Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon along topographic gradients in the Ejido Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, Durango, Mexico

Silvia Janeth Bejar Pulido, Ixchel Abby Ortiz Sánchez, Jose Guadalupe Colin, Erik Orlando Luna Robles, Francisco Javier Hernádez, Sacramento Corral Rivas, Friday Nwabueze Ogana

Abstract

Temperate forests are key to regulating climate and biogeochemical cycles. Specifically, forest management in these ecosystems favors the fixation and storage of carbon in the soil, reducing the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). The objective of this research was to analyze the distribution of soil organic carbon stored along a slope in different orientations in a temperate forest under management in the Ejido Adolfo Ruiz Cortines de Durango, Mexico. The factor analyzed was the orientation and position of the slopes. For orientation, slopes with North, South, East, and West orientations were selected, the position of each slope was divided into three sections: low, medium, and high slope, and a zenith area. On each slope, humus and leaf litter stocks were measured, and soil samples were collected to determine bulk density (Bd), soil porosity (P), soil moisture content (M), soil organic matter (SOM), and soil organic carbon (SOC). The carbon storage capacity was significantly influenced by slope orientation. In this sense, the SOC had the following trend: South (73.70 Mg ha-1) >North (73.12 Mg ha-1) >East (67.23 Mg ha-1) >West (54.09 Mg ha-1) >Zenith (47.75 Mg ha-1). Regarding the position, the upper part of the slope had the highest content (83.66 Mg ha-1), while the middle and lower parts had the lowest accumulation with 57.31 Mg ha-1 and 60.13 Mg ha-1, respectively. The orientation and position directly influenced the SOC reservoirs, being key to the productivity of the ecosystem, benefiting local producers.

Keywords

Chemical properties; Forest management; Orientation; Organic layer; Position

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References

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/stjssa.v23i1.110636

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