黄土高原半干旱区不同土地利用下的土壤有机碳、碳组分和土壤营养

Cropland (CP), native grassland (NG) and two shrub land treatments which were converted from cropland in 1985:seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L. ) (ST), and branchytamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima) (BT) were investigated to evaluate effects of land use conversion on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil nutrients in the semi-arid region of the Loess Plateau of China. Total organic carbon (TOC), light fraction organic carbon (LFOC), heavy fraction organic carbon (HFOC), total N (TN), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N) and nitrite nitrogen (NO₂^--N), ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), total P, and available P (AP) were measured. The results showed that SOC in NG, ST and BT were 12.7%, 27.7% and 34.8% higher than that of the cropland, respectively. LFOC, light fraction (LF) dry matter, ratio of TOC to TN (C/N) and the ratio of TOC to AP (C/P) were higher in the shrub land or native grassland than in the cropland. Cropland had the highest TN, the sum of NO₃^--N and NO₂^--N, TP and AP due to the use of chemical fertilizers. TOC significantly correlated with LFOC, HFOC and C/N. LFOC significantly correlated with dry matter of the LF and C/N. TN, the sum of NO₃^--N and NO₂^--N and AP were significantly negatively correlated with TOC and LFOC. Therefore, land use conversion from cropland to shrub land, or maybe grassland, contributed to SOC sequestration and improved soil nutrients stabilization.     

Soil organic carbon in some land uses of Costa Rica

The native vegetation in the Tropics is increasingly replaced by crops, pastures, tree plantations, or settlements with contradictory effects on soil organic carbon (SOC). Therefore, the general objective was to estimate the SOC stock depth distribution to 100-cm depth in soils of Costa Rica and to assess their theoretical carbon (C) sink capacity by different management practices. A study was established in three ecoregions of Costa Rica: the Isthmian-Atlantic Moist Forest (AM), the Pacific Dry Forest (PD), and the Montane Forest (MO) ecoregions. Within each ecoregion, three agricultural land uses and a mature forest were sampled to 100-cm depth. The SOC stock in 0–100 cm depth was 114–150 Mg C ha^?1 for AM, 76–165 Mg C ha^?1 for PD, and 166–246 Mg C ha^?1 for MO. Land use had only weak effects on SOC concentrations and stocks except at PD where both were lower for soils under mango (Mangifera indica) and pasture. This may indicate soil degradation which was also supported by data on SOC stratification. However, it was generally unclear whether differences among land uses within each ecoregion already existed particularly at deeper depths before land-use change, and whether the sampling approach was sufficient to investigate them. Nevertheless, about 26–71% of Costa Rica's total C emissions may be offset by SOC sequestration in agricultural and forest soils. However, ecoregion-specific practices must be implemented to realize this potential.     

Soil organic carbon dynamics at the regional scale as influenced by land use history: a case study in forest soils from southern Belgium

Land use change (LUC) is known to have a large impact on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. However, at a regional scale, our ability to explain SOC dynamics is limited due to the variability generated by inconsistent initial conditions between sample points, poor spatial information on previous land use/land management history and scarce SOC inventories. This study combines the resampling in 2003–2006 of an extensive soil survey in 1950–1960 with exhaustive historical data on LUC (1868–2006) to explain observed changes in the SOC stocks of temperate forest soils in the Belgian Ardennes. Results from resampling showed a significant loss of SOC between the two surveys, associated with a decrease in variability. The mean carbon content decreased from 40.4 to 34.5 g C kg^?1 (10.6 to 9.6 kg C m^?2), with a mean rate of C change (ΔSOC) of ?0.15 g C kg^?1 year^?1 (?0.023 kg C m^?2 year^?1). Soils with high SOC content tended to loose carbon while conversely soils with low SOC tended to gain carbon. Land use change history explained a significant part of past and current SOC stocks as well as ΔSOC during the last 50 years. We show that the use of spatially explicit historical data can help to quantitatively explain changes in SOC content at the regional scale.     

