Soil Organic Matter Condition in Forest Stands of Arasbaran

آب و خاک

Article 9, Volume 34, Issue 1 - Serial Number 69, March 2020, Pages 115-127   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/jsw.v34i1.80633

Authors

H. Rezaei^{* 1}; A.A. Jafarzadeh¹; A. Alijanpour²; F. Shahbazi¹; Kh. Valizadeh Kamran¹

¹University of Tabriz

²Urmia university

Abstract

 
Introduction: According to important ecological roles of soil organic matter in stabilizing ecosystems, it is essential to consider soil organic carbon condition for managements of worldwide problems such as soil quality, carbon cycle and climate change. Also, organic matter is one of the main component of soil which have vital impress on its evolution. Therefore, assessing soil organic matter fate in various environmental conditions and its relation with environmental factors will be useful for management decisions. Determining soil organic carbon content, stocks and forms by the physico-chemical and micromorphological studies may respond to the question about soil organic matter evolution from the different point of views. Based on mentioned reasons, our research work focused on soil organic matter content, stocks and forms under various environmental condition of the forest ecosystem to find new aspects of its relation with environmental factors.
Material and Methods: This research work was carried out in Arasbaran forest, northwest of Iran, which recognized as a part of the international network of biosphere reserves and has unique species of plants with special ecological properties. Sampling was carried out in a Kaleybar Chai Sofla sub-basin as a part of Arasbaran forest with eastern longitude of 46º 39´ to 46º 52´ and northern latitude of 38º 52´ to 39º 04´. Based on the Amberje climate classification, the climate of the region is semi-humid and moderate. The soil moisture and temperature regimes are Xeric and Mesic, respectively. Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) and Oak (Quercus petraea and Quercus macranthera) were identified as the main woody species in this area and volcano-sedimentary rocks were the geological structure. Primary site surveying showed 5 forest stand types such as Oak (Quercus macranthera), Hornbeam-Oak (Carpinus betulus-Quercus macranthera), Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), Hornbeam-Oak (Carpinus betulus-Quercus petraea), Oak (Quercus petraea) along altitudinal transects, that used as environmental parts with different conditions. In each environmental part, a soil profile was described and sampling was done for physical, chemical and micromorphological analysis. After preparing soil samples in the laboratory, soil physico-chemical routine analyses were carried out by standard methods and then the studied soils were classified on the basis of 12th edition of soil taxonomy. To achieve the main aim of the study, various aspects of soil organic matter evolution were assessed. Soil organic matter content was determined according to the Walkley–Black wet oxidation method and using alteration factor f = 1.724 recommended by USDA. Variance analysis and means compare of soil organic matter content in surface horizons of different environmental parts were performed by using the SPSS software package and Dunkan's multiple range test, respectively. Soil organic carbon stocks were calculated for each soil horizon and weighted average based on profile depth was used to calculate this index for each soil profile. The prepared thin section for micromorphological study was examined under both plane-polarized light (PPL) and cross-polarized light (XPL) using a polarized microscope and explained based on standard terminology to identify various forms of soil organic matter all over the study area.
Results and Discussion: Results revealed increasing of soil evolution with decreasing of elevation. Entisols, Inceptisols, Alfisols and Mollisols with different families were the soil observed along altitudinal transects by decreasing elevation. According to the obtained results, environmental effects caused different soil organic matter content and evolution with various soil organic carbon stocks in each part. Improvement of environmental condition by decreasing elevation resulted in more evolution of soil organic matter, dominant of decomposed forms of organic matter and rise of soil organic carbon stocks from the highest part to the lowest one. Soil organic matter content in soil surface increased by elevation, although  the main source of soil organic matter have better condition in lower parts due to ecological reasons. This inverse statue can be explained by special environmental conditions causing limited organic remnants decomposition in the highest parts. In the same trend with soil evolution, soil organic carbon stocks increased by decreasing of elevation. This trend refers to the relation of mentioned index ability with various soil-forming processes. Micromorphological study showed that organic intact remnants were the dominant forms in upper parts which changed to well-decomposed forms in the lowest parts. This observation revealed the occurrence of mechanical decomposition processes of organic remnants in high elevation while biochemical ones happen in the lower parts. Also, this distribution of soil organic matter decomposition processes can explain soil organic carbon content and stocks all over the study area.
Conclusion: Elevation was identified as an important environmental factor controlling soil organic matter in the studied scale. Generally, results confirm the same trend for soil organic matter evolution and soil organic carbon stocks with soil development, especially in pedogenesis processes in relation to organic matter. Thus, it can be recommended to use soil map for management of soil organic matter under various environmental conditions in large-scale studies.

