Soil Organic Carbon Turnover Following Afforestation of a Savanna Revealed by Particle-Size Fractionation and Natural 13 C Measurements in Ivory Coast

Thierry Desjardins (), Thierry Henry Des Tureaux, Magloire Mandeng-Yogo and Fethiye Cetin
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Thierry Desjardins: Institut d’Écologie et des Sciences de l’Environnement de Paris, Sorbonne Université, CNRS–INRA–UPEC–IRD—Université Paris Cité, Centre IRD France Nord, 75005 Paris, France
Thierry Henry Des Tureaux: Institut d’Écologie et des Sciences de l’Environnement de Paris, Sorbonne Université, CNRS–INRA–UPEC–IRD—Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire d’Ecologie et du Développement Durable, Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 B.P. 801 Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Magloire Mandeng-Yogo: Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat, Expérimentation et Approche Numérique, IPSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS-IRD-MNHN, Centre IRD France Nord, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
Fethiye Cetin: Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat, Expérimentation et Approche Numérique, IPSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS-IRD-MNHN, Centre IRD France Nord, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: Soil organic matter plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle, yet the magnitude and direction of changes in soil carbon content following vegetation shifts in the tropics remain highly debated. Most studies have focused on short-term changes, typically spanning only a few months or years. In this study, we investigated the medium-term dynamics of organic matter at a site where savanna, protected from fire for 58 years, has gradually transitioned to woodland vegetation. Natural 13 C abundance analysis combined with particle-size fractionation was used to characterize the changes in SOM over time. While carbon content remains relatively stable, δ 13 C exhibits a distinct shift, particularly in the surface layers, reflecting the gradual replacement of savanna-derived carbon with tree-derived carbon. All fractions were influenced by the inputs and outputs of carbon from both savanna and tree sources. In the coarse fractions, most of the carbon originates from trees; however, a significant proportion of savanna-derived carbon (ranging from 10% to 40%, depending on the fraction, depth, and patch) persists, likely in the form of black carbon. In the fine fractions, nearly half of the carbon (40% to 50%) remains derived from the savanna, highlighting the greater stability of organic matter that is physically bound to clays and protected within microaggregates.

Keywords: soil organic matter; turnover; stable carbon isotope; particle-size fractions; savannah afforestation; sandy ferralsols; tropical soils (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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