Journal Article

PreJuSER-20813

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Spatial patterns of, and environmental controls on, soil properties at a riparian-padock interface

Smith, M. ; Conte, P. ; Berns, A. E.FZJ* ; Thomson, J. R. ; Cavagnaro, T. R.

2012
Elsevier Science Amsterdam [u.a.]

This record in other databases:  

Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.02.007

Abstract: Riparian zones are prominent features of agricultural landscapes because they are the last point to intercept nutrients and sediments before they enter water bodies. We investigated the soil properties, nutrient dynamics and vegetation composition at the riparian agriculture interface. Soil physicochemical and vegetation properties were spatially heterogeneous along the transition from the grazed paddock into the un-grazed and revegetated riparian zone. Soil C stocks varied considerably across the site, with values ranging from 2% in the paddock to 5% in the riparian zone. Using Bayesian model selection, a predictive model for total soil carbon was developed. By including soil moisture content and canopy cover in the model, it was possible to predict total soil carbon with 80% accuracy at the site level and 87% at the transect level. This opens up the potential for total soil carbon levels to be estimated by the quantification of easily measured ecosystem properties. Analysis of the chemical nature of the carbon in theses soils by solid state C-13 NMR spectroscopy, showed the presence of more recalcitrant forms of carbon in the revegetated riparian zone compared to the grazed paddock. Spatial patterns of soil mineral N pools were highly variable (NO4+ - N ranged from 1 to 5 mu g/g dry soil; NO3- - N ranged from 0.4 to 2.2 mu g/g dry soil); however, clear patterns in potentially mineralizable N (PMN) were observed, with rates of PMN in the paddock being less than half of those adjacent to the stream in the riparian zone. Results are discussed in the context of the dynamic nature of soil processes at the agriculture - riparian interface, and the potential to develop models to predict soil carbon using easily measurable vegetation and soil properties. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keyword(s): J ; Bayesian modelling (auto) ; Nitrogen cycling (auto) ; Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (auto) ; (NMR) (auto) ; Riparian restoration (auto) ; Soil carbon (auto) ; Soil nutrients (auto) ; Soil respiration (auto)

Note: The authors wish to thank the landholder and the Riparian Restoration Experiment team for access to the field site. We particularly wish to thank A/Prof. Tony Patti for his valuable advice and helping to bring the authors together. We also thank Ms. Leesa Hughes for lab assistance, and members of the "Cav-Lab" for valuable discussions. PC acknowledges Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH (Germany) for having financed him as visiting scientist at the NMR center of the IBG-3: Agrosphere, Institute of Bio- and Geosciences. Financial assistance for this research was provided by the School of Biological Sciences, Monash University and the Murray Darling Basin Authority. TRC also thanks the Monash Research Accelerator Program for supporting these activities.

---

Contributing Institute(s):

1. Agrosphäre (IBG-3)

Research Program(s):

1. Terrestrische Umwelt (P24)

Appears in the scientific report 2012

---

Database coverage:
; BIOSIS Previews ; Current Contents - Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences ; JCR ; NCBI Molecular Biology Database ; Nationallizenz ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Thomson Reuters Master Journal List ; Web of Science Core Collection ; Zoological Record

---