Keywords

Altitudinal transect; Arasbaran; Carbon stock; Organic remnants; Soil order

References

1- Babel U. 1975. Micromorphology in soil organic matter. p. 369-473. In J.E. Gieseking (ed.) Soil Components, 1: Organic Components. Springer, New York.

2- Bal L. 1973. Micromorphological Analysis of Soils: Lower Levels in the Organization of Organic Soil Materials. Soil survey paper, Soil Survey Institute, Wageningen.

3- Banaei M.H. 1998. Soil Moisture and Temperature Regime Map of Iran. Soil and Water Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Iran. (In Persian)

4- Bardy M., Fritsch E., Derenne S., Allard T., do Nascimento N.R., and Bueno G.T. 2008. Micromorphology and spectroscopic characteristics of organic matter in waterlogged podzols of the upper Amazon basin. Geoderma 145(3-4): 222-230.

5- Batz N., Verrecchia E.P., and Lane S.N. 2015. Organic matter processing and soil evolution in a braided river system. Catena 126: 86-97.

6- Belic M., Manojlovic M., Nesic L., Cric V., Vasin J., Benka P., and Seremesic S. 2013. Pedo-ecological significance of soil organic carbon stock in south-eastern Pannonian basin. Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences 8(1): 171-178.

7- Binet F., and Curmi P. 1992. Structural effects of Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) on the soil-organic matter system: Micromorphological observations and autoradiographs. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 24: 1519-1523.

8- Binkley D., and Fisher R.F. 2013. Ecology and Management of Forest Soil. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

9- Blazejewski G.A., Stolt M.H., Gold A.J., and Groffman P.M. 2005. Macro-and micromorphology of subsurface carbon in riparian zone soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69: 1320-1329.

10- Bot A., and Benites J. 2005. The importance of soil organic matter (Key to drought-resistant soil and sustained food and production). FAO soils bulletin 80. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, Rome.

11- Brussaard L. 1994. Interrelationships between biological activities, soil properties and soil management. p. 309-329. In I. Szabolcs and D.J. Greenland, (ed.) Soil Resilience and Sustainable Land Use. CABI, London, UK.

12- Bullock P., Fedoroff N., Jongerius A., Stoops G., and Tursina T. 1985. Handbook for Thin Section Description. Waine Research, England.

13- Buol S.W., Southard R.J., Graham R.C., and McDaniel P.A. 2011. Soil Genesis and Classification. Wiley, Oxford, UK.

14- Catoni M., D'Amico M.E., Zanini E., and Bonifacio E. 2016. Effect of pedogenic processes and formation factors on organic matter stabilization in alpine forest soils. Geoderma 263(1): 151-160.

15- Chernikov V.A. 2000. Soil Biotic Complex as a Basis of Rangeland Ecosystems. Koloc, Moscow.

16- Coomes D.A., and Allen R.B. 2007. Effects of size, competition and altitude on tree growth. Journal of Ecology 95: 1084-1097.

17- Darvishzadeh A. 1991. Geology of Iran. Amir Kabir, Tehran. (In Persian)

18- De Deyn G.B., Cornelissen J.H.C., and Bardgett R.D. 2008. Plant functional traits and soil carbon sequestration in contrasting biomes. Ecology Letters 11: 516-531.

19- Dinca L.C., Sparchez Gh., Dinca M., and Blujdea V.N.B. 2012. Organic carbon concentrations and stocks in Romanian mineral forest soils. Annals of Forest Research 55(2): 229-241.

20- Djukic I., Zehetner, F., Tatzber, M., and Gerzabek M.H. 2010. Soil organic-matter stocks and characteristics along an Alpine elevation gradient. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 173: 30-38.

21- Drewnik M. 2006. The effect of environmental conditions on the decomposition rate of cellulose in mountain soils. Geoderma 132: 116-130.

22- Evrendilek F., and Wali M.K. 2001. Modeling long-term C dynamics in croplands in the context of climate change: a case study from Ohio. Environmental Modelling and Software 16(4): 361-75.

