Soil microbial activities in tree-based cropping systems and natural forests of the Central Amazon, Brazil

Abstract

Little information is available about the factors controlling soil C and N transformations in natural tropical forests and tree-based cropping systems. The aim of this work was to study the effects of single trees on soil microbiological activities from plantations of timber and non-timber species as well as species of primary and secondary forests in the Central Amazon. Soil samples were taken in the primary forest under Oenocarpus bacaba and Eschweilera spp., in secondary regrowth with Vismia spp., under two non-timber tree species (Bixa orellana L. and Theobroma grandiflorum Willd.), and two species planted for wood production (Carapa guianensis Aubl. and Ceiba pentandra). In these soils, net N mineralization, net nitrification, denitrification potential, basal and substrate-induced respiration rates were studied under standardized soil moisture and temperature conditions. Individual tree species more strongly affected N transformations, particularly net nitrification, than C respiration. Our results suggest that soil C respiration can be affected by tree species if inorganic N becomes a limiting factor. We found a strong correlation among almost all microbiological processes suggesting close inter-relationship between C and N transformations in the studied soils. Correlation analysis between soil chemical properties and microbiological activities suggest that such strong inter-relationships are likely due to competition between the denitrifying and C-mineralizing communities for NO₃ ⁻, which might be an important N source for the microbial population in the studied soils.