Soil C and N dynamics in a Mediterranean oak woodland with shrub encroachment |
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Authors: | María Xesús Gómez-Rey Manuel Madeira Serafin Jesús Gonzalez-Prieto João Coutinho |
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Affiliation: | 1. Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal 2. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiológicas de Galicia, IIAG-CSIC, Apartado 122, 15780, Santiago de Compostela, Spain 3. Dpto Biologia e Ambiente, Centro de Química, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-911, Vila Real, Portugal
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Abstract: | Background and aims Intensive land use has led to degradation and abandonment of Portuguese oak woodlands, and subsequent shrub encroachment may have altered the spatial heterogeneity of soil C and N pools. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of shrub invasion on soil C and N dynamics in an oak woodland in Southern Portugal. Methods Soil was sampled beneath and outside scattered Quercus suber L. canopies, considering non-encroached areas and areas encroached by shrubs (Cistus ladanifer L. or Cistus salviifolius L.). Results The spatial heterogeneity of soil C and N contents was mainly associated with tree presence. Outside tree canopies, the labile C pools were larger (mainly beneath C. ladanifer) and C cycling was faster in encroached areas than in non-encroached areas. Net and gross N mineralization and urease and protease activities were also higher in encroached than in non-encroached areas; however, the metabolic quotient and the Cmicrobial/Corganic ratio were not significantly affected. Beneath the tree canopy, significant effects of encroachment included a small increase in soil labile C and the enzymatic activity beneath C. ladanifer. Conclusions The results indicate the potential capacity of shrub encroachment to accumulate soil organic C in the long term. The rate of soil C and N turnover promoted by shrub encroachment may depend on the Cistus species present. |
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