Soil organic carbon stocks along an elevation gradient in mountain forests of Pinus hartwegii Lindl.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v16i90.1553Keywords:
Trees, climate change, elevation gradient, organic matter, logging, herbaceous vegetationAbstract
High-elevation mountain forests (>2 500 m) play a crucial role in long-term carbon storage. This research aimed to determine how edaphic, climatic, and vegetal variables influence soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks along an elevation gradient in the Pinus hartwegii forest at Nevado de Toluca, Mexico. A total of 140 topsoil samples (0-15 cm depth) were collected at 100 m intervals between 3 400 and 4 000 masl. Soil samples were analyzed to SOC (oxide-reduction method), bulk density (BD; cylinder method), pH, and texture (Bouyoucos method). In addition, climate data, including mean annual temperature and precipitation, were obtained from the ClimateNA model v5.10. Relationships among soil properties, vegetation structure, and climatic variables were analyzed, comparing logged (3 400-3 800 m) and unlogged (3 900-4 000 m) plots. SOC stocks increased linearly with elevation (r²=0.70; p=0.02), peaking at 4 000 m (173.1±5.2 Mg C ha-1) and reaching a minimum at 3 700 m (146.8±5.72 Mg C ha-1). Higher SOC at 4 000 m was associated with lower temperatures and larger P. hartwegii trees. Findings highlight that SOC stocks vary along the elevation gradient, with reduced decomposition rates at higher elevations promoting accumulation. At lower elevations, logging reduced SOC due to vegetation alterations, disrupting organic matter inputs and microsite conditions. These results suggest that P. hartwegii logging may weaken the role of mountain forest soils in mitigating climate change by accelerating soil organic matter decomposition.
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