Stabilization of new carbon inputs rather than old carbon decomposition determines soil organic carbon shifts following woody or herbaceous vegetation transitions
Background and aims: Although numerous studies have quantified the effects of land-use changes on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, few have examined simultaneously the weight of carbon (C) inputs vs. outputs in shaping these changes. We quantified the relative importance of soil C inputs and outp...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Artículo |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Springer
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3523 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11104-016-2951-9#citeas https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-2951-9 |
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| author | Eclesia, Roxana Paola Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel Jackson, Robert B. Rizzotto, Marcos Gregorio Piñeiro, Gervasio |
| author_browse | Eclesia, Roxana Paola Jackson, Robert B. Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel Piñeiro, Gervasio Rizzotto, Marcos Gregorio |
| author_facet | Eclesia, Roxana Paola Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel Jackson, Robert B. Rizzotto, Marcos Gregorio Piñeiro, Gervasio |
| author_sort | Eclesia, Roxana Paola |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | Background and aims:
Although numerous studies have quantified the effects of land-use changes on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, few have examined simultaneously the weight of carbon (C) inputs vs. outputs in shaping these changes. We quantified the relative importance of soil C inputs and outputs in determining SOC changes following the conversion of natural ecosystems to pastures or tree plantations, and evaluated them in light of variations in biomass production, its quality (C:N) and above/belowground allocation patterns.
Methods:
We sampled soils up to one-meter depth under native grasslands or forests and compared them to adjacent sites with pastures or plantations to estimate the proportion of new SOC (SOCnew) retained in the soil and the decomposition rates of old SOC (k SOC-old ) based on δ 13C shifts. We also analyzed these changes in the particulate organic matter fraction (POM) and estimated above and belowground net primary production (ANPP and BNPP) from satellite images, as well as changes in vegetation and soil’s C:N ratios.
Results:
The conversion of grasslands to tree plantations decreased total SOC contents while the conversion of forests to pastures increased SOC contents in the topsoil but decreased them in deep layers, maintaining similar soil stocks up to 1 m. Changes in POM were less important and occurred only in the topsoil after cultivating pastures, following SOC changes. Surprisingly, both land-use trajectories showed similar decomposition rates in the topsoil and therefore overall SOC changes were not correlated with C outputs (k SOC-old ) but were significantly correlated with C inputs and their stabilization as SOCnew (similar results were obtained for the POM fraction). Pastures although decreased ANPP (as compared to forest) they increased belowground allocation and C:N ratios of their inputs to the soil, probably favoring the retention and stabilization of their new C inputs. In contrast, tree plantations increased ANPP but decreased BNPP (as compared to grasslands) and scarcely accumulated SOCnew probably as a result of the high C retention in standing biomass.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that SOC changes are mainly controlled by the quantity and quality of C inputs and their retention in the soil, rather than by C outputs in these perennial subtropical ecosystems. |
| format | Artículo |
| id | INTA3523 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publishDateRange | 2018 |
| publishDateSort | 2018 |
| publisher | Springer |
| publisherStr | Springer |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA35232018-10-01T15:28:01Z Stabilization of new carbon inputs rather than old carbon decomposition determines soil organic carbon shifts following woody or herbaceous vegetation transitions Eclesia, Roxana Paola Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel Jackson, Robert B. Rizzotto, Marcos Gregorio Piñeiro, Gervasio Carbono Orgánico del Suelo Degradación Carbono Raíces Utilización de la Tierra Soil Organic Carbon Degradation Carbon Roots Land Use Decomposition Rate Background and aims: Although numerous studies have quantified the effects of land-use changes on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, few have examined simultaneously the weight of carbon (C) inputs vs. outputs in shaping these changes. We quantified the relative importance of soil C inputs and outputs in determining SOC changes following the conversion of natural ecosystems to pastures or tree plantations, and evaluated them in light of variations in biomass