Effects of Land Use Change and Seasonality of Precipitation on Soil Nitrogen in a Dry Tropical Forest Area in the Western Llanos of Venezuela
We evaluated changes of different soil nitrogen forms (total N, available ammonium and nitrate, total N in microbial biomass, and soil N mineralization) after conversion of semideciduous dry tropical forest in 5- and 18-year-old pastures (YP and OP, resp.) in the western Llanos of Venezuela. This ev...
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| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2014-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/514204 |
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| author | Ana Francisca González-Pedraza Nelda Dezzeo |
| author_facet | Ana Francisca González-Pedraza Nelda Dezzeo |
| author_sort | Ana Francisca González-Pedraza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We evaluated changes of different soil nitrogen forms (total N, available ammonium and nitrate, total N in microbial biomass, and soil N mineralization) after conversion of semideciduous dry tropical forest in 5- and 18-year-old pastures (YP and OP, resp.) in the western Llanos of Venezuela. This evaluation was made at early rainy season, at end rainy season, and during dry season. With few exceptions, no significant differences were detected in the total N in the three study sites. Compared to forest soils, YP showed ammonium losses from 4.2 to 62.9% and nitrate losses from 20.0 to 77.8%, depending on the season of the year. In OP, the ammonium content increased from 50.0 to 69.0% at the end of the rainy season and decreased during the dry season between 25.0 and 55.5%, whereas the nitrate content increased significantly at early rainy season. The net mineralization and the potentially mineralizable N were significantly higher P<0.05 in OP than in forest and YP, which would indicate a better quality of the substrate in OP for mineralization. The mineralization rate constant was higher in YP than in forest and OP. This could be associated with a reduced capacity of these soils to preserve the available nitrogen. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-77278f795558405aaa5566f59d0b0789 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2356-6140 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-77278f795558405aaa5566f59d0b07892025-02-03T05:51:19ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal2356-61401537-744X2014-01-01201410.1155/2014/514204514204Effects of Land Use Change and Seasonality of Precipitation on Soil Nitrogen in a Dry Tropical Forest Area in the Western Llanos of VenezuelaAna Francisca González-Pedraza0Nelda Dezzeo1Universidad Nacional Experimental Sur del Lago “Jesús María Semprum” (UNESUR), Programa Ingeniería de la Producción Agropecuaria, Laboratorio de Suelos, Santa Bárbara, Municipio Colón 5148, Estado Zulia, VenezuelaInstituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Centro de Ecología, Laboratorio de Ecología de Suelos, Km 11, Carretera Panamericana, Altos de Pipe 1020, Estado Miranda, VenezuelaWe evaluated changes of different soil nitrogen forms (total N, available ammonium and nitrate, total N in microbial biomass, and soil N mineralization) after conversion of semideciduous dry tropical forest in 5- and 18-year-old pastures (YP and OP, resp.) in the western Llanos of Venezuela. This evaluation was made at early rainy season, at end rainy season, and during dry season. With few exceptions, no significant differences were detected in the total N in the three study sites. Compared to forest soils, YP showed ammonium losses from 4.2 to 62.9% and nitrate losses from 20.0 to 77.8%, depending on the season of the year. In OP, the ammonium content increased from 50.0 to 69.0% at the end of the rainy season and decreased during the dry season between 25.0 and 55.5%, whereas the nitrate content increased significantly at early rainy season. The net mineralization and the potentially mineralizable N were significantly higher P<0.05 in OP than in forest and YP, which would indicate a better quality of the substrate in OP for mineralization. The mineralization rate constant was higher in YP than in forest and OP. This could be associated with a reduced capacity of these soils to preserve the available nitrogen.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/514204 |
| spellingShingle | Ana Francisca González-Pedraza Nelda Dezzeo Effects of Land Use Change and Seasonality of Precipitation on Soil Nitrogen in a Dry Tropical Forest Area in the Western Llanos of Venezuela The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Effects of Land Use Change and Seasonality of Precipitation on Soil Nitrogen in a Dry Tropical Forest Area in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_full | Effects of Land Use Change and Seasonality of Precipitation on Soil Nitrogen in a Dry Tropical Forest Area in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Land Use Change and Seasonality of Precipitation on Soil Nitrogen in a Dry Tropical Forest Area in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Land Use Change and Seasonality of Precipitation on Soil Nitrogen in a Dry Tropical Forest Area in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_short | Effects of Land Use Change and Seasonality of Precipitation on Soil Nitrogen in a Dry Tropical Forest Area in the Western Llanos of Venezuela |
| title_sort | effects of land use change and seasonality of precipitation on soil nitrogen in a dry tropical forest area in the western llanos of venezuela |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/514204 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anafranciscagonzalezpedraza effectsoflandusechangeandseasonalityofprecipitationonsoilnitrogeninadrytropicalforestareainthewesternllanosofvenezuela AT neldadezzeo effectsoflandusechangeandseasonalityofprecipitationonsoilnitrogeninadrytropicalforestareainthewesternllanosofvenezuela |