Soil Organic Matter Responses to Anthropogenic Forest Disturbance and Land Use Change in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon

Mariana Regina Durigan, Maurício Roberto Cherubin, Plínio Barbosa De Camargo, Joice Nunes Ferreira, Erika Berenguer, Toby Alan Gardner, Jos Barlow, Carlos Tadeu dos Santos Dias, Diana Signor, Raimundo Cosme de Oliveira Junior and Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri
Additional contact information
Mariana Regina Durigan: Department of Soil Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 11 Pádua Dias Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil
Maurício Roberto Cherubin: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 303 Centenário Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13400-970, Brazil
Plínio Barbosa De Camargo: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 303 Centenário Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13400-970, Brazil
Joice Nunes Ferreira: Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, 48, Belém, PA 66095-100, Brazil
Erika Berenguer: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
Toby Alan Gardner: International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina, 124, Horto, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22460-320, Brazil
Jos Barlow: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
Carlos Tadeu dos Santos Dias: Department of Exact Sciences, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 11 Pádua Dias Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil
Diana Signor: Embrapa Semiárido, 23 BR-428 Highway, km 152, Zona Rural, Petrolina, PE 56302-970, Brazil
Raimundo Cosme de Oliveira Junior: Amazonas, Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Vera Paz Street, Santarém, PA 68035-110, Brazil
Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri: Department of Soil Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 11 Pádua Dias Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Anthropogenic forest disturbance and land use change (LUC) in the Amazon region is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere in Brazil, due to the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) emitted from vegetation clearance. Land use conversion associated with management practices plays a key role in the distribution and origin of C in different soil organic matter (SOM) fractions. Here, we show how changing land use systems have influenced soil C and N stocks, SOM physical fractions, and the origin of SOM in the Santarém region of the eastern Brazilian Amazon. Soil C and N stocks were calculated for the surface layer of 0–30 cm. Anthropogenic disturbances to the standing forest, such as selective logging and wildfires, led to significant declines in soil C and N stocks. However, in the long-term, the conversion of the Amazon forest to pasture did not have a noticeable effect on soil C and N stocks, presumably because of additional inputs from pasture grasses. However, the conversion to cropland did lead to reductions in soil C and N content. According to the physical fractionation of SOM, LUC altered SOM quality, but silt and clay remained the combined fraction that contributed the most to soil C storage. Our results emphasize the importance of implementing more sustainable forest management systems, whilst also calling further attention to the need for fire monitoring systems, helping to ensure the resilience of C and N stocks and sequestration in forest soils; thereby contributing towards urgently needed ongoing efforts to mitigate climate change.

Keywords: tropical forests; pasture; cropland; soil carbon; stable isotopes; SOM physical fractions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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