Land use change and soil nutrient transformations in the Los Haitises region of the Dominican Republic

• Published in: Soil biology & biochemistry Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 215 - 225
• Main Authors: Templer, Pamela H., Groffman, Peter M., Flecker, Alex S., Power, Alison G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2005; New York, NY Elsevier Science
• Subjects: agricultural soils; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; bioavailability; Biochemistry and biology; Biological and medical sciences; carbon; carbon sequestration; cations; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; denitrification; Dominican Republic; Forest regeneration; forest soils; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Land use; land use change; microbial activity; mineralization; nitrification; nitrogen; Nutrient transformations; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; soil microorganisms; soil nutrient dynamics; soil nutrients; soil organic matter; soil respiration; Soil science; soil water content; Dominican Republic; Central America; America; West Indies; Dominican Republic; Nutrient transformations; Forest regeneration; Land use; Soils; Nutrient; Soil science; Inorganic element
• ISSN: 0038-0717; 1879-3428
• DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2004.07.031

We characterized soil cation, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) transformations within a variety of land use types in the karst region of the northeastern Dominican Republic. We examined a range of soil pools and fluxes during the wet and dry seasons in undisturbed forest, regenerating forest and active agricultural sites within and directly adjacent to Los Haitises National Park. Soil moisture, soil organic matter (SOM), soil cations, leaf litter C and pH were significantly greater in regenerating forest sites than agricultural sites, while bulk density was greater in active agricultural sites. Potential denitrification, microbial biomass C and N, and microbial respiration g
−1 dry soil were significantly greater in the regenerating forest sites than in the active agricultural sites. However, net mineralization, net nitrification, microbial biomass C, and microbial respiration were all significantly greater in the agricultural sites on g
−1 SOM basis. These results suggest that land use is indirectly affecting microbial activity and C storage through its effect on SOM quality and quantity. While agriculture can significantly decrease soil fertility, it appears that the trend can begin to rapidly reverse with the abandonment of agriculture and the subsequent regeneration of forest. The regenerating forest soils were taken out of agricultural use only 5–7 years before our study and already have soil properties and processes similar to an undisturbed old forest site. Compared to undisturbed mogote forest sites, regenerating sites had smaller amounts of SOM and microbial biomass N, as well as lower rates of microbial respiration, mineralization and nitrification g
−1 SOM. Initial recovery of soil pools and processes appeared to be rapid, but additional research must be done to address the long-term rate of recovery in these forest stands.