IMBIV   05474
INSTITUTO MULTIDISCIPLINARIO DE BIOLOGIA VEGETAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Land use effects on organic matter cycling in central-west Argentina
Autor/es:
CUCHIETTI, A.; MARCOTTI, E.; CONTI, G.; DIAZ, S.; PÉREZ-HARGUINDEGUY, N.
Lugar:
Lille
Reunión:
Congreso; Annual Meeting British Ecological Society and Société Française d?Ecologie; 2014
Institución organizadora:
British Ecological Society and Société Française d?Ecologie
Resumen:
Land use changes are one of the most important drivers of global change due to its direct effects on biodiversity and on ecosystem processes. In Argentina, Chaco dry forests are under accelerated land use changes. We assessed how changes in land use affect directly and indirectly potential C and nutrient cycling in patches of Chaco dry forest. We identified the most widespread land uses in central-western Argentina and we selected 4 patches of each one (protected forest, forest with mild logging, forest with heavy logging, mixed shrubland and shrubland dominated by Jarilla) under homogeneous macro climatic conditions. We characterized each of the 20 patches in terms of: (a) vegetation and soil characteristics, (b) Temperature and humidity conditions, (c) potential decomposition of common material, (d) quality, quantity and decomposition of litter produced at each site. We found that tree height, % tree cover and % herbaceous cover was significantly higher in protected forests and lower in shrublands dominated by Jarilla. Soil % N and % CO were significantly higher in protected forests and in forests with mild logging. Soil temperature was higher in mixed shrublands and shrublands dominated by Jarilla. Decomposition of common materials was in general slow, as expected in this kind of climate, but significantly different between land uses. Quality and decomposition of litter produced in each patch was not different between land uses. However, litter quantity was significantly higher in protected forests, forests with mild logging and forests with heavy logging. Although different types of land use affect vegetation cover and soil temperature, the quality and decomposition of litter in Chaco forests did not change. Different land use types would be affecting indirectly organic matter cycling by changing the quantity of litter input in central-west of Argentina.