production, its quality (C:N) and above/belowground allocation patterns. Methods: We sampled soils up to one-meter depth under native grasslands or forests and compared them to adjacent sites with pastures or plantations to estimate the proportion of new SOC (SOCnew) retained in the soil and the decomposition rates of old SOC (k SOC-old ) based on δ 13C shifts. We also analyzed these changes in the particulate organic matter fraction (POM) and estimated above and belowground net primary production (ANPP and BNPP) from satellite images, as well as changes in vegetation and soil’s C:N ratios. Results: The conversion of grasslands to tree plantations decreased total SOC contents while the conversion of forests to pastures increased SOC contents in the topsoil but decreased them in deep layers, maintaining similar soil stocks up to 1 m. Changes in POM were less important and occurred only in the topsoil after cultivating pastures, following SOC changes. Surprisingly, both land-use trajectories showed similar decomposition rates in the topsoil and therefore overall SOC changes were not correlated with C outputs (k SOC-old ) but were significantly correlated with C inputs and their stabilization as SOCnew (similar results were obtained for the POM fraction). Pastures although decreased ANPP (as compared to forest) they increased belowground allocation and C:N ratios of their inputs to the soil, probably favoring the retention and stabilization of their new C inputs. In contrast, tree plantations increased ANPP but decreased BNPP (as compared to grasslands) and scarcely accumulated SOCnew probably as a result of the high C retention in standing biomass. Conclusions: Our results suggest that SOC changes are mainly controlled by the quantity and quality of C inputs and their retention in the soil, rather than by C outputs in these perennial subtropical ecosystems. EEA Paraná Fil: Eclesia, Roxana Paola. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; Argentina Fil: Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico, Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi"; Argentina Fil: Jackson, Robert B. Stanford University. School of Earth Sciences. Institute for Energy. Woods Institute for the Environment and Precourt; Estados Unidos Fil: Rizzotto, Marcos Gregorio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico, Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis "Prof. Ezio Marchi"; Argentina Fil: Piñeiro, Gervasio. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Sistemas Ambientales; Uruguay. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina 2018-10-01T15:22:27Z 2018-10-01T15:22:27Z 2016-12 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3523 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11104-016-2951-9#citeas 0032-079X 1573-5036 (Online) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-2951-9 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess application/pdf Springer Plant and soil 409 (1–2) : 99–116. (December 2016) |
| spellingShingle | Carbono Orgánico del Suelo Degradación Carbono Raíces Utilización de la Tierra Soil Organic Carbon Degradation Carbon Roots Land Use Decomposition Rate Eclesia, Roxana Paola Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel Jackson, Robert B. Rizzotto, Marcos Gregorio Piñeiro, Gervasio Stabilization of new carbon inputs rather than old carbon decomposition determines soil organic carbon shifts following woody or herbaceous vegetation transitions |
| title | Stabilization of new carbon inputs rather than old carbon decomposition determines soil organic carbon shifts following woody or herbaceous vegetation transitions |
| title_full | Stabilization of new carbon inputs rather than old carbon decomposition determines soil organic carbon shifts following woody or herbaceous vegetation transitions |
| title_fullStr | Stabilization of new carbon inputs rather than old carbon decomposition determines soil organic carbon shifts following woody or herbaceous vegetation transitions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stabilization of new carbon inputs rather than old carbon decomposition determines soil organic carbon shifts following woody or herbaceous vegetation transitions |
| title_short | Stabilization of new carbon inputs rather than old carbon decomposition determines soil organic carbon shifts following woody or herbaceous vegetation transitions |
| title_sort | stabilization of new carbon inputs rather than old carbon decomposition determines soil organic carbon shifts following woody or herbaceous vegetation transitions |
| topic | Carbono Orgánico del Suelo Degradación Carbono Raíces Utilización de la Tierra Soil Organic Carbon Degradation Carbon Roots Land Use Decomposition Rate |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/3523 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11104-016-2951-9#citeas https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-2951-9 |
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