Landscape-scale assessments of stable carbon isotopes in soil under diverse vegetation classes in East Africa: application of near-infrared spectroscopy

• Published in: Plant and soil Vol. 421; no. 1/2; pp. 259 - 272
• Main Authors: Winowiecki, Leigh Ann, Vågen, Tor-Gunnar, Boeckx, Pascal, Dungait, Jennifer A. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer 01.12.2017; Springer International Publishing; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Nature
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Assessments; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Canopy gaps; Carbon; Carbon isotopes; cropland; Eastern Africa; Ecology; Farming systems; Food chains; Food processing; Food webs; Forest management; Grasslands; I.R. radiation; Infrared spectra; Infrared spectroscopy; Isotopes; Land degradation; Landscape; Life Sciences; Mathematical models; Measurement; model validation; monitoring; Near infrared radiation; Near-infrared spectroscopy; Organic carbon; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; prediction; Prediction models; Regression analysis; Regular; Regular Article; shrublands; Small farms; small-scale farming; Soil carbon; Soil classification; Soil dynamics; soil sampling; Soil Science & Conservation; Soils; Spectrum analysis; stable isotopes; Subsoils; Topsoil; tracer techniques; Tracers; Vegetation; Woodlands; Africa; East Africa; Eastern Africa; Landscape scale assessments; Random forest modeling; Carbon cycling; Random forest modelling

Aims Stable carbon isotopes are important tracers used to understand ecological food web processes and vegetation shifts over time. However, gaps exist in understanding soil and plant processes that influence δ13C values, particularly across smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa. This st...