Soil particulate organic carbon under different land use and management

Abstract. Changes in particulate organic carbon (POC) relative to total organic carbon (TOC) were measured in soils from five agronomic trial sites in New South Wales, Australia. These sites covered a wide range of different land use and management practices. POC made up 42–74% of TOC and tended to be greater under pasture and more conservative management than traditional cropping regimes. It was the form of organic carbon preferentially lost when soils under long-term pasture were brought under cultivation. It was also the dominant form of organic carbon accumulating under more conservative management practices (direct drilling, stubble retained and organic farming). Across all sites, changes in POC accounted for 81.2% (range 69–94%) of the changes in total organic carbon caused by differences in land use and management. Significant differences were found between pasture and cropped soils in the carbon content in the <53 μm fraction, particularly for hardsetting soils. However, even with these, POC was a more sensitive indicator of change caused by land use and management practices than TOC. The current method for measuring POC involves dispersion using sodium hexametaphosphate. The dispersing agent was found to extract 4–19 % of the TOC, leading to a significant under-estimation of POC.     

土壤润湿性受土壤特性及土地使用的影响

Depth distribution of soil wettability and its correlations with vegetation type, soil texture, and pH were investigated under various land use (cropland, grassland, and forestland) and soil management systems. Wettability was evaluated by contact angle with the Wilhelmy plate method. Water repellency was likely to be present under permanently vegetated land, but less common on tilled agricultural land. It was mostly prevalent in the topsoil, especially in coarse-textured soils, and decreased in the subsoil. However, the depth dependency of wettability could not be derived from the investigated wide range of soils. The correlation and multiple regression analysis revealed that the wettability in repellent soils was affected more by soil organic carbon (SOC) than by soil texture and pH, whereas in wettable soils, soil texture and pH were more effective than SOC. Furthermore, the quality of SOC seemed to be more important in determining wettability than its quantity, as proofed by stronger hydrophobicity under coniferous than under deciduous forestland. Soil management had a minor effect on wettability if conventional and conservation tillage or different grazing intensities were considered.     

Soil organic carbon stock for reclaimed minesoils in northeastern Ohio

Reclamation of disturbed soils is done with the primary objective of restoring the land for agronomic or forestry land use. Reclamation followed by sustainable management can restore the depleted soil organic carbon (SOC) stock over time. This study was designed to assess SOC stocks of reclaimed and undisturbed minesoils under different cropping systems in Dover Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio (40°32·33′ N and 81°33·86′ W). Prior to reclamation, the soil was classified as Bethesda Soil Series (loamy‐skeletal, mixed, acid, mesic Typic Udorthent). The reclaimed and unmined sites were located side by side and were under forage (fescue—Festuca arundinacea Schreb. and alfa grass—Stipa tenacissima L.), and corn (Zea mays L.)—soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) rotation. All fields were chisel plowed annually except unmined forage, and fertilized only when planted to corn. The manure was mostly applied on unmined fields planted to corn, and reclaimed fields planted to forage and corn. The variability in soil properties (i.e., soil bulk density, pH and soil organic carbon stock) ranged from moderate to low across all land uses in both reclaimed and unmined fields for 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths. The soil nitrogen stock ranged from low to moderate for unmined fields and moderate to high in some reclaimed fields. Soil pH was always less than 6·7 in both reclaimed and unmined fields. The mean soil bulk density was consistently lower in unmined (1·27 mg m⁻³ and 1·22 mg m⁻³) than reclaimed fields (1·39 mg m⁻³ and 1·34 mg m⁻³) planted to forage and corn, respectively. The SOC and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations were higher for reclaimed forage (33·30 g kg⁻¹; 3·23 g kg⁻¹) and cornfields (21·22 g kg⁻¹; 3·66 g kg⁻¹) than unmined forage (17·47 g kg⁻¹; 1·98 g kg⁻¹) and cornfield (17·70 g kg⁻¹; 2·76 g kg⁻¹). The SOC stocks in unmined soils did not differ among forage, corn or soybean fields but did so in reclaimed soils for 0–10 cm depth. The SOC stock for reclaimed forage (39·6 mg ha⁻¹ for 0–10 cm and 28·6 mg ha⁻¹ for 10–20 cm depths) and cornfields (28·3 mg ha⁻¹; 32·2 mg ha⁻¹) were higher than that for the unmined forage (22·7 mg ha⁻¹; 17·6 mg ha⁻¹) and corn (21·5 mg ha⁻¹; 26·8 mg ha⁻¹) fields for both depths. These results showed that the manure application increased SOC stocks in soil. Overall this study showed that if the reclamation is done properly, there is a large potential for SOC sequestration in reclaimed soils. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

