Abstract
We characterized soil chemical and physical properties in eight tropical dry forest (TDF) successional sites along a time sequence (10, 15, 20, 40, 60 and >100 years) in Santa Rosa, Costa Rica. Seventeen soils were identified, described, and classified in six orders. Most soils were classified as Entisols and Vertisols, but Mollisols, Alfisols, Inceptisols and Ultisols were also present. All soils showed good fertility that did not constrain species richness. High edaphic variation seemed the result of complex interactions among the pyroclastic origin of Santa Rosa ignimbritic plateau (SRIP), the lithological composition and acidity of ignimbritic rocks, the strong seasonality in rainfall, intense hydric and aeolic erosion, topographic variations within the SRIP, and past human intervention. Correlations performed on soils classified as Entisols (<60 cm deep) showed a depletion of soil cations (Ca, Mg, K, Na and CEC) during the first 20 years of forest regeneration, that later recovered in mature TDF sites. Organic matter content did not change significantly along the TDF chrono-sequence. Substantial increments in macro-pores and soil hydraulic conductivity were observed, probably resulting from higher root biomass and turnover in older successional sites. Soil available water and meso-pore abundance were negatively correlated with TDF successional age. Our results indicate that edaphic changes observed along TDF regeneration might have been due to annual fires in pastures and young TDF sites, addition of decaying litter and fine roots as regeneration progressed, milder microclimate conditions during late regeneration in mature TDF sites, increased nutrient cycling, and the predominance of sandy loam textures among the soils examined. These changes in the soil environment with succession may have physiological and phenological consequences on the species appearing at different stages of TDF regeneration.
Highlights
En contraste con los ecosistemas húmedos poco estacionales, donde la sucesión ecológica es controlada en gran medida por la dinámica de los claros y el banco de semillas (Guariguata & Ostertag 2001), los bosques tropicales estacionalmente secos (BTS) son afectados por perturbaciones ambientales severas, como la incidencia estacional del fuego y la sequía (Ewel 1980)
Our results indicate that edaphic chan ges observed along tropical dry forest (TDF) regeneration might have been due to annual fires in pastures and young TDF sites, addition of decaying litter and fine roots as regeneration progressed, milder microclimate conditions during late regeneration in mature TDF sites, increased nutrient cycling, and the predominance of sandy loam textures among the soils examined
Estos cambios en las propiedades del suelo con la sucesión pueden tener importantes consecuencias sobre la fisiología y la fenología de las diversas formas de vida vegetal observadas durante la regeneración de los bosques tropicales estacionalmente secos
Summary
Localización y cronosecuencia de la regeneración boscosa: Este estudio se realizó en el Parque Nacional Santa Rosa (PNSR, 10°50’ N, 85° W) y en la Hacienda Pelón de la Altura (HPA, 10°51’ N, 85°33’ W), en Liberia, Guanacaste, entre agosto del 2002 y julio del 2003. En los sitios de relieve plano (pendientes
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