Rainfed agriculture and firewood extraction have contrasting changes on biocrust functional groups and soil N dynamics in a tropical dryland
Journal of Arid Environments(2023)
摘要
In temperate drylands, livestock grazing and irrigation agriculture alter biocrust cover and thereby soil nitrogen (N) dynamics. However, the influence of land use on biocrusts and soil N dynamics in tropical drylands is unknown. We evaluated the influence of rainfed agriculture and firewood extraction on biocrust functional groups and soil N dynamics in a tropical dryland. We collected biocrusts in abandoned croplands resulting from rainfed agriculture and mesquite shrublands resulting from firewood extraction to measure the cover of heterocystous cyanobacteria, non-heterocystous cyanobacteria, cyanolichens, and chlorolichens. We also collected soil below biocrusts to evaluate soil N dynamics (total and available N, N transformation rates, microbial biomass N), energy availability (total C), and microbial activity (C mineralization). We evaluated the correlation between biocrust functional group cover and soil N dynamics, and between microbial activity and soil N dynamics. In abandoned croplands, heterocystous cyanobacteria had high cover and were associated to altered soil N dynamics. In mesquite shrublands, cyanolichens had high cover and were associated to unaltered soil N dynamics. In this tropical dryland, both activities have contrasting changes in biocrust functional group cover and soil N dynamics, probably due to differences in energy availability and soil microenvironments for microbial activity under biocrusts.
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关键词
Abandoned croplands,Cyanolichens,Heterocystous cyanobacteria,Land use,Mesquite shrublands,Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve
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