长期不同施肥和土地利用方式对塿土耕层碳储量的影响

利用土20年长期肥料定位试验研究了不同土地利用方式和施肥对土壤有机碳和无机碳储量变化的影响。试验包括休闲（Fallow, FL）、 撂荒（Setaside, SL）、 不施肥（CK）、 单施氮（N）、 氮钾（NK）、 磷钾（PK）、 氮磷（NP）、 氮磷钾（NPK）、 氮磷钾配合秸秆还田（SNPK）、 氮磷钾配合低量有机肥（M1NPK）和氮磷钾配合高量有机肥（M2NPK）11个处理。结果表明,CK和 FL 处理等质量耕层土壤有机碳储量仍维持在试验前水平,NP和 SL 处理显著提高了耕层土壤有机碳储量,年均增加分别达到 347 kg/hm2 和518 kg/hm2, 此4个处理等质量耕层土壤无机碳储量均较试验开始前（Initial soil, IniS）显著下降,尤其是NP处理显著低于其它3个处理。与IniS和CK相比,除NK处理外的所有施肥处理均显著地提高了等质量耕层土壤有机碳储量,其大小顺序为 M2NPKM1NPKSNPKNPKNPPKN,最大年均增加量为M2NPK 944 kg/hm2,最小为N 127 kg/hm2。施肥处理除PK和M2NPK处理外,其它处理等质量耕层土壤无机碳储量均较试验前明显降低,可能是由于土壤酸化所致。PK和M2NPK处理无机碳储量能够维持不下降,表明土壤无机碳和有机碳在适合条件下可能有某种关系。试验结果还显示,长期试验20年除M1NPK和M2NPK处理外,其它处理耕层土壤容重均明显高于试验开始前,表明等质量土壤碳储量与等深度碳储量相比可以更好地反映土壤碳的变化。     

Soil aggregate stability and aggregate-associated organic carbon under different land use or land cover types

Soil aggregate stability (SAS) is an indicator for soil condition and is greatly influenced by land use or land cover (LULC) type and other soil and environmental attributes. This study investigated the soil aggregate-size distribution, SAS, aggregate-associated organic carbon (AAOC) and the relative importance of factors affecting SAS and AAOC. Based on conditioned Latin hypercube sampling, soil aggregate samples were collected from the “A” horizon and wet sieved into large macroaggregates (>2.0 mm), small macroaggregates (0.25–2.0 mm), microaggregates (0.053–0.25 mm) and mineral fraction (<0.053 mm). The large macroaggregates accounted for 86% to 93% of the total aggregates under all LULC types except under dry land (64%) and paddy land (35%). The SAS under different LULC decreased in the order fir > shrubland > natural grassland > orchard > blue pine > broadleaf > mixed conifer > dry land > paddy land. The AAOC of the large macroaggregates constituted for 76%–90% of the total AAOC under all LULC types except under dry land (65%) and paddy land (38%). While SAS was largely influenced by the AAOC of small macroaggregates, microaggregates and large macroaggregates and LULC type, the AAOC of different aggregate fractions was mostly affected by LULC type, altitude and slope. SAS did not exhibit any significant relationship with the AAOC of different aggregate fractions under the natural LULC types but showed a strong relationship under the agricultural land indicating that AAOC is more critical for SAS under the agricultural land than under the natural LULC.     

