Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of soil fertility in the Central Monte desert (Argentina)

Abril, Adriana; Villagra, Pablo E.; Noe, Laura

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.04.019

Cited by 40 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(61 reference statements)

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“…Our findings support variations in abundance and activity of functional groups that were observed in the same study areas by enzymatic assays and culture-dependent counts (Abril et al, , 2009Torres et al, 2005). Microbial biomass, estimated by yields of extracted whole community DNA, was i) higher in O layer than in A layers, ii) higher in summer than in winter, and iii) affected differently by regional climate (site) and land use (grazing).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Previous studies of microbial communities in dry woodlands of Argentina, performed with classical techniques (plate counts), have shown characteristic abundance of functional groups (ammonium oxidizers, N 2 fixers, cellulose degraders) for both organic and mineral layer inhabiting bacteria (Abril et al, , 2009Noe and Abril, 2008;Torres et al, 2005). These findings provided the impetus for the present study.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 55%

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Molecular discrimination of bacteria (organic versus mineral soil layers) of dry woodlands of Argentina

Noe

Ascher

Ceccherini

et al. 2012

Journal of Arid Environments

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Molecular discrimination of bacteria (organic versus mineral soil layers) of dry woodlands of Argentina

Noe

Ascher

Ceccherini

et al. 2012

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…Previous studies had reported that a high precipitation promoted the formation of FA fraction (Tardy et al 1997;Abril et al 2009) by facilitating soil microbial activity (Abril et al 2009), which could explain the low HA/FA ratio in alpine meadow in our present study. The HA/FA ratio has been used as indicator to describe the humification degree of SOM, with a larger value indicating a higher degree of humification (McCallister and Chien 2000; Rivero et al 2004;Aranda and Oyonarte 2006).…”

Section: Soc and Its Fractionssupporting

confidence: 49%

Soil organic carbon contents, aggregate stability, and humic acid composition in different alpine grasslands in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Cao

Yong

et al. 2016

J. Mt. Sci.

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Alpine grassland soils on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau store approximately 33.5 Pg of organic carbon (C) at 0-0.75 m depth and play an important role in the global carbon cycle. We investigated soil organic C (SOC), water-soluble organic C (WSOC), easily oxidizable organic C (EOC), humic C fractions, aggregate-associated C, aggregate stability, and humic acid (HA) composition along an east-west transect across Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and explored their spatial patterns and controlling factors. The contents of SOC, WSOC, EOC, humic C fractions and aggregate-associated C, the proportions of macroaggregates (2-0.25) and micro-aggregates (0.25-0.053 mm), and the aggregate stability indices all increased in the order alpine desert < alpine steppe < alpine meadow. The alkyl C, O-alkyl C, and aliphatic C/aromatic C ratio of HA increased as alpine desert < alpine meadow < alpine steppe, and the trends were reverse for the aromatic C and HB/HI ratio. Mean annual precipitation and aboveground biomass were significantly correlated with the contents of SOC and its fractions, the proportions of macro-and microaggregates, and the aggregate stability indices along this transect. Among all these C fractions, SOC content and aggregate stability were more closely associated with humic C and silt and clay sized C in comparison with WSOC, EOC, and macro-and microaggregate C. The results suggested that alpine meadow soils containing higher SOC exhibited high soil aggregation and aggregate stability. Mean annual precipitation should be the main climate factor controlling the spatial patterns of SOC, soil aggregation, and aggregate stability in this region. The resistant and stable C fractions rather than labile C fractions are the major determinant of SOC stocks and aggregate stability. Keywords

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“…It is reasonable to suspect a patchy distribution of nutrients in the surface, which should be mainly located under plant canopies, the "fertility islands", considering the impact of goat grazing and trampling in the area (Rossi and Villagra 2003;Noe and Abril 2008;Abril et al 2009, Carrera et al 2009). Keeping this background in mind, we predict that, at the P. flexuosa patch level, the dune and the valley will differ in the spatial distribution and magnitude of water, and nutrient patches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic plasticity of the coarse root system of Prosopis flexuosa, a phreatophyte tree, in the Monte Desert (Argentina)

et al. 2009

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Prosopis flexuosa trees in the Monte Desert grow in dune and inter-dune valleys, where the water table is located at 6-14 m depth. We asked whether trees in the dunes, which are less likely to access the water table, present a coarse surface root architecture that might favor the exploration / exploitation of dune resources, compensating for water table inaccessibility. We characterized the architecture of surface roots of valley and dune trees, together with the soil environment. The dune held 50 % less and deeper gravimetric soil water (along a 4 m profile), 3-times less organic matter, 2-times less available phosphorous, and a sharper contrast of ammonium and nitrate concentration between plant canopies and uncovered soil than the valley. Coarse surface roots of dune trees were highly branched and grew tortuously at 0.56±0.16 m depth before sinking downward near the tree crown, suggesting an intensive exploitation of the ephemeral, deep, and canopy-linked resources. In contrast, trees from the valley spread their profuse and less branched surface roots mainly horizontally at 0.26±0.08 m depth, several meters outside the crown probably exploring this resource-rich site. A model for the environmental control of root architecture together with potential ecological effects is discussed.

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Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of soil fertility in the Central Monte desert (Argentina)

Cited by 40 publications

References 41 publications

Molecular discrimination of bacteria (organic versus mineral soil layers) of dry woodlands of Argentina

Molecular discrimination of bacteria (organic versus mineral soil layers) of dry woodlands of Argentina

Soil organic carbon contents, aggregate stability, and humic acid composition in different alpine grasslands in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Phenotypic plasticity of the coarse root system of Prosopis flexuosa, a phreatophyte tree, in the Monte Desert (Argentina)

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