23- Falahatkar S., Hosseini S.M., Ayoubi Sh., and Salman Mahiny A. 2013. The impact of primary terrain attributes and land cover/use on soil organic carbon density in a region of northern Iran. Journal of Water and Soil 27(5): 963-972. (In Persian with English abstract)

24- Fernandez-Romero M.L., Lozano-Garcia B., and Parras-Alcantara L. 2014. Topography and land-use change effects on the soil organic carbon stock of forest soils in Mediterranean natural areas. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 195(1): 1-9.

25- Fox C.A. 1985. Micromorphological characterization of Histosols. p. 85-104. In L.A. Douglas et al. (ed.) Soil Micromorphology and Soil Classification. SSSA, Madison, WI.

26- Gerasimova M., and Lebedeva-Verba M. 2010. Topsoils-Mollic, Takyric and Yermic Horizons. p. 351-368. In G. Stoops et al. (ed.) Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regoliths. Elsevier’s Science and Technology, Oxford, UK.

27- Grieve I.C., Proctor J., and Cousins S.A. 1990. Soil variation with altitude on Volcan Barva, Costa Rica. Catena 17: 525-534.

28- Gruneberg E., Ziche D., and Wellbrock N. 2014. Organic carbon stocks and sequestration rates of forest soils in Germany. Global Change Biology 20: 2644-2662.

29- Hanswalt R.B., and Whittaker R.H. 1976. Altitudinally coordinated patterns of soils and vegetation in the San Jacinto Mountains, California. Soil Science 121(2): 114- 124.

30- IRIMO. 2016. Country Climate Analysis. In: Islamic Republic of Iran Meteorological Organization, Tabriz center. Data sheet.

31- Jastrow J.D., and Miller R.M. 1997. Soil aggregate stabili-zation and carbon sequestration: Feedbacks through organomineral associations. p. 207-223. In R. Lal, et al. (ed) Soil Processes and the Carbon Ccycle. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.

32- Jenny H. 2011. Factors of Soil Formation-A System of Quantitative Pedology. Dover, New York.

33- Jones A., Montanarella L., and Jones R. 2005. Soil Atlas of Europe. European Commission, Institute for Environment and Sustainability.

34- Kodesova R., Kodes V., Zigovam A., and Simunek J. 2006. Impact of plants roots and soil organisms on soil micromorphology and hydraulic properties. Biologia 19: 339-343.

35- Kooistra M.J., and Pulleman M.M. 2010. Features related to faunal activity. p. 397-417. In G. Stoops et al. (ed.) Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regoliths. Elsevier’s Science and Technology, Oxford, UK.

36- Kovda I., Morab C.I., and Wilding L.P. 2006. Stable isotope compositions of pedogenic carbonates and soil organic matter in a temperate climate Vertisol with gilgai, southern Russia. Geoderma 136(1-2): 423-435.

37- Lahooti P., Emadi S.M., Bahmanyar M.A., and Ghajar Sepanlou M. 2019. Soil organic carbon mapping by geostatistics and artificial neural network methods (Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province). Journal of Water and Soil 32(6): 1135-1148. (In Persian with English abstract)

38- Lal R. 2004. Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science 304: 1623-1627.

39- Levesque M.P., and Dinel H, 1982. Some morphological and chemical aspects of peats applied to the characterization of Histosols. Soil Science 133: 324-332.

40- Longbottom T.L., Townsend-Smalla A., Owena L.A., and Muraria M.K. 2014. Climatic and topographic controls on soil organic matter storage and dynamics in the Indian Himalaya: Potential carbon cycle–climate change feedbacks. Catena 119: 125-135.

41- Mourik J.V., and Blok S. 2008. Physical fraction and cryo-coube analysis of mormoder humus. p. 199-210. In S. Kapur, A. Mermut, and G. Stoops (eds). New Trends in Soil Micromorphology. Springer, Berlin.

42- Murphy C.P. 1986. Thin Section Preparation of Soils and Sediments. A and B Academic, Berkhamsted.

43- Nierop K.G.J., Lagen B.V., and Buurman P. 2001. Composition of plant tissues and soil organic matter in the first stages of a vegetation succession. Geoderma 100(1-2): 1-24.

44- Osman Kh.T. 2013. Forest Soils: Properties and Management. Springer Science and Business Media, Switzerland.

45- Quideau S.A., Chadwick O.A., Benesi A., Graham R.C., and Anderson M.A. 2001. Adirect link between forest vegetation type and soil organic matter composition. Geoderma 104(1-2): 41-60.

