Forestry insularity effect of four Mimosa L. species (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae) on soil nutrients of a Mexican semiarid ecosystem

• Published in: Agroforestry systems Vol. 80; no. 3; pp. 385 - 397
• Main Authors: Camargo-Ricalde, Sara Lucía, Reyes-Jaramillo, Irma, Montaño, Noé Manuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.11.2010; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Canopies; Cations; Deserts; Ecosystems; Fertility; Forest soils; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Legumes; Life Sciences; Mimosa; Nitrogen; Organic carbon; Organic matter; Organic phosphorus; Phosphorus; Plant species; Reclamation; Seasonal variations; Soil; Soil fertility; Soil nutrients; Soil pH; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Soils; Terrestrial ecosystems; valleys; Mexico; Legumes; Organic matter; Soil fertility; Nitrogen and phosphorus; Fertility islands; Tropical scrubs; Deserts; Tropical zone; Inorganic element; Semi arid zone; Dicotyledones; Ecosystem; Angiospermae; Species; Shrubbery; Phosphorus; Nitrogen; Island; Legume; Soils; Fertility island; Leguminosae; Forestry; Spermatophyta; Desert; Agroforestry
• ISSN: 0167-4366; 1572-9680
• DOI: 10.1007/s10457-010-9330-y

Information about forestry insularity of plants on soil nutrients will be critical for selecting plant species for agrosilvopastoral or fertility reclamation programs in dry ecosystems. We explored the effects of four Mimosa species ( M. lacerata , M. luisana , M. polyantha and M. texana var. filipes ) and of rainfall seasonal variation on soil nutrients in a semiarid ecosystem located at the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. Soil samples were taken from outside and under the canopy at three positions (trunk, middle, edge) in all four Mimosa species; ten plants per species. The soil pH, organic matter (SOM), organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (Nt), available phosphorus (Pi), and major cations (Ca, Mg, K and Na) were determined. Our results showed that Mimosa species improve the soil under their canopies creating fertile islands with higher SOM, SOC, total N and Pi cycling than the soil in open areas (OA). The insularity effect was significantly species-dependent, where SOM, SOC, Nt and Pi decreased consistently from trunk to OA in all four Mimosa species; however, magnitude varied among species. Likewise, differences in the quantity of soil cations were observed among Mimosa species; though, an insularity gradient trunk-open area was not observed. All these effects were consistent across the species studied and showed little seasonal variability, suggesting a strong forestry insularity of Mimosa species on soil fertility. Of all the four Mimosa species studied, M. lacerata was the most effective in accumulating SOM and nutrients in the soil, for which it would be a good option to implement in agrosilvopastoral or fertility reclamation programs in this semiarid ecosystem.