Microbial Community Indicators of Soil Development in Tropical Secondary Forests (Costa Rica)

As land management strategies in tropical regions change from intensive agricultural use to reforestation, the development of secondary forests is becoming a potentially important restoration strategy for increasing soil carbon (C) sequestration (e.g., Guo and Gifford 2002). During earlier stages of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological Restoration 2010-09, Vol.28 (3), p.236-238
Main Authors: Eaton, William D., Giles, Emily, Barry, Dwight
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural soils
Biomass
Forest habitats
Forest soils
Old growth forests
Pastures
Restoration Notes
Secondary forests
Soil bacteria
Soil ecology
Soil fungi
Soil microorganisms
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Summary:As land management strategies in tropical regions change from intensive agricultural use to reforestation, the development of secondary forests is becoming a potentially important restoration strategy for increasing soil carbon (C) sequestration (e.g., Guo and Gifford 2002). During earlier stages of regeneration, secondary forests in the tropics are thought to have reduced levels of soil organic carbon (SOC), which over time becomes more complex as labile pools of nutrients and organic matter accumulate on the forest floor. This is believed to stimulate complex microbial activities associated with decomposition and mineralization of organic matter (e.g., Feldpausch et al. 2004), followed by an increase of C in microbial biomass (C sub(mic)) and the ratio of C sub(mic) to SOC, both of which suggest more efficient use of the SOC and more C incorporation into the microbiota (Table 1).
ISSN:1543-4060
1522-4740
1543-4079
DOI:10.3368/er.28.3.236