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Controls of Soil Spatial Variability in a Dry Tropical Forest
Sandeep Pulla1, Jean Riotte2,3, H S Suresh1
1Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India.
Plos One
|April 22, 2016
Summary
Lithology, not fire or vegetation, primarily drives soil spatial variability in southern Indian tropical forests. Geological composition influences soil nutrients and moisture at the hillslope scale.
Area of Science:
- Soil Science
- Ecology
- Geology
Background:
- Understanding soil spatial variability is crucial for ecosystem management.
- Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (SDTFs) exhibit complex soil patterns influenced by multiple factors.
- Local-scale factors (<1 km2) are often overlooked in large-scale soil studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of lithology, topography, vegetation, and fire on local-scale soil spatial variability.
- To identify the dominant drivers of soil properties (nutrients, moisture, texture) in a 50-ha plot within an SDTF.
- To compare observed soil patterns with classic catena concepts.
Main Methods:
- Detailed mapping of soil properties (nutrients, Al, C, pH, moisture, texture) in the top 10 cm.
- Characterization of rock outcrops, topography, and woody vegetation (DBH).
- Assessment of fire frequency over a 17-year period within the permanent plot.
Main Results:
- Lower elevation soils showed reduced moisture, clay, total carbon, and several plant-available nutrients (Ca, Cu, Mn, Mg, Zn, B).
- Plant-available Ca, Cu, Mn, and Mg distribution correlated with lithological differences between amphibolites and hornblende-biotite gneisses.
- Amphibolites were found at summits, gneisses at lower elevations, suggesting lithology shapes topography via differential weathering.
Conclusions:
- Local-scale lithological variation is a primary control on hillslope soil variability in this SDTF.
- Lithology directly impacts soil nutrient stocks and indirectly influences soil properties through topographic control.
- Neither nitrogen (NO3(-)-N, NH4(+)-N) nor fire history significantly explained observed soil parameter variations.
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