Soil Health and Management
Self-restoration of post-agrogenic soils of Calcisol-Solonetz complex: Soil development, carbon stock dynamics of carbon poolsBackgroundAbandoned land may move towards self-restoration without human intervention. In the European part of Russia, over half a million km2 was abandoned between 1987 and 2007; another 200,000 km2 was abandoned in Eastern Russia. The majority of abandonments occurred in unirrigated dry steppe, land that is arable but less favorable for agriculture. This study compares differences in self-restoration based on underlying soil types, climate, and land-use history across a chronosequence of abandoned land in the dry steppe zone of Russia in a Calcisol–Solonetz complex, reporting on vegetation and soil characteristics. Available with subscription or purchase |
The Use of Ants and Other Soil and Litter Arthropods as Bio-Indicators of the Impacts of Rainforest Clearing and Subsequent Land UseBackgroundThis study evaluates the impacts of rainforest clearing on soil and litter arthropods with a particular focus on ant species. Open access copy available |
Tropical rain forest fragmentation and its ecological and species diversity changes in Southern YunnanBackgroundAnimal species richness is understood to decline with fragmentation of tropical forests. While the same is assumed of plant species richness, fewer studies have been undertaken on this subject. This study on sacred groves in southern Yunnan, southwestern China, evaluates the plant species richness of these tropical rainforest fragments. Open access copy available |
Human Hydrographical Changes Interact with Propagule Predation Behaviour in Sri Lankan Mangrove ForestsBackgroundThis article describes the relation between propagule predators and vegetation structure and environmental factors on a forest path. It also considers how human influence affects these interactions. Open access copy available |
Carbon Sequestration Potential of Indian Forestry Land Use SystemsbackgroundThe paper presents an overview of studies done on the carbon sequestration potential of varied forestry land use systems in India at regional, country, and site-specific levels. Open access copy available |
The Impact of Forest Use and Reforestation on Soil Hydraulic Conductivity in the Western Ghats of India: Implications for Surface and Sub-Surface HydrologybackgroundThis article presents research on the surface and sub-surface permeability of degraded and restored forests and their dominant stormflow pathways in the humid tropics of Uttar Kannada district, Karnataka, India. The authors attempt to determine to what extent field saturated hydraulic conductivity (K*) isaltered due to long-term forest degradation as compared to other studies in the humid tropics. They quantify changes in permeability following forestation of plantations and degraded landscapes and investigate the likely effect of wet-season conditions and the implications this has for predicting hydrologic consequences of forest degradation. Available with subscription or purchase |
Changes in litter decomposition and soil organic carbon in a reforested tropical deciduous cover (India)BackgroundSoil organic carbon is built over time by vegetative decomposition. This study explores potential changes in soil organic carbon in India due to changing patterns of vegetation, such as deforestation, agricultural use, and reforestation with novel species compositions and disturbance cycles. Open access copy available |
Disturbance, Recovery and Resilience in Tropical Forests: A Focus on the Coastal Peat Swamp Forests of Malaysian BorneoBackgroundThis thesis represents four years of work investigating the long-term ecological changes that have occurred in the coastal peat swamp forests of Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo over the Late Holocene. Research Goals & MethodsThree peat cores were extracted from sites along the coast of northern Borneo and fossil pollen and charcoal analysis performed on them in order to look at how vegetation has changed in the past, and what factors may have caused disturbances to the baseline forest communities Open access copy available |
Afforestation for Reclaiming Degraded Village Common Land: A Case StudybackgroundIn India, population growth and agriculture put a strain on natural resources, often resulting in "wastelands" where the soil is no longer productive - often either affected by either salt or alkilinity. Using soil amendments to restore these lands to productivity can be cost-prohibitive for the small villages that own these lands. Afforestation is one possible method for restoring the health of these in a cost-effective and scalable way. Available with subscription or purchase |
The Role of Revegetation for Rehabilitation of Sodic soils in Semiarid Subtropical Forest, IndiabackgroundThis study relies on a case study evaluate the rehabilitation of barren land within a larger forest ecosystem. The article indicates that restoration opportunities exist even with severely degraded land where natural succession does not occur without management practices. Available with subscription or purchase |
