Abstract
The aim of this study was to quantify the dynamics of herbaceous biomass and fine root productivity, and their relationship to stocks of carbon and nitrogen, in the Vertisols of two adjacent watersheds of a seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) under two different types of ground cover. The two watersheds are located in the county of Iguatu in the State of Ceará, Brazil. The control watershed of 2.1 ha, has been under regeneration for 35 years (RC35), while the second watershed (1.1 ha) was subjected to thinning for a period of 5 years (TC5). The sampled variables were herbaceous shoot biomass, fine roots, gravimetric moisture, the isotope δ13C (‰), total soil carbon (TSC) and total nitrogen (TN) in the 0 - 20, 20 - 40 and 40 - 60 cm layers, between April 2013 and March 2014. To quantify herbaceous shoot biomass, samples were taken monthly. For TSC and TN, the campaigns were held every two months. The data underwent analysis of means and were compared by t-test (p 5, there was an increase in the stocks of TSC and TN of 151 and 137% respectively in the 40 - 60 cm layer, in relation to RC35. The implementation of thinning in a SDFT is seen as a management alternative to be considered in sustainability programs in the semi-arid region, contributing to maximising the production of herbaceous forage for feeding large and small ruminants, and for bee pasture, in addition to increasing the stock of carbon in the soil of SDFT and reducing global warming.
Highlights
In the last few decades the scientific community has turned to the study of carbon stocks in many different compartments of tropical forests [1] [2] [3], due to their being an important component of terrestrial carbon
The aim of this study was to quantify the dynamics of herbaceous biomass and fine root productivity, and their relationship to stocks of carbon and nitrogen, in the Vertisols of two adjacent watersheds of a seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) under two different types of ground cover
The same cannot be said about seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) [4] [5] [6], which cover an area of approximately 105.104 km2
Summary
In the last few decades the scientific community has turned to the study of carbon stocks in many different compartments of tropical forests [1] [2] [3], due to their being an important component of terrestrial carbon. The same cannot be said about seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) [4] [5] [6], which cover an area of approximately 105.104 km. The same cannot be said about seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) [4] [5] [6], which cover an area of approximately 105.104 km2 Of this total, 54.2% are distributed over two large areas in South America [7], with the most extensive, known as the Caatinga, in the northeast of Brazil. The selective removal of trees and shrubs through thinning is used in order to improve the process of colonisation, reducing the competition for water, light and nutrients, and opening up space for the growth of small herbaceous species [9] [10]. The increased availability of herbaceous plants in SDFT has been achieved through changes in the structure and architecture of the tree and shrub vegetation [11] [12]
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