Journal article
Soil nutrients and microbial biomass in three contrasting Mediterranean forests
Cristina Aponte, Luis Matias, Victoria Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Jorge Castro, Luis V Garcia, Rafael Villar, Teodoro Maranon
Plant and Soil | SPRINGER | Published : 2014
Abstract
Aims: The extent to which the spatial and temporal patterns of soil microbial and available nutrient pools hold across different Mediterranean forest types is unclear impeding the generalization needed to consolidate our understanding on Mediterranean ecosystems functioning. Methods: We explored the response of soil microbial, total, organic and inorganic extractable nutrient pools (C, N and P) to common sources of variability, namely habitat (tree cover), soil depth and season (summer drought), in three contrasting Mediterranean forest types: a Quercus ilex open woodland, a mixed Q. suber and Q. canariensis woodland and a Pinus sylvestris forest. Results: Soil microbial and available nutrie..
View full abstractGrants
Awarded by Spanish MEC
Awarded by Andalusian Project GESBOME
Awarded by Andalusian Project ANASINQUE
Awarded by Life + Biodehesa project
Awarded by Subprograma de Tecnicos de Apoyo MICINN
Awarded by MECD
Awarded by EU
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank the Consejeria de Medio Ambiente (Andalusian Government) and the Direction of the Los Alcornocales Natural Park, Sierra de Cardena and Montoro Natural Park and Sierra Nevada National Park for the facilities and support to carry out our field work. We are grateful to Susana Hitos, Eduardo Gutierrez, Carlos Ros, Raquel Casado, Nacho Villegas, Ramon Ruiz and Eulogio Corral for field and lab assistance. This study was supported by the coordinated Spanish MEC Projects DINAMED (CGL2005-05830-C03), INTERBOS (CGL2008- 4503-C03-01), and DIVERBOS (CGL2011-30285-C02), the Andalusian Projects GESBOME (P06-RNM-1890) and ANASINQUE (PE2010-RNM5782), the Life + Biodehesa project (11/BIO/ES/000726), three FPI-MEC predoctoral fellowships to CA, LM and VGR, the Subprograma de Tecnicos de Apoyo MICINN (PTA2009-1782-I), a MECD postdoctoral grant E-28-2012-0934030 to CA and a EU Marie Curie fellowship (FP7-2011-IEF-300825) to LM.