The sensitivity of water extractable soil organic carbon fractions to land use in three soil types

Soil organic carbon (SOC) has a high impact on the sustainability of ecosystems, global environmental processes, soil quality and agriculture. Long-term tillage usually leads to SOC depletion. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of different land uses on water extractable organic carbon (WEOC) fractions and to evaluate the interaction between the WEOC fractions and other soil properties. Using an extraction procedure at 20°C and 80°C, two fractions were obtained: a cold water extractable organic carbon (CWEOC) and a hot water extractable organic carbon (HWEOC). The results suggest that there is a significant impact from different land uses on WEOC. A lower relative contribution of WEOC in SOC and a lower concentration of labile WEOC fractions are contained in arable soil compared to forestlands. Chernozem soil was characterized by a lower relative contribution of WEOC to the SOC and thus higher SOC stability in contrast to Solonetz and Vertisol soils. Both CWEOC and HWEOC are highly associated with SOC in the silt and clay fraction (<53 µm) and were slightly associated with SOC in the macroaggregate classes. The WEOC fractions were highly and positively correlated with the SOC and mean weight diameter.     

Assessing scale effects on modelled soil organic carbon contents as a result of land use change in Belgium

This paper explores the influence of spatial scale on modelled projections of soil organic carbon (SOC) content. The effect of land use change (LUC) on future SOC stocks was estimated using the Rothamsted Carbon model for a small area of southern Belgium. The study assumed no management change and used a single climate change scenario. Three model experiments were used to identify how data scale affects predicted SOC stocks: (i) using European LUC datasets at a resolution of 10′ and assuming equal distribution of change within the study area, (ii) using more accurate regional data aggregated to the 10’ resolution, and (iii) using the regional data at a spatial resolution of 250 m. The results show that using coarse resolution (10′) data is inappropriate when modelling SOC changes in the study area as only the methods using precise data predict a change in SOC stocks similar to those reported in the literature. This is largely because of differences in model parameterisation. However, precisely locating LUC does not significantly affect the results. The model, using either pan‐European or region‐specific precise data predicts an average SOC increase of 1 t C ha^?1 (1990–2050), mainly resulting from afforestation of 13% of agricultural land.     

Changes in particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon with land use in contrasting soils

Soil organic carbon(SOC) is the largest terrestrial carbon(C) stock, and the capacity of soils to preserve organic C(OC) varies with many factors,including land use, soil type, and soil depth. We investigated the effect of land use change on soil particulate organic matter(POM) and mineral-associated organic matter(MOM). Surface(0–10 cm) and subsurface(60–70 cm) samples were collected from paired sites(native and cropped) of four contrasting soils.Bulk soils were separated into POM and MOM fract...     

不同利用方式对棕壤有机碳垂直分布的影响

采用野外采样和室内分析的方法研究了林地、园地、耕地3种利用方式对典型棕壤总有机碳(TOC)、颗粒有机碳(POC)及重组有机碳(HFOC)在0～20 cm、20～40 cm、40～60 cm 3层次中垂直分布的影响。结果表明,与林地相比,园地和耕地各层次的TOC含量和储量均显著下降;其分布份额和分布比则为园地中、下层略向上层转移,耕地则明显向中、下层转移。3种利用方式下POC的相对数量均随土层加深而递减,林地开垦为园地和耕地后,POC的相对数量仅在园地上、中层显著降低,分别减少6.67和1.70个百分点,而耕地则各层次均显著降低,其相对数量分别减少13.65、5.43和3.03个百分点;HFOC的相对数量随干预强度和土层深度增加而增大,耕地和园地比林地分别高出:上层5.77和4.00个百分点、中层10.44和6.40个百分点、下层7.35和3.92个百分点,且差异均显著。因此,将林地棕壤开垦为园地或耕地后应注重有机物料的投入,以减缓因开垦对有机碳所造成的损失和不尽合理的分布状况。     

