Geoecological drivers of cerrado heterogeneity and 13C natural abundance in oxisols after land-use change

Abstract

SUMMARYThe 13 C natural abundance technique was applied to study C dynamics after land-use change from native savanna to Brachiaria, Pinus, and Eucalyptus in differently textured Cerrado Oxisols. But due to differences in the δ δ δ δ δ 13 C signatures of subsoils under native savanna and under introduced species, C substitution could only be calculated based on results of cultivated soils nearby. It was estimated that after 20 years, Pinus C had replaced only 5 % of the native C in the 0-1.2 m layer, in which substitution was restricted to the top 0.4 m. Conversely, after 12 years, Brachiaria had replaced 21 % of Cerrado C to a depth of 1.2 m, where substitution decreased only slightly throughout the entire profile. The high δ δ δ δ δ 13 C values in the subsoils of the cultivated sites led to the hypothesis that the natural vegetation there had been grassland rather than Cerrado sensu stricto, in spite of the comparable soil and site characteristics and the proximity of the studied sites. The hypothesis was tested using aerial photographs of 1964, which showed that the cultivated sites were located on a desiccated runoff head. The vegetation shift to a grass-dominated savanna formation might therefore have occurred in response to waterlogging and reduced soil aeration. A simple model was developed thereof, which ascribes the different Cerrado formations mainly to the plant-available water content and soil aeration. Soil fertility is considered of minor significance only, since at the studied native savanna sites tree density was independent of soil texture or nutrient status.Index terms: Cerrado formations; 13 C natural abundance; waterlogging; Oxisol; soil fertility; land-use change.( RESUMO: FATORES GEOECOLÓGICOS DAS DIFERENTES FORMAÇÕES DE CERRADOS -UMA HIPÓTESE BASEADA EM ABUNDÂNCIA NATURAL DE 13 C E FOTOGRAFIA AÉREAA abundância natural de 13 C foi utilizada para estudar a dinâmica de carbono em latossolos de textura média e argilosa após plantação de pastagens (Brachiaria decumbens) e reflorestamentos (Pinus caribaea e Eucalyptus citriodora). Considerando as diferenças de δ 13 C nos subsolos das savanas nativas e das espécies introduzidas, pôde-se calcular a substituição de carbono somente para os solos argilosos, baseando-se em resultados publicados de δ 13 C em solos adjacentes. Estimou-se que somente 5 % do carbono nativo foram substituidos após 20 anos de plantação com pinus na camada de 0-1,2 m, ficando a substituição restrita aos primeiros 0,4 m do solo. Na pastagem de 12 anos, 21 % do carbono novo foram introduzidos na camada de de 0-1,2 m, sendo a substituição diminuída gradativamente pelo perfil inteiro. De acordo com os altos valores de δ 13 C nos subsolos das áreas cultivadas, levantou-se a hipótese de que a vegetação natural teria sido de campo limpo em vez de cerrado stricto sensu apesar da semelhança dos solos e da proximidade dos sítios estudados. A hipótese foi testada com fotos aéreas de 1964, mostrando que as áreas cultivadas encontravam-se numa cabeceira de escoamento ressecada. Portanto...