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Influence of leaf litter type on the chemical evolution of a soil parent material (sandstone)

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Abstract

The influence of leaves of Quercus suber L. and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and needles of Pinus pinaster Ait. on a sandstone substrate was assessed through lysimetric studies during a ten-year period at a site in Central Portugal. The decomposition rate of Q. suber leaf litter was similar to that of E. globulus and higher than that of P. pinaster needle litter. The proportion of nitrogen released from the Q. suber leaf litter was higher than that lost from the other organic species. Such a release was proportional to the initial nitrogen content in the substrates. The concentrations of both NH4-N and NO3-N were much higher in leachates collected under Q. suber leaf litter than in those collected under the other organic substrates. A similar trend was found in the leachates collected under the mineral substrate influenced by the studied organic substrates. The leachate concentrations of mineral N (especially NO3-N) were higher from the mineral substrate under Q. suber leaf litter than from this organic substrate itself. The mineral substrate under leaf litter of E. globulus or needle litter of P. pinaster showed an increase in exchangeable base cations and pH values, and a decrease in extractable Al. Conversely, in the substrate with Q. suber leaf litter there was only a slight increase in exchangeable base cations and pH values, and a decrease in extractable Al. These results combined with those obtained in soils under E. globulus plantations indicate that changes found in these soils are due to soil and forest management practices rather than to the decomposition process of the respective of leaf litter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciências do Ambiente, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, 1399, Lisboa Codex, Portugal

    M. Madeira & C. Ribeiro

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  1. M. Madeira
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  2. C. Ribeiro
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Madeira, M., Ribeiro, C. Influence of leaf litter type on the chemical evolution of a soil parent material (sandstone). Biogeochemistry 29, 43–58 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002593

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