Soil organic carbon distribution in relation to land use and its storage in a small watershed of the Loess Plateau, China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important component in agricultural soil, and its stock is a major part of global carbon stocks. Estimating the SOC distribution and storage is important for improving soil quality and SOC sequestration. This study evaluated the SOC distribution different land uses and estimated the SOC storage by classifying the study area by land use in a small watershed on the Loess Plateau. The results showed that the SOC content and density were affected by land use. The SOC content for shrubland and natural grassland was significantly higher than for other land uses, and cropland had the lowest SOC content. The effect of land use on the SOC content was more significant in the 0-10 cm soil layer than in other soil layers. For every type of land use, the SOC content decreased with soil depth. The highest SOC density (0-60 cm) in the study area was found in shrublandII (Hippophae rhamnoides), and the other land uses decreased in the SOC density as follows: natural grassland > shrublandI (Caragana korshinskii) > abandoned cropland > orchard > level ground cropland > terrace cropland > artificial grassland. Shrubland and natural grassland were the most efficient types for SOC sequestration, followed by abandoned cropland. The SOC stock (0-60 cm) in this study was 23,584.77 t with a mean SOC density of 4.64 (0-60 cm).     

黄土台塬不同土地利用方式下土壤碳组分的差异

为探讨土地利用方式对土壤碳固定的影响,以乔木、灌木、草和农田等不同植被类型,纯林和混交两种栽培模式的黄土台塬为对象,进行了土壤碳组分研究。结果表明,不同利用方式下林地和天然草地在0—100 cm土层总碳,轻组、重组、可溶性有机碳以及轻组有机碳分配比例(LFOC/SOC)均不同程度高于耕地,而其有机无机复合度(HFOC/SOC)则低于耕地,灌木林地和天然草地这种趋势尤为突出;各种土地利用方式间,土壤总碳和HFOC/SOC在0—20cm差异显著,总碳在60—100 cm也差异明显,轻组、重组及可溶性有机碳在0—40 cm,而无机碳则在40—100 cm差异明显;LFOC/SOC和DOC/SOC在各土层均存在一定差异。土壤总碳、有机碳以及各组分有机碳之间呈极显著正相关,而无机碳则与其呈负相关。轻组和可溶性有机碳均与粗颗粒、易氧化有机碳以及2—0.25 mm团聚体有机碳的相关性高于与细颗粒、稳态有机碳和2 mm团聚体有机碳;而重组有机碳则与之相反。轻组有机碳较有机碳、总碳、重组以及可溶性有机碳能更敏感地反映利用方式之间的差异,可作为土壤质量变化的评价指标。     

土地整理对农田土壤碳含量的影响

土地整理对土壤的强扰动会影响土壤的碳循环平衡,为了研究土地整理对农田土壤碳含量的影响,通过间接采样和随机采样方法,采集了江苏3个土地整理区土地整理前后土样进行有机质测定,初步分析了不同土地整理区土地整理后的土壤碳含量变化及其变化差异原因。主要结论有：1）通过土地整理,3个土地整理区土壤碳含量都有得到提高。其中,苏南丹阳土地整理区碳质量分数提高了26.05%,碳密度提高23.87%,提高幅度最大,碳密度变化方向与碳含量变化具有一致性,但提高幅度低于碳含量。这与各整理区原有土质、土地整理工程施工方式、施工时间等因素密切相关。2）水田碳质量分数显著高于旱地碳质量分数,但是经过土地整理旱地碳含量提高幅度大于水田,水田在整理前后碳含量变化幅度不大。3）在土地整理项目实施前应制定适宜的土地整理规划,实施有利于土壤固碳的土地整理工程。     

