Impact of Conversion of the Caatinga Forest to Different Land Uses on Soil and Root Respiration Dynamics in the Brazilian Semiarid Region

Denizard Oresca, Eduardo Soares de Souza (), Rodolfo Marcondes Silva Souza, José Raliuson Inácio Silva, Débora Purcina de Moura, Everardo Valadares de Sá Barreto Sampaio, Claude Hammecker, José Romualdo de Sousa Lima, Rômulo Simões Cezar Menezes, Luiz Guilherme Medeiros Pessoa, Natache Gonçalves de Moura Ferrão and Antônio Celso Dantas Antonino
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Denizard Oresca: Graduate Program in Crop Production, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, Brazil
Eduardo Soares de Souza: Graduate Program in Crop Production, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, Brazil
Rodolfo Marcondes Silva Souza: Texas A&M Transportation Institute, 1111 RELLIS Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
José Raliuson Inácio Silva: Graduate Program in Crop Production, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, Brazil
Débora Purcina de Moura: Graduate Program in Crop Production, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57100-000, AL, Brazil
Everardo Valadares de Sá Barreto Sampaio: Department of Nuclear Energy, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50740-545, PE, Brazil
Claude Hammecker: UMR LISAH (INRAe, IRD, AgroParisTech, l’Instut Agro), Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
José Romualdo de Sousa Lima: Graduate Program in Agricultural Production, Federal University of the Agreste of Pernambuco, Garanhuns 55292-278, PE, Brazil
Rômulo Simões Cezar Menezes: Department of Nuclear Energy, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50740-545, PE, Brazil
Luiz Guilherme Medeiros Pessoa: Graduate Program in Crop Production, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, Brazil
Natache Gonçalves de Moura Ferrão: Department of Nuclear Energy, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50740-545, PE, Brazil
Antônio Celso Dantas Antonino: Department of Nuclear Energy, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50740-545, PE, Brazil

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-19

Abstract: The Caatinga biome has been severely devastated over the years due to the replacement of native dry forests with grassland areas in the Brazilian semiarid region. Despite this, variations in key soil quality indicators still need to be fully elucidated. We evaluated soil and root respiration dynamics in grassland (GR), agroforestry (AS), and Caatinga forest (CA) areas, during dry and rainy seasons. In situ, monthly CO 2 flux (total, root, and heterotrophic respirations), soil moisture ( θ v), and temperature ( T s o i l ) were measured. Soil samples were collected every 5 cm layer up to 20 cm depth to analyze total organic carbon (TOC) and microbial activities. The highest parameter values occurred during the rainy season. Total soil respiration was highest in AS, followed by CA and then GR, with 19.3, 13.4, and 8.4 ton C h a − 1 y r − 1 , respectively, and root respiration contributed 33.2 and 32.9% to total soil respiration in CA and AS, respectively. However, TOC concentrations and microbial activity were significantly higher in AS than in GR and similar to CA, more than compensating the C losses by respiration. Therefore, agroforestry systems have a high potential for semiarid lands because they preserve soil carbon and microbial activity comparable to Caatinga forests.

Keywords: dry forest; grassland; sustainable systems; soil organic carbon; environmental impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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