Marisa de Cássia Piccolo

SOIL CARBON AND NITROGEN STOCKS FOLLOWING FOREST CLEARING FOR PASTURE IN THE SOUTHWESTERN BRAZILIAN AMAZON

Tropical soils contain large stocks of carbon and nitrogen that can be altered by clearing for agriculture. In the Brazilian Amazon, cattle pasture is the predominant use for cleared forest lands. We examined changes to soil bulk density and C and N stocks in seven chronosequences, each consisting of an intact forest and pastures of different ages created directly from cleared forest (7 forests, 18 pastures), along a 700-km transect in Rondonia in the southwestern Amazon Basin. The transect included sites with a similar climate but a range of soil types. We used soil δ13C distributions to determine the origin of soil C and to infer changes to soil C cycling patterns after forest clearing. Soil bulk density increased under pasture; these increases were significant in 6 of 18 pastures examined. Changes in C stocks to a depth of 30 cm under pasture ranged from a loss of 0.72 kg/m2 to an increase of 1.77 kg/m2. Soil C stocks increased in 14 of 18 pastures, but these increases were significant in only 4 pastures. Changes in soil N stocks to a depth of 30 cm ranged from a loss of 0.25 kg/m2 to a gain of 0.23 kg/m2 and showed a similar pattern to C, except in one site where we measured significant N loss. Five of 18 pastures accumulated significant amounts of N, and one pasture lost a significant amount of N. Soil δ13C values were greater in pastures than in the original forests, and δ13C values increased with a longer time under C4 pasture vegetation. Bulk density increases were greater on soils with higher clay contents. Carbon accumulation increased with pasture age but was independent of soil texture. Soil C increases to a depth of 30 cm of up to 1.77 kg/m2 amounted to an increase of >50% of the original soil C stock and represented up to 12% of the C in the biomass of forest vegetation. In contrast, changes to soil N stocks in the range of 0.25 kg/m2 approximately equaled the N stock in the original forest vegetation. Our results indicated that when site history was controlled by considering only pastures formed directly from cleared forest, C and N accumulation was the dominant trend in pasture soils. Absence of a correlation between C and N accumulation and soil texture suggested that site history and management may be more important than soil type as determinants of the direction and magnitude of changes in soil C and N stocks.

Nitrogen dynamics in soils of forests and active pastures in the western Brazilian Amazon Basin

To investigate the influence of forest conversion to pasture on soil N transformations, we compared soil inorganic-N pools and net mineralization and nitrification rates along two chronosequences of upland (terra firme) forest and pastures ranging in age from 4 to 82 years in the state of Rondonia in the western Brazilian Amazon Basin. Forest and pasture soils had similar total extractable inorganic-N pools at 0–5 and 5–10 cm depths. Ammonium-N and NO3−N pools were of similar magnitude in forest soils (2–10 μg N g−1 dry soil), while NH4+N dominated pasture soil inorganic-N pools. Annual average net N mineralization rates for the two chronosequences at 0–5 cm depth in the forests were 1.31–1.88 μg N g−1 d.s. d−1 and exceeded the annual average net N mineralization rates measured in pastures of −0.11-0.02 μg N g−1 d.s. d−1. Annual average net nitrification rates at 0–5 cm depth in forest (1.09–1.46 μg N g−1 d.s. d−1) were also higher than in pastures (0.24–0.25 μg N g−1 d.s. d−1). Pasture soils had lower net N mineralization and net nitrification rates than forest soils even though they had approximately equal or higher total C and total N content. Pasture age did not affect NH4+N pools or net nitrification rates, but decreased NO3−N pools and net N mineralization rates. Net N mineralization rate was unaffected by soil moisture, but net nitrification rate decreased at higher soil moisture. Higher net mineralization and nitrification rates in forest soils suggest a higher potential for NO3−N losses either through leaching or gaseous emissions from intact forests compared with established pastures.

