6533b7d1fe1ef96bd125c0ea
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Energy use in the A and B horizons of the soil under a pine and a cedar stand
Carmelo DazziMaria Teresa Dell'abateF. PinzariAnna Benedettisubject
Total organic carbonEcologySoil organic matterEnvironmental scienceSoil horizonSoil classificationTerrestrial ecosystemMineralization (soil science)Soil carbonPlant litterdescription
Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a study that compares organic carbon content, availability of substrates, and microbial metabolism in two afforested sites in Sicily (Italy) developed under the same climatic and physical conditions but underlying different tree species. Given the key role of the soil microbiota in promoting energy exchanges and transformations in the soil profile, an analysis of the microbial activity and of organic carbon pools was performed on twenty profiles. The parameters considered in this study were based on microbial activity, organic carbon fractions, and kinetics of organic C mineralization. In the two systems studied, the competition for available energy among species of bacteria, fungi, and other organisms was driven mainly by differences in the plant species that form the leaf litter. As in all terrestrial ecosystems, the carbon balance is highly dependent on the living microbial biomass, which is responsible for a substantial amount of the carbon flux from terrestrial to atmospheric systems.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-01-01 |