15N values ranged from 5.5 per thousand to 6.7 per thousand across the soil/elevation zones but were comparable in herbaceous and shrub-impacted soils and exhibited a weak relationship with Prosopis basal stem diameter (r2 < 0.1) and TN (r2 < 0.08). The SOC delta13C values decreased linearly with increasing Prosopis basal diameter, suggesting that size and isotopic composition of the SOC pool is a function of time of Prosopis site occupation. Isotopic mixture models indicate that encroachment of C3 woody plants has also promoted SOC additions from C4 plant sources, indicative of long-term herbaceous facilitation. Grassy sites in contrasting soil/elevation combinations, initially highly distinctive in their SOC pool size and delta13C, appear to be converging on similar values following approximately 100 years of woody plant proliferation.     

Modelling soil carbon development in Swedish coniferous forest soils—An uncertainty analysis of parameters and model estimates using the GLUE method

Boreal forest soils such as those in Sweden contain a large active carbon stock. Hence, a relatively small change in this stock can have a major impact on the Swedish national CO₂ balance. Understanding of the uncertainties in the estimations of soil carbon pools is critical for accurately assessing changes in carbon stocks in the national reports to UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. Our objective was to analyse the parameter uncertainties of simulated estimates of the soil organic carbon (SOC) development between 1994 and 2002 in Swedish coniferous forests with the Q model. Both the sensitivity of model parameters and the uncertainties in simulations were assessed. Data of forests with Norway spruce, Scots pine and Lodgepole pine, from the Swedish Forest Soil Inventory (SFSI) were used. Data of 12 Swedish counties were used to calibrate parameter settings; and data from another 11 counties to validate. The “limits of acceptability” within GLUE were set at the 95% confidence interval for the annual, mean measured SOC at county scale. The calibration procedure reduced the parameter uncertainties and reshaped the distributions of the parameters county-specific. The average measured and simulated SOC amounts varied from 60 t C ha⁻¹ in northern to 140 t C ha⁻¹ in the southern Sweden. The calibrated model simulated the soil carbon pool within the limits of acceptability for all calibration counties except for one county during one year. The efficiency of the calibrated model varied strongly; for five out of 12 counties the model estimates agreed well with measurements, for two counties agreement was moderate and for five counties the agreement was poor. The lack of agreement can be explained with the high inter-annual variability of the down-scaled measured SOC estimates and changes in forest areas over time. We conclude that, although we succeed in reducing the uncertainty in the model estimates, calibrating of a regional scale process-oriented model using a national scale dataset is a sensitive balance between introducing and reducing uncertainties. Parameter distributions showed to be scale sensitive and county specific. Further analysis of uncertainties in the methods used for reporting SOC changes to the UNFCCC and Kyoto protocol is recommended.     

Recovery of Soil Macrofauna Communities after Forest Clearance in Eastern Amazonia, Brazil

Abstract:  As primary forest is cleared, pastures and secondary forest occupy an increasing space in the Amazonian landscape. We evaluated the effect of forest clearing on a soil macrofauna (invertebrate) community in a smallholder farming system of southeastern Amazonia. We sampled the soil macrofauna in 22 plots of forest, upland rice fields, pastures, and fallows of different ages. In total, we collected 10,728 invertebrates. In cleared plots the species richness per plot of the soil macrofauna fell from 76 to 30 species per plot immediately after forest clearance, and the composition of the new community was different. Ants, termites, and spiders were most affected by the disturbance. In plots deforested several years before, the effect of forest clearance was highly dependent on the type of land use (pasture or fallow). In fallows, the community was similar to the initial state. The species richness per plot in old fallows rose to 66, and the composition was closer to the primary forests than to the other types of land use. On the contrary, in the pastures the species richness per plot remained low at 47. In fallows, all the groups showed a richness close to that in primary forest, whereas in the forest only the richness of earthworms and Coleoptera recovered. Our results show that forest clearing constitutes a major disturbance for the soil macrofauna and that the recovery potential of the soil macrofauna after 6 or 7 years is much higher in fallows than in pastures. Thus, fallows may play a crucial role in the conservation of soil macrofauna.     

Use of Stress‐Hormone Levels and Habitat Selection to Assess Functional Connectivity of a Landscape for an Amphibian

Abstract: The influence of landscape matrix on functional connectivity has been clearly established. Now methods to assess the effects of different land uses on species’ movements are needed because current methods are often biased. The use of physiological parameters as indicators of the level of resistance to animal movement associated with different land uses (i.e., matrix resistance) could provide estimates of energetic costs and risks to animals migrating through the matrix. To assess whether corticosterone levels indicate matrix resistance, we conducted experiments on substrate choice and measured levels of corticosterone before and after exposure of toads (Bufo bufo) to 3 common substrates (ploughed soil, meadow, and forest litter). We expected matrix resistance and hormone levels to increase from forest litter (habitat of the toad) to meadows to ploughed soil. Adult toads had higher corticosterone levels on ploughed soil than on forest litter or meadow substrates. Hormone levels did not differ between forest litter and meadow. Toads avoided moving onto ploughed soil. Corticosterone levels in juvenile toads were not related to substrate type; however, hormone levels decreased as humidity increased. Juveniles, unlike adults, did not avoid moving over ploughed soil. The difference in responses between adult and juvenile toads may have been due to differences in experimental design (for juveniles, entire body used to measure corticosterone concentration; for adults, saliva alone); differences in the scale of sensory perception of the substrate (juveniles are much smaller than adults); or differences in cognitive processes between adult and juvenile toads. Adults probably had experience with different substrate types, whereas juveniles first emerging from the water probably did not. As a consequence, arable lands could act as ecological traps for juvenile toads.