ORGANIC CARBON DYNAMICS IN SOIL FROM FOREST FRAGMENTS IN THE ATLANTIC FOREST AND CERRADO BIOMES

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate changes in organic carbon concentrations and oxidizable fractions of soil organic matter in and around forest fragments in the Atlantic Forest (AF) and Cerrado (CE) biomes. Soil samples were collected from four forest fragments, two in the AF and two in the CE, in which three internal points were sampled: edge (ED), half radius (HR), and center (CF), as well as a point in the surroundings; no-tillage (NT) and permanent pasture (PP) in AF and CE, respectively. The total organic carbon (TOC) content and the carbon of the oxidizable fractions (F1, F2, F3, F4) were quantified. The CF of the AF forest fragments showed the highest TOC and C contents in the labile fractions F1 and F2 (the fraction most sensitive to changes in the environment), with the lowest contents in the ED. In the CE, the fragments showed different TOC contents and dynamics, with the highest TOC and F1 contents in the HR and the lowest in the CF of fragment 1, while in fragment 2 the highest TOC contents were in the CF and the lowest in the ED and HR, but they did not differ in the contents of the F1 and F2 fractions. The lower levels of TOC and C labile in the ED of the fragments are due to the negative interference of the edge effect, which, through abiotic factors, has modified the species composition and structure of the plant community, altering the dynamics of C storage and emission.

Keywords

• Edge effect
• Soil organic matter
• Soil quality