施用有机肥煤矿复垦耕地有机碳的固持效率及组分变化

  [【目的】]  研究长期施用不同量有机肥下复垦耕地总有机碳 (SOC) 及其各组分的固碳效率变化,为煤矿区复垦土壤肥力快速提升提供理论依据。  [【方法】]  山西煤矿塌陷区复垦长期定位试验始于2008年,设置不施肥(CK)、施用化肥(F)、化肥配施低量有机肥(LMF)和化肥配施高量有机肥(HMF) 4个处理。2019年玉米收获前,采集0—20 cm土层土壤样品,采用物理?化学联合分组方法,测定土壤总有机碳(SOC)及各组分有机碳含量,分析碳投入与土壤总有机碳及各组分有机碳含量之间的关系。  [【结果】]  复垦11年后,与CK相比,F、LMF和HMF处理SOC含量分别显著增加了23.8%、39.6%和82.1% (P<0.05),固碳速率分别达到 0.57、0.83和1.28 t/(hm2·a)。复垦土壤的固碳效率为20.9%,游离态颗粒有机碳组分的固碳效率最大(9.0%),是土壤固碳的主要形式。与CK相比,F处理的土壤游离态颗粒有机碳、化学保护粘粒组有机碳和生物化学保护粘粒组有机碳储量分别提高37.1%、52.3%和93.5%,而LMF和HMF处理提高了土壤游离态粗颗粒有机碳组分、物理保护有机碳、化学保护粉粒组和粘粒组有机碳及生物化学保护粘粒组有机碳储量。与CK相比,HMF处理对上述各组分的提升幅度分别为66.1%、179.6%、59.7%、48.6%及63.0%;与LMF处理相比,HMF处理对各组分的提升幅度分别为19.6%、32.1%、28.5%、5.3%和7.3%。与CK和F处理相比, LMF和HMF处理显著提高了土壤物理保护有机碳在总有机碳中的分配比例。复垦土壤有机碳年均固定量均与年均碳投入量之间极显著正相关,复垦土壤各组分有机碳年均固定量与年均碳投入量之间极显著正相关(P<0.01)。  [【结论】]  复垦土壤有机碳年均固定量与碳投入量之间极显著正相关,在复垦11年后,复垦土壤仍有很大的固碳潜力,固存的有机碳主要以游离态颗粒有机碳为主。施用高量有机肥是快速恢复煤矿区复垦土壤有机碳含量的有效措施。     

Potential of mine land reclamation for soil organic carbon sequestration in Ohio

Soils are an effective sink for carbon storage and immobilization through biomass productivity and enhancement of soil organic carbon (SOC) pool. The SOC sink capacity depends on land use and management. Degraded lands lose large amounts of C through SOC decomposition, erosion, and leaching. Thus, restoration of disturbed and degraded mine lands can lead to increase in biomass productivity, improved soil quality and SOC enhancement and sequestration. Reclamation of mined lands is an aggrading process and offers significant potential to sequester C. A chronosequence study consisting of 0‐, 5‐, 10‐, 15‐, 20‐ and 25‐year‐old reclaimed mine soils in Ohio was initiated to assess the rate of C sequestration by pasture and forest establishment. Undisturbed pasture and forest were used as controls. The SOC pool of reclaimed pasture sites increased from 15·3 Mg ha⁻¹ to 44·4 Mg ha⁻¹ for 0–15 cm depth and from 10·8 Mg ha⁻¹ to 18·3 Mg ha⁻¹ for 15–30 cm depth over the period of 25 years. The SOC pool of reclaimed forest sites increased from 12·7 Mg ha⁻¹ to 45·3 Mg ha⁻¹ for 0–15 cm depth and from 9·1 Mg ha⁻¹ to 13·6 Mg ha⁻¹ for 15–30 cm depth over the same time period. The SOC pool of the pasture site stabilized earlier than that of the forest site which had not yet attained equilibrium. The SOC sequestered in 0–30 cm depth over 25 years was 36·7 Mg ha⁻¹ for pasture and 37·1 Mg ha⁻¹ for forest. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于RS与GIS的平朔露天矿区土地利用类型与碳汇量的动态变化

