Soil organic matter stabilization and carbon-cycling enzyme activity are affected by land management

Authors

  • Ewa Błonska Department of Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, Al. 29 Listopada 46, Krakow, Poland
  • Jarosław Lasota Department of Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, Al. 29 Listopada 46, Krakow, Poland
  • Gilka Rocha Vasconcelos da Silva Department of Sustainable Land Management & Soil Research Centre, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, United Kingdom
  • Elena Vanguelova Centre for Ecosystems, Society and Biosecurity, Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham GU104LH, United Kingdom
  • Frank Ashwood Centre for Ecosystems, Society and Biosecurity, Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham GU104LH, United Kingdom
  • Mark Tibbett Department of Sustainable Land Management & Soil Research Centre, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, United Kingdom
  • Kevin Watts Centre for Ecosystems, Society and Biosecurity, Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham GU104LH, United Kingdom & Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
  • Martin Lukac Department of Sustainable Land Management & Soil Research Centre, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, United Kingdom & Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Praha, Czech Republic

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15287/afr.2019.1837

Keywords:

enzyme activity, soil carbon accumulation, soil organic matter fraction

Abstract

Increasing carbon (C) storage in soil is a key aspect of climate change mitigation strategies and requires an understanding of the impacts of land management on soil C cycling. The primary aim of this study is to investigate how land management impacts key soil organic matter stabilization and cycling processes affecting soil C storage. Soil sampling was undertaken across seven transects crossing the boundary between agriculture and forestry. The transects covered 3 pasture (AP) and 4 arable (AA) fields combined with 3 young secondary woodlands (50-60 years old - WY) and 4 mature/ancient semi-natural woodlands (110 to >400 years old – WM). Physical fractionation of soil organic matter pools was performed, together with pH, carbon and nitrogen content, as well as activity of four enzymes associated with C transformation in the soil. Woodland soils were associated with significantly higher content of light fraction C and greater enzyme activity in comparison to agricultural soils. Enzyme activity and soil organic C decreased with soil depth regardless of land-use type. We did not, however, observe any effect of the distance from the land use boundary on either enzyme activity and soil C pools. Our results indicate that analysis of soil organic matter (SOM) fractions can act as an indicator of decomposition rates of SOM in forest and agricultural ecosystems.

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2020-07-02

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