Abstract
Water erosion is one of the main forms of soil degradation, causing economic, environmental, and social damage. This study evaluated the effects of different formation stages of gullies (initial - IG; juvenile- JG; mature - MG; and senile - SG) on the chemical, organic carbon and microbiological attributes of soil, using a secondary forest (SF) and two areas of pasture as references in the “Mar de Morros” environment of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome. Soil samples (depth 0–0.05 m) were collected at the end of the rainy and dry seasons. Gullies in different stages of formation promote a decrease in soil fertility and modification of microbiological attributes, particularly when compared with secondary forest areas. Reductions of over 60% in total organic carbon (TOC), oxidizable organic carbon (POXC), FDA activity, β-glycosidase, acid phosphatase, C and N from microbial biomass, basal soil respiration (BSR) and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) were observed in gullies in early (IG) and intermediate (JG and MG) stages when compared to SF. It was found that the effect of erosion on soil chemical and microbiological attributes is more intense in gullies in the initial and intermediate stages compared with those in the senile stage (SG). Using multivariate PCA, the microbiological and chemical attributes of the soil are discriminated between gullies with distinct formation stages. Chemical attributes, TOC, POXC, FDA activity, β-glycosidase, acid phosphatase, MBC and MBN, BSR, and GRSP are good indicators for evaluating the process of erosion stabilization in gullies.
Highlights
The Atlantic Forest biome has been subjected to strong anthropic pressure, to include intense deforestation since the discovery of Brazil (SOS Mata Atlântica, 2018)
There was no significant difference in the levels of clay and sand in gullies at different formation stages and areas of secondary forest (SF), initial-stage regenerating pasture (PRI), and mediumregeneration stage pasture (MSR); variation was observed in the textural class (SF clay-loam; initial regeneration pasture (ISR) - sandy-loam; MSR, initial stage (IG), juvenile stage (JG), mature gully (MG), senile gully (SG) - sandy clay loam) (Table 1)
Higher levels of fine sand were observed in ISR, in contrast to SF, MSR, and SG
Summary
The Atlantic Forest biome has been subjected to strong anthropic pressure, to include intense deforestation since the discovery of Brazil (SOS Mata Atlântica, 2018). This region is characterized by a variable relief, with flat areas and many valleys and hills. Water erosion is one of the main forms of soil degradation, causing economic, environmental, and social damage. This type of erosion leads to the emergence of gullies, which are formed by the processes of soil runoff and high soil loss (Vanwalleghem et al, 2005)
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