Net nitrogen mineralization and net nitrification along a tropical forest-to-pasture chronosequence

Soil inorganic nitrogen pools, net mineralization and net nitrification rates were compared during the dry season along a chronosequence of upland (terra firme) forest, 3-, 9- and 20-year-old pastures in the western Brazilian Amazon Basin state of Rondônia to investigate the influence of forest conversion to pasture on soil nitrogen cycles. Surface soil (0 to 10 cm) from forest had larger extractable inorganic nitrogen pools than pasture soils. In the forest, NO3− pools equaled or exceeded NH4+ pools, while pasture inorganic N pools consisted almost exclusively of NH4+. Rates of net N mineralization and net nitrification in seven -day laboratory incubations were higher in the seven - day forest than in the pastures. Net N mineralization rates did not differ significantly among different-aged pastures, but net nitrification rates were significantly lower in the 20-year-old pasture. Higher net N mineralization and net nitrification rates were measured in laboratory and in situ incubations of sieved soil, compared with in situ incubations of intact soil cores. Rates calculated in seven-day incubations were higher than determined by longer incubations. Sieving may increase N mineralization and/or decrease N immobilization compared with intact cores. We concluded that 7-day laboratory incubation of sieved soil was the most useful index for comparing N availability across the chronosequence of forest and pasture sites. High net nitrification rates in forest soils suggest a potential for NO3− losses either through leaching or gaseous emissions.

Net nitrogen mineralization and net nitrification rates in soils following deforestation for pasture across the southwestern Brazilian Amazon Basin landscape

Abstract Previous studies of the effect of tropical forest conversion to cattle pasture on soil N dynamics showed that rates of net N mineralization and net nitrification were lower in pastures compared with the original forest. In this study, we sought to determine the generality of these patterns by examining soil inorganic N concentrations, net mineralization and nitrification rates in 6 forests and 11 pastures 3 years old or older on ultisols and oxisols that encompassed a wide variety of soil textures and spanned a 700-km geographical range in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon Basin state of Rondônia. We sampled each site during October-November and April-May. Forest soils had higher extractable NO3−-N and total inorganic N concentrations than pasture soils, but substantial NO3−-N occurred in both forest and pasture soils. Rates of net N mineralization and net nitrification were higher in forest soils. Greater concentrations of soil organic matter in finer textured soils were associated with greater rates of net N mineralization and net nitrification, but this relationship was true only under native forest vegetation; rates were uniformly low in pastures, regardless of soil type or texture. Net N mineralization and net nitrification rates per unit of total soil organic matter showed no pattern across the different forest sites, suggesting that controls of net N mineralization may be broadly similar across a wide range of soil types. Similar reductions in rates of net N transformations in pastures 3 years old or older across a range of textures on these soils suggest that changes to soil N cycling caused by deforestation for pasture may be Basin-wide in extent. Lower net N mineralization and net nitrification rates in established pastures suggest that annual N losses from largely deforested landscapes may be lower than losses from the original forest. Total ecosystem N losses since deforestation are likely to depend on the balance between lower N loss rates from established pastures and the magnitude and duration of N losses that occur in the years immediately following forest clearing.

Consequence of forest-to-pasture conversion on CH4 fluxes in the Brazilian Amazon Basin

Methane (CH4) fluxes between soils and the atmosphere were measured in two tropical forest-to-pasture chronosequences in the state of Rondonia, Brazil. Forest soils always consumed atmospheric CH4 with maximum uptake rates in the dry season. Pasture soils consumed atmospheric CH4 during the dry season, but at lower rates than those in the forests. When soil moisture increased in the pasture soils, they became a source of CH4 to the atmosphere. Integrated over the year, forest soils were a net sink of approximately 470 mg CH4-C/m2, while pastures were a net source of about 270 mg CH4-C/m2. Thus forest-to-pasture conversion resulted in a net source of CH4 from the soil of about 1 g CH4/m2/yr. The total pasture-related CH4 release for the entire Brazilian Amazon increased from 0.8 Tg CH4 in 1970 to about 2.5 Tg CH4 in 1990, with a maximum of 3.1 Tg CH4/yr in 1988. Soils accounted for a small part (about 5%) of the total CH4 release from the basin, while biomass burning and cattle emissions accounted for 95%. The average rate of increase in CH4 emission from pastures was about 0.2 Tg CH4/yr between 1975 and 1988. This represents between 12% and 14% of the global average rate of change in tropospheric CH4 content for this time period.

