Organic matter in termite mounds of the Brazilian cerrados
Material type: ArticleLanguage: English Description: p. 198-202Subject(s): LOC classification:- S 623 .S977
Item type | Current library | Collection | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
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Books | CIAT Library General Book Collection | General Book Collection | S 623 .S977 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | c.1 | Available |
Edited by Richard Thomas, Miguel A. Ayarza
This study assessed differences between soil organic matter (SOM) in termite mounds and that of surrounding clayey and loamy Oxisols in the Brazilian savannas, also known as the Cerrados. Samples were fractionated into clay (<2 micro m), silt (2-50 pm), and sand (50-250 micro m), and the fractions' SOM was characterized according to C, N, lignin, and carbohydrates. In the mounds, soil organic carbon (SOC) is enriched by a factor of 3.5 and 11.5 in the clayey and loamy Oxisols, respectively. Especially in the sand fraction, the SOC accumulated as particulate SOM. However, in all size fractions, we found higher lignin contents, lower ratios of acids to aldehydes of lignin-derived phenols, and lower ratios of microbial to plant-derived monosugars than in the fractions of the surrounding soil. These findings suggest that the SOM of the mounds is less decomposed.