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Soil Organic Matter Responses to Anthropogenic Forest Disturbance and Land Use Change in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon

Author

Listed:
  • Mariana Regina Durigan

    (Department of Soil Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 11 Pádua Dias Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil)

  • Maurício Roberto Cherubin

    (Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 303 Centenário Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13400-970, Brazil)

  • Plínio Barbosa De Camargo

    (Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 303 Centenário Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13400-970, Brazil)

  • Joice Nunes Ferreira

    (Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, 48, Belém, PA 66095-100, Brazil)

  • Erika Berenguer

    (Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
    Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK)

  • Toby Alan Gardner

    (International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina, 124, Horto, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22460-320, Brazil
    Stockholm Environment Institute, Linnégatan 87D, Box 24218, Stockholm 104 51, Sweden)

  • Jos Barlow

    (Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
    MCT/Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Campus de Pesquisa, 1901 Perimetral Avenue, Terra Firme, Belém, PA 66017-970, Brazil)

  • Carlos Tadeu dos Santos Dias

    (Department of Exact Sciences, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 11 Pádua Dias Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil)

  • Diana Signor

    (Embrapa Semiárido, 23 BR-428 Highway, km 152, Zona Rural, Petrolina, PE 56302-970, Brazil)

  • Raimundo Cosme de Oliveira Junior

    (Amazonas, Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Vera Paz Street, Santarém, PA 68035-110, Brazil)

  • Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri

    (Department of Soil Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 11 Pádua Dias Avenue, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil)

Abstract

Anthropogenic forest disturbance and land use change (LUC) in the Amazon region is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere in Brazil, due to the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) emitted from vegetation clearance. Land use conversion associated with management practices plays a key role in the distribution and origin of C in different soil organic matter (SOM) fractions. Here, we show how changing land use systems have influenced soil C and N stocks, SOM physical fractions, and the origin of SOM in the Santarém region of the eastern Brazilian Amazon. Soil C and N stocks were calculated for the surface layer of 0–30 cm. Anthropogenic disturbances to the standing forest, such as selective logging and wildfires, led to significant declines in soil C and N stocks. However, in the long-term, the conversion of the Amazon forest to pasture did not have a noticeable effect on soil C and N stocks, presumably because of additional inputs from pasture grasses. However, the conversion to cropland did lead to reductions in soil C and N content. According to the physical fractionation of SOM, LUC altered SOM quality, but silt and clay remained the combined fraction that contributed the most to soil C storage. Our results emphasize the importance of implementing more sustainable forest management systems, whilst also calling further attention to the need for fire monitoring systems, helping to ensure the resilience of C and N stocks and sequestration in forest soils; thereby contributing towards urgently needed ongoing efforts to mitigate climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Mariana Regina Durigan & Maurício Roberto Cherubin & Plínio Barbosa De Camargo & Joice Nunes Ferreira & Erika Berenguer & Toby Alan Gardner & Jos Barlow & Carlos Tadeu dos Santos Dias & Diana Signor &, 2017. "Soil Organic Matter Responses to Anthropogenic Forest Disturbance and Land Use Change in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:3:p:379-:d:92419
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gardner, Toby A. & Ferreira, J. & Barlow, J. & Lees, A. C. & Parry, L. & Vieira, I. C. G. & Berenguer, E. & Abramovay, R. & Aleixo, A. & Andretti, C. & Aragao, L. E. O. C. & Araujo, I. & de Avila, W. , 2013. "A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales: the Sustainable amazon network," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 50120, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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    3. Powlson, D.S. & Gregory, P.J. & Whalley, W.R. & Quinton, J.N. & Hopkins, D.W. & Whitmore, A.P. & Hirsch, P.R. & Goulding, K.W.T., 2011. "Soil management in relation to sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(S1), pages 72-87.
    4. R. A. Houghton & D. L. Skole & Carlos A. Nobre & J. L. Hackler & K. T. Lawrence & W H. Chomentowski, 2000. "Annual fluxes of carbon from deforestation and regrowth in the Brazilian Amazon," Nature, Nature, vol. 403(6767), pages 301-304, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shahmir Ali Kalhoro & Xuexuan Xu & Wenyuan Chen & Rui Hua & Sajjad Raza & Kang Ding, 2017. "Effects of Different Land-Use Systems on Soil Aggregates: A Case Study of the Loess Plateau (Northern China)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-16, August.
    2. Otávio dos Anjos Leal & Nicasio T. Jiménez-Morillo & José A. González-Pérez & Heike Knicker & Falberni de Souza Costa & Pedro N. Jiménez-Morillo & João Andrade de Carvalho Júnior & José Carlos dos San, 2023. "Soil Organic Matter Molecular Composition Shifts Driven by Forest Regrowth or Pasture after Slash-and-Burn of Amazon Forest," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-16, February.
    3. Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri & Carlos Clemente Cerri & Stoécio Malta Ferreira Maia & Maurício Roberto Cherubin & Brigitte Josefine Feigl & Rattan Lal, 2018. "Reducing Amazon Deforestation through Agricultural Intensification in the Cerrado for Advancing Food Security and Mitigating Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, March.
    4. Ying-Qiang Song & Lian-An Yang & Bo Li & Yue-Ming Hu & An-Le Wang & Wu Zhou & Xue-Sen Cui & Yi-Lun Liu, 2017. "Spatial Prediction of Soil Organic Matter Using a Hybrid Geostatistical Model of an Extreme Learning Machine and Ordinary Kriging," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-17, May.
    5. Lyndré Nel & Ana Flávia Boeni & Viola Judit Prohászka & Alfréd Szilágyi & Eszter Tormáné Kovács & László Pásztor & Csaba Centeri, 2022. "InVEST Soil Carbon Stock Modelling of Agricultural Landscapes as an Ecosystem Service Indicator," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-19, August.

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