Atypical soil carbon distribution across a tropical steepland forest catena

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

JOHNSON, K.D.

Dep. of Earth and Environmental Science, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Etats-Unis

SCATENA, F.N.

Dep. of Earth and Environmental Science, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Etats-Unis

SILVER, W.L.

Dep. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Univ. of California, Berkeley, Etats-Unis

Description :
Soil organic carbon (SOC) in a humid subtropical forest in Puerto Rico is higher at ridge locations compared to valleys, and therefore opposite to what is commonly observed in other forested hillslope catenas. To better understand the spatial distribution of SOC in this system, plots previously characterized by topographic position, vegetation type and stand age were related to soil depth and SOC. Additional factors were also investigated, including topographically-related differences in litter dynamics and soil chemistry. To investigate the influence of litter dynamics, the Century soil organic model was parameterized to simulate the effect of substituting valley species for ridge species. Soil chemical controls on C concentrations were investigated with multiple linear regression models using iron, aluminum and clay variables.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2011, vol. 87, n°. 3, p. 391-397, nombre de pages : 7, Références bibliographiques : 1 p.

Date :
2011

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena

Langue :
Anglais