Soil properties discriminating Araucaria forests with different disturbance levels

Author(s)

Braga Bertini, Simone Cristina ^{[1, 2]} ; Basilio Azevedo, Lucas Carvalho ^[3] ; Stromberger, Mary E. ^[4] ; Bran Nogueira Cardoso, Elke Jurandy ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Uberlandia, Inst Biol, BR-38400902 Uberlandia, MG - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, ESALQ, Dept Ciencia Solo, BR-13418900 Piracicaba - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Uberlandia, Inst Ciencias Agr, BR-38400902 Uberlandia, MG - Brazil

^[4] Colorado State Univ, Dept Soil & Crop Sci, Ft Collins, CO 80523 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT; v. 187, n. 4 APR 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Soil biological, chemical, and physical properties can be important for monitoring soil quality under one of the most spectacular vegetation formation on Atlantic Forest Biome, the Araucaria Forest. Our aim was to identify a set of soil variables capable of discriminating between disturbed, reforested, and native Araucaria forest soils such that these variables could be used to monitor forest recovery and maintenance. Soil samples were collected at dry and rainy season under the three forest types in two state parks at Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Soil biological, chemical, and physical properties were evaluated to verify their potential to differentiate the forest types, and discriminant analysis was performed to identify the variables that most contribute to the differentiation. Most of physical and chemical variables were sensitive to forest disturbance level, but few biological variables were significantly different when comparing native, reforested, and disturbed forests. Despite more than 20 years following reforestation, the reforested soils were chemically and biologically distinct from native and disturbed forest soils, mainly because of the greater acidity and Al3+ content of reforested soil. Disturbed soils, in contrast, were coarser in texture and contained greater concentrations of extractable P. Although biological properties are generally highly sensitive to disturbance and amelioration efforts, the most important soil variables to discriminate forest types in both seasons included Al3+, Mg2+, P, and sand, and only one microbial attribute: the NO2- oxidizers. Therefore, these five variables were the best candidates, of the variables we employed, for monitoring Araucaria forest disturbance and recovery. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 01/05146-6 - Plant biodiversity and soil organisms associated to natural and disturbed Araucaria angustifolia ecosystems of the State of São Paulo
• Grantee: Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants