Altitude and Vegetation Affect Soil Organic Carbon, Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass in Apennine Forest Soils
Both altitude and vegetation are known to affect the amount and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) and the size and activity of soil microbial biomass. However, when altitude and vegetation changes are combined, it is still unclear which one has a greater effect on soil chemical and biochemical pr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/6/710 |
| _version_ | 1797564015221669888 |
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| author | Luisa Massaccesi Mauro De Feudis Angelo Leccese Alberto Agnelli |
| author_facet | Luisa Massaccesi Mauro De Feudis Angelo Leccese Alberto Agnelli |
| author_sort | Luisa Massaccesi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Both altitude and vegetation are known to affect the amount and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) and the size and activity of soil microbial biomass. However, when altitude and vegetation changes are combined, it is still unclear which one has a greater effect on soil chemical and biochemical properties. With the aim of clarifying this, we tested the effect of altitude (and hence temperature) and vegetation (broadleaf vs pine forests) on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil microbial biomass and its activity. Soil sampling was carried out in two adjacent toposequences ranging from 500 to 1000 m a.s.l. on a calcareous massif in central Italy: one covered only by <i>Pinus nigra</i> J.F. Arnold forests, while the other covered by <i>Quercus pubescens</i> Willd., <i>Ostrya carpinifolia</i> Scop. and <i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L. forests, at 500, 700 and 1000 m a.s.l., respectively. The content of SOC and water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) increased with altitude for the pine forests, while for the broadleaf forests no trend along the slope occurred, and the highest SOC and WEOC contents were observed in the soil at 700 m under the <i>Ostrya carpinifolia</i> forest. With regard to the soil microbial community, although the size of the soil microbial biomass (Cmic) generally followed the SOC contents along the slope, both broadleaf and pine forest soils showed similar diminishing trends with altitude of soil respiration (ΣCO2-C), and ΣCO2-C:WEOC and ΣCO2-C:Cmic ratios. The results pointed out that, although under the pine forests’ altitude was effective in affecting WEOC and SOC contents, in the soils along the broadleaf forest toposequence this effect was absent, indicating a greater impact of vegetation than temperature on SOC amount and pool distribution. Conversely, the similar trend with altitude of the microbial activity indexes would indicate temperature to be crucial for the activity of the soil microbial community. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:51:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6a746c82562b4d9798d8c59d135d5024 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:51:22Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a746c82562b4d9798d8c59d135d50242023-11-20T05:06:01ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072020-06-0111671010.3390/f11060710Altitude and Vegetation Affect Soil Organic Carbon, Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass in Apennine Forest SoilsLuisa Massaccesi0Mauro De Feudis1Angelo Leccese2Alberto Agnelli3Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche ‘Togo Rosati’, Via G. Salvemini, 1, 06126 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Via Fanin, 40, 40127 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX giugno, 74, 06121 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX giugno, 74, 06121 Perugia, ItalyBoth altitude and vegetation are known to affect the amount and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) and the size and activity of soil microbial biomass. However, when altitude and vegetation changes are combined, it is still unclear which one has a greater effect on soil chemical and biochemical properties. With the aim of clarifying this, we tested the effect of altitude (and hence temperature) and vegetation (broadleaf vs pine forests) on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil microbial biomass and its activity. Soil sampling was carried out in two adjacent toposequences ranging from 500 to 1000 m a.s.l. on a calcareous massif in central Italy: one covered only by <i>Pinus nigra</i> J.F. Arnold forests, while the other covered by <i>Quercus pubescens</i> Willd., <i>Ostrya carpinifolia</i> Scop. and <i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L. forests, at 500, 700 and 1000 m a.s.l., respectively. The content of SOC and water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) increased with altitude for the pine forests, while for the broadleaf forests no trend along the slope occurred, and the highest SOC and WEOC contents were observed in the soil at 700 m under the <i>Ostrya carpinifolia</i> forest. With regard to the soil microbial community, although the size of the soil microbial biomass (Cmic) generally followed the SOC contents along the slope, both broadleaf and pine forest soils showed similar diminishing trends with altitude of soil respiration (ΣCO2-C), and ΣCO2-C:WEOC and ΣCO2-C:Cmic ratios. The results pointed out that, although under the pine forests’ altitude was effective in affecting WEOC and SOC contents, in the soils along the broadleaf forest toposequence this effect was absent, indicating a greater impact of vegetation than temperature on SOC amount and pool distribution. Conversely, the similar trend with altitude of the microbial activity indexes would indicate temperature to be crucial for the activity of the soil microbial community.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/6/710forest soilsoil organic carbonwater extractable organic carbonsoil microbial activitytoposequence |
| spellingShingle | Luisa Massaccesi Mauro De Feudis Angelo Leccese Alberto Agnelli Altitude and Vegetation Affect Soil Organic Carbon, Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass in Apennine Forest Soils Forests forest soil soil organic carbon water extractable organic carbon soil microbial activity toposequence |
| title | Altitude and Vegetation Affect Soil Organic Carbon, Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass in Apennine Forest Soils |
| title_full | Altitude and Vegetation Affect Soil Organic Carbon, Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass in Apennine Forest Soils |
| title_fullStr | Altitude and Vegetation Affect Soil Organic Carbon, Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass in Apennine Forest Soils |
| title_full_unstemmed | Altitude and Vegetation Affect Soil Organic Carbon, Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass in Apennine Forest Soils |
| title_short | Altitude and Vegetation Affect Soil Organic Carbon, Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass in Apennine Forest Soils |
| title_sort | altitude and vegetation affect soil organic carbon basal respiration and microbial biomass in apennine forest soils |
| topic | forest soil soil organic carbon water extractable organic carbon soil microbial activity toposequence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/6/710 |
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