Nitrogen dynamics in Amazon forest and pasture soils measured by 15N pool dilution

Abstract Clearing tropical forests of the Amazon Basin for pasture alters rates of soil nitrogen cycling. Previous studies have shown that rates of soil net N mineralization and net nitrification are lower in established pastures than in forests. We compared soil inorganic N concentrations, rates of net and gross mineralization and net and gross nitrification in a chronosequence and an experimental slash-and-burn plot in Rondonia. Soils of pastures 4, 10 and 21-yr-old contained more NH 4 + and less NO 3 − than soils of forest. Soil NH 4 + and NO 3 − concentrations were elevated for 2 months after burning but were similar to pools in the forest after 8.5 months. Rates of net N mineralization and net nitrification decreased from forest to 21-yr-old pasture. Rates of gross N mineralization were similar in forest, 4- and 10-yr-old pasture then declined in 21-yr-old pasture. These findings indicate that when forests are converted to pasture, soil N turnover is maintained for a period of a decade or longer, but N turnover eventually slows in old pastures. As older pastures come to dominate deforested regions of the Amazon, the total N cycled in soils of the region is likely to decrease, but not as quickly as studies based on net mineralization and net nitrification alone would indicate.

Nitrous oxide emissions from forests and pastures of various ages in the Brazilian Amazon

Nitrous oxide emissions from tropical forest soils are thought to account for 2.2–3.7 Tg N yr−1 of the total annual global production of 10–17 Tg N yr−1. Recent research suggests that clearing of tropical forest for pasture can increase N2O emissions but that the period of elevated emissions may be limited and fluxes from older pastures may be lower than from the original forest. Here we report N2O emissions from two land-use sequences in the Brazilian Amazons state of Rondonia. Each sequence includes a forest and a set of pastures of different ages. One sequence contains a newly created pasture that we studied intensively through its first 2 years, including forest cutting, burning, and the planting of forage grasses. Emissions from the newly created pasture were about two and one half times the forest emissions during the first 2 years (5.0 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 versus 1.9 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1). Nitrous oxide fluxes from pastures older than 3 years were on average about one third lower than fluxes from uncut forest (1.4 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 versus 1.9 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1). The best predictor of N2O flux across the chronosequences was the magnitude of the NO3 pool in the upper 10 cm of soil measured at the time of gas sampling. Using a simple cohort model combined with deforestation rates estimated from satellite images by Brazils Instituto de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) for the period 1978 through 1997, we estimate that for the Brazilian Amazon the basin-wide flux of N2O-N from pasture soils was 0.06 Tg in 1997. This is ∼8% of the combined forest plus pasture flux of 0.78 Tg N2O-N we estimate for the Brazilian part of the basin in 1997. In the absence of any forest-to-pasture conversion in the Brazilian part of the basin, we estimate that the basin-wide flux of N2O-N would have been only slightly larger: 0.80 Tg in 1997. Through a second modeling analysis we estimate that for the whole of the Amazon Basin, including parts of the basin outside of Brazil, the N2O-N emissions from forests averaged 1.3 Tg yr−1 over the period 1978–1995.