46- Rahimi Ashjerdi M.R., and Ayoubi Sh. 2013. Impacts of land-use change and slope positions on some soil properties and magnetic susceptibility in Ferydunshahr district, Isfahan province. Journal of Water and Soil 27(5): 882-895 (in Persian with English abstract).

47- Rezaei H., Jafarzadeh A.A., Aliasgharzad N., and Alipoor L. 2015. Soil quality investigation based on biological and micromorphological traits under different land uses. Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences 10(1): 241-254.

48- Ringrose-Voase A.J., and Humphreys G.S. 1994. Soil Micromorphology: Studies in Management and Genesis. Elsevier Science, New York.

49- Scheu S., Albers D., Alphei J., Buryn R., Klages U., Migge S., Platner C., and Salamon J.A. 2003. The soil fauna community in pure and mixed stands of beech and spruce of different age: trophic structure and structuring forces. Oikos 101(2): 225-238.

50- Schoeneberger P.J., Wysocki D.A., Benham E.C., and Soil Survey Staff. 2012. Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils. Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Soil Survey Center, Lincoln, NE.

51- Schua K., Wende S., Wagner S., and Feger K.H. 2015. Soil chemical and microbial properties in a mixed stand of spruce and birch in the Ore Mountains (Germany), A case study. Forests 6: 1949-1965.

52- Shang S., Jiang P., Chang S.X., Song Z., Liu J., and Sun L. 2014. Soil organic carbon in particle size and density fractionations under four forest vegetation-land use types in subtropical China. Forests 5: 1391-1408.

53- Soil and Water Research Institute. 2008. Laboratory Analysis Instructions of Water and Soil Samples. No. 467. Ministry of Agriculture, Iran. (In Persian)

54- Soil Survey Staff. 2014. Keys to Soil Taxonomy (12th.). United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC.

55- Stolt M.H., and Lindbo D.L. 2010. Soil organic matter. p. 369-396. In G. Stoops et al. (ed.) Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regoliths. Elsevier’s Science and Technology, Oxford, UK.

56- Stoops G. 2003. Guidelines for Analysis and Description of Soil and Regolit Thin Section. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

57- Stoops G., Marcelino V., and Mees F. 2010. Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regoliths. Elsevier’s Science and Technology, Oxford, UK.

58- Sun W., Zhu H., and Guo Sh. 2015. Soil organic carbon as a function of land use and topography on the Loess Plateau of China. Ecological Engineering 83: 249-257.

59- UNESCO. 1977. Arasbaran wildlife refuge and protected area is recognized as part of the international network of biosphere reserves. Available at http: //www.unesco.org/ new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/asia-and-the-pacific/islamic-republic-of-iran/arasbaran. (Visited 15 March 2015).

60- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 1996. Soil Quality Information Sheet, Soil Quality Indicators: Organic matter. Natural Resources Conservation Service.

61- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 2006. Soils Fundamental Concepts. Natural Resources Conservation Service.

62- Vidojevic D., Manojlovic M., Dordevic A., Nesic L., and Dimic B. 2015. Organic carbon stocks in the soils of Serbia. Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences 10(4): 75-83.

63- Wagai R., Mayer L.M., Kitayama K., and Knicker H. 2008. Climate and parent material controls on organic matter storage in surface soils: A three-pool, density-separation approach. Geoderma 147: 23-33.

64- Wang Q.K., and Wang S.L. 2007. Soil organic matter under different forest types in Southern China. Geoderma 142: 349-356.

65- Wiesmeier M., Sporlein P., Geuss U., Hangen E., Haug S., Reischl A., Schilling B., Lutzow M., and Kogel-Knabner I. 2012. Soil organic carbon stocks in southeast Germany (Bavaria) as affected by land use, soil type and sampling depth. Global Change Biology 18: 2233-2245.

66- Wilcke W., Oelmann Y., Schmitt A., Valarezo C., Zech W., and Homeier J. 2008. Soil properties and tree growth along an altitudinal transect in Ecuadorian tropical montane forest. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 171: 220-230.

67- Wilson C.A., Cloy J.M., Graham M.C., and Hamlet L.E. 2013. A microanalytical study of iron, aluminum and organic matter relationships in soils with contrasting hydrological regimes. Geoderma 202–203: 71-81.