为了研究矿区土地复垦与生态重建对陆地生态系统碳素生物地球化学循环的影响,以平朔安太堡露天煤矿为研究对象,通过遥感影像解译,对矿区1976-2009年33a期间的土地利用类型与碳汇量变化进行了研究。结果表明:1)由于采矿活动和土地复垦工程的交互影响,矿区5224.98hm2范围内土地利用类型发生了巨大变化:3346.35hm2的耕地和906.45hm2的林地全部转化为工业广场、剥离区、露天矿坑、未复垦的排土场和已复垦的排土场,其中复垦面积为1167.72hm2;2)矿区生态系统的碳汇量和碳汇价值,分别由1976年的602040.22t和63214.22万元,下降为2009年的351173.50t和36873.22万元;3)1990-1996年和2001-2005年期间,矿区生态系统碳汇量分别有所上升。通过设置研究区域在33a间"全部废弃地未复垦"、"全部废弃地常规复垦"以及"全部废弃地生态复垦"3种情景模拟,得出碳汇量分别为62279.57t、961622.2t和1250108.86t,说明采取科学的土地复垦与生态重建措施,有利于整个矿区生态系统碳汇量的增加。     

Soil organic carbon stocks,distribution, and composition affected by historic land use changes on adjacent sites

Historic alterations in land use from forest to grassland and cropland to forest were used to determine impacts on carbon (C) stocks and distribution and soil organic matter (SOM) characteristics on adjacent Cambisols in Eastern Germany. We investigated a continuous Norway spruce forest (F-F), a former cropland afforested in 1930 (C-F), and a grassland deforested in 1953 (F-G). For C and N stocks, we sampled the A and B horizons of nine soil pits per site. Additionally, we separated SOM fractions of A and B horizons by physical means from one central soil pit per pedon. To unravel differences of SOM composition, we analyzed SOM fractions by ¹³C-CPMAS NMR spectroscopy and radiocarbon analysis. For the mineral soils, differences in total C stocks between the sites were low (F-F = 8.3 kg m⁻²; C-F = 7.3 kg m⁻²; F-G = 8.2 kg m⁻²). Larger total C stocks (+25%) were found under continuous forest compared with grassland, due to the C stored within the organic horizons. Due to a faster turnover, the contents of free particulate organic matter (POM) were lower under grassland. High alkyl C/O/N-alkyl C ratios of free POM fractions indicated higher decomposition stages under forest (1.16) in relation to former cropland (0.48) and grassland (0.33). Historic management, such as burning of tree residues, was still identifiable in the subsoils by the composition and ¹⁴C activity of occluded POM fractions. The high potential of longer lasting C sequestration within fractions of slower turnover was indicated by the larger amounts of claybound C per square meter found under continuous forest in contrast to grassland.     

Soil respiration and carbon balance of gray forest soils as affected by land use

 Soil respiration was measured by closed chamber and gradient methods in soils under forest, sown meadow and crops. Annual total soil respiration determined with the closed chamber method ranged from 180 to 642 g CO₂-C m^–2 year^–1 and from 145 to 382 g CO₂-C m^–2 year^–1 determined with the CO₂ profile method. Soil respiration increased in the order: cropland<sown meadow<forest. The C balance calculated as the difference between net primary production (sink) and respiration of heterotrophs (source) suggested an equilibrium between the input and output of C in the cropland, and sequestration of 135 and 387 g CO₂-C m^–2 year^–1 in the forest and meadow, respectively. Received: 1 December 1997