NITROUS OXIDE NITRIFICATION AND DENITRIFICATION 15N ENRICHMENT FACTORS FROM AMAZON FOREST SOILS

The isotopic signatures of 15N and 18O in N2O emitted from tropical soils vary both spatially and temporally, leading to large uncertainty in the overall tropical source signature and thereby limiting the utility of isotopes in constraining the global N2O budget. Determining the reasons for spatial and temporal variations in isotope signatures requires that we know the isotope enrichment factors for nitrification and denitrification, the two processes that produce N2O in soils. We have devised a method for measuring these enrichment factors using soil incubation experiments and report results from this method for three rain forest soils collected in the Brazilian Amazon: soil with differing sand and clay content from the Tapajos National Forest (TNF) near Santarém, Pará, and Nova Vida Farm, Rondônia. The 15N enrichment factors for nitrification and denitrification differ with soil texture and site: -111 per thousand +/- 12 per thousand and -31 per thousand +/- 11 per thousand for a clay-rich Oxisol (TNF), -102 per thousand +/- 5 per thousand and -45 per thousand +/- 5 per thousand for a sandier Ultisol (TNF), and -10.4 per thousand +/- 3.5 per thousand (enrichment factor for denitrification) for another Ultisol (Nova Vida) soil, respectively. We also show that the isotopomer site preference (delta15Nalpha - delta15Nbeta, where alpha indicates the central nitrogen atom and beta the terminal nitrogen atom in N2O) may allow differentiation between processes of production and consumption of N2O and can potentially be used to determine the contributions of nitrification and denitrification. The site preferences for nitrification and denitrification from the TNF-Ultisol incubated soils are: 4.2 per thousand +/- 8.4 per thousand and 31.6 per thousand +/- 8.1 per thousand, respectively. Thus, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria populations under the conditions of our study exhibit significantly different 15N site preference fingerprints. Our data set strongly suggests that N2O isotopomers can be used in concert with traditional N2O stable isotope measurements as constraints to differentiate microbial N2O processes in soil and will contribute to interpretations of the isotopic site preference N2O values found in the free troposphere.

Decomposição e liberação de nutrientes da palhada de cana-de-açúcar em campo

A field decomposition and release of nutrients from trash of sugar cane mechanically harvested and without previous detrashing through burning was evaluated. During the experimental period ¾ August 1996 through August 1997 ¾ rainfall was 1,733 mm and mean maximum and minimum temperatures were 28.0 and 18.0oC, respectively. After one year the mass of trash remained on field decreased of approximately 20%, mostly derived from the decarboxylation of the cell content and hemicelulose. Among all structural carbohydrates only the hemicelulose decomposed. The percentage of K, Ca and Mg released in relation to the total nutrient content in original trash was 85, 44 and 39%, respectively. The N mineralization of the trash was not significant (18%) thus resulting in a negligible statistical difference among the N contents in original and remaining trash

15N natural abundance in forest and pasture soils of the Brazilian Amazon Basin

The natural abundance of 15N was examined in soil profiles from forests and pastures of the Brazilian Amazon Basin to compare tropical forests on a variety of soil types and to investigate changes in the sources of nitrogen to soils following deforestation for cattle ranching. Six sites in the state of Rondônia, two sites in Pará and one in Amazonas were studied. All sites except one were chronosequences and contained native forest and one or more pastures ranging from 2 to 27 years old. Forest soil δ15N values to a depth of 1 m ranged from 8‰ to 23‰ and were higher than values typically found in temperate forests. A general pattern of increasing δ15N values with depth near the soil surface was broadly similar to patterns in other forests but a decrease in δ15N values in many forest profiles between 20 and 40 cm suggests that illuviation of 15N-depleted nitrate may influence total soil δ15N values in deeper soil where total N concentrations are low. In four chronosequences in Rondônia, the δ15N values of surface soil from pastures were lower than in the original forest and δ15N values were increasingly depleted in older pastures. Inputs of atmospheric N by dinitrogen fixation could be an important N source in these pastures. Other pastures in Amazonas and Pará and Rondônia showed no consistent change from forest values. The extent of fractionation that leads to 15N enrichment in soils was broadly similar over a wide range of soil textures and indicated that similar processes control N fractionation and loss under tropical forest over a broad geographic region. Forest δ15N profiles were consistent with conceptual models that explain enrichment of soil δ15N values by selective loss of 14N during nitrification and denitrification.