@Article{Stahl_etal2016,
author="Stahl, C.
and Freycon, V.
and Fontaine, S.
and Dezecache, C.
and Ponchant, L.
and Picon-Cochard, C.
and Klumpp, K.
and Soussana, J.-F.
and Blanfort, V.",
title="Soil carbon stocks after conversion of Amazonian tropical forest to grazed pasture: importance of deep soil layers",
journal="Regional Environmental Change",
year="2016",
volume="16",
number="7",
pages="2059--2069",
abstract="Recent studies suggest that carbon (C) is stored in the topsoil of pastures established after deforestation. However, little is known about the long-term capacity of tropical pastures to sequester C in different soil layers after deforestation. Deep soil layers are generally not taken into consideration or are underestimated when C storage is calculated. Here we show that in French Guiana, the C stored in the deep soil layers contributes significantly to C stocks down to a depth of 100~cm and that C is sequestered in recalcitrant soil organic matter in the soil below a depth of 20~cm. The contribution of the 50--100~cm soil layer increased from 22 to 31~\% with the age of the pasture. We show that long-term C sequestration in C4 tropical pastures is linked to the development of C3 species (legumes and shrubs), which increase both inputs of N into the ecosystem and the C:N ratio of soil organic matter. The deep soil under old pastures contained more C3 carbon than the native forest. If C sequestration in the deep soil is taken into account, our results suggest that the soil C stock in pastures in Amazonia would be higher with sustainable pasture management, in particular by promoting the development of legumes already in place and by introducing new species.",
optnote="exported from refbase (http://php.ecofog.gf/refbase/show.php?record=721), last updated on Mon, 29 Jan 2018 09:15:53 -0300",
issn="1436-378x",
doi="10.1007/s10113-016-0936-0"
}