Land use effects on litter decomposition in tropical ecosystems in mexico
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This study analyzed litter decomposition rates in different land uses in Mexico's Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve. Litter bags were placed in forest, agricultural, and pasture sites with varying levels of vegetation cover. After 6 months, the remaining litter weight and carbon/nitrogen content were measured. Pastures generally had the fastest decomposition rates, while maize crops were slowest. The site with the most vegetation cover (Lopez Mateos) saw slower decomposition than areas with less cover. Land use and litter quality influenced decomposition rates more than differences in vegetation cover alone. Further study is needed to understand the effects of microclimate and soil fauna on decomposition in this threatened protected area.
Land use effects on litter decomposition in tropical ecosystems in mexico
- 1. LAND USE EFFECTS ON LITTER DECOMPOSITION IN TROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS IN MEXICO Moreno–Miranda, Dulce María, Lizbeth Guzmán–Moreno, Guadalupe Barajas–Guzmán1, Javier Álvarez–Sánchez* Depto. de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, MÉXICO Facultad de Ciencias *javier.alvarez@ciencias.unam.mx, 1guadalub@miranda.ecologia.unam.mx Primary productivity and decomposition are the main processes in the ecosystem. Decomposition is a very important part of the nutrient cycling, give resources to plant nutrition, and there is an important pathway of energy flux. The analysis of this ecosystem process is necessary to identify the ecosystem services and to improve the ecosystem management programs. Mexico: Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve It is located in the state of Veracruz in the coastal plains of the Gulf of Mexico. The region of Los Tuxtlas is a volcanic massif dating back to the Tertiary period, lava flows, volcanic ash, and other pyroclastics cover almost the entire area. The altitudinal range is from sea level to 1,780 meters with the San Martin Tuxtla volcano as the highest elevation. The climate of the region is hot and sub humid on the coastal plains, and temperate and humid in the highlands. The Los Tuxtlas reserve is one of the most threatened protected areas in Mexico because the land use changes for crops and livestock farming. This has led to continuous and rapid disappearance of habitat and natural vegetation. Three sites (windows) were selected in the benchmark site in order to study soil organisms for their diversity and functional attributes, selected according to disturbance gradient, associated with three communities or “ejidos”: Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Venustiano Carranza and San Fernando (Figure 1). Figure 1. Sites (windows) in Los Tuxtlas Region (Modificado de Garcia, 2005). Objective and Methods The aim of this study was to determine the litter decomposition differences in four land uses (Figure 2). López Mateos and Venustiano Carranza windows have the higher and lowest vegetation cover, respectively. Using the leaf litter, a six month experiment was carried out. Using the litter bag method, litter decomposition was estimated with the remaining weight proportion (RWP) in a monthly survey. Carbon, Nitrogen and the C:N ratio contents were quantified, at the beginning and the end of the experiment. Labels of aluminium for every bag of mesh for his identification Figure 2. Land uses. Stock exchanges placed in the use of corresponding soil Litter of every type of land use Litter bags Results For San Fernando window Table 1. Results of the laboratory analysis of nutriments Table 1 (intermediate disturbance regime) and Community Lopez Mateos San Fernando Venustiano Carranza Venustiano Carranza, pasture had Land use Time Initial Final Initial Final Initial Final higher decomposition rates, and the C 46.53 25.44* * 46.29 46.85 48.73 45.48 Agroforestry dry weight loss was 59.63% and N 1.95 1.27* 1.72 2.18* * 1.53 1.68 C:N 23.87 19.97 26.83 21.52* * 31.91 27.08 68.74%, respectively. At López C 44.47 26.09* 44.81 29.49* 46.41 26.55** Maize crop Mateos, higher decomposition rates N 2.53 2.1 0.38 0.61* * 1.87 1.28** C:N 17.58 12.42 118.86 48.23* * 24.87 20.75 (54.37%) were observed in the C 42.6 18.54* 43.49 43.23 45.1 39.1** Pasture N 0.77 1.08 0.84 1.22* 0.8 1.22** tropical rain forest. C:N 55.44 17.11* * 51.68 35.38* * 56.7 32.03* * C:N were significant different in most C 46.01 32.96* 46.25 43.9 46.15 45.28 of the windows and land use (Table Forest N 2.22 1.97 1.85 2.21** 1.29 1.65* * C:N 20.75 16.72* 25.02 19.83* * 35.79 27.48* * 1). * Differences significant p<0.05 * Differences significant p<0.05 Conclusion In general the slowest decomposition is given in the land use of maize and the most rapid in the pastures, while in the site with major coverage (Lopez Mateos) the slowest rate of decomposition was registered. Though it is true that the quality of the fraction to foliate turned out to be important, it is necessary to correlate these results with the information of microclimate and fauna of the soil for every window and use of soil. Land use and litter quality (C and N) determines differences in decomposition rates, but it is not clear that vegetation cover Acknowledgements differences affect this ecosystem process. Irene Sánchez Gallén Sá Gallé Tropical Biology Station Los Tuxtlas, UNAM Tuxtlas, Laboratory of Fertility of Soils, Colegio de Posgraduados Soils, Mariel Ramírez and Alejandra Escamilla Ramí Dra. Isabelle Barois, Martín de los Santos and Dr. José Antonio García Barois, Martí José Garcí