Changes in organic carbon stocks upon land use conversion in the Brazilian Cerrado: a review.

Abstract This paper reviews current knowledge on changes in carbon stocks upon land use conversion in the Brazilian Cerrado. First, we briefly characterize the savanna ecosystem and summarize the main published data on C stocks under natural conditions. The effects of increased land use pressure in the Cerrado and current uncertainties of estimations of changes in land cover and land use are reviewed next. Thereafter, we focus on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics due to changes in land use, particularly conversion to pastures and soybean-based cropping systems, and effects of management practices such as soil fertilization, crop rotations and tillage practices. Most studies considered here suggest that more intensive agriculture, which include no-till practices and the implementation of best or recommended management practices (RMP), reduces SOC losses after land use conversion from conventional tillage-based, monocropping systems; however, these studies focussed on the first 0.3 m of soil, or less, and seldom considered full carbon accounting. To better estimate possible global warming mitigation with agriculture in the Cerrado more comprehensive studies are needed that analyse fluxes of the biogenic greenhouse gases (GHG; CO2, N2O and CH4) to determine the net global warming potential (GWP). Follow up studies should include the application of an integrated modelling system, comprised of a Geographic Information System (GIS) linked to dynamic modelling tools, to analyse SOC dynamics and make projections for possible changes in net C flows in the Cerrado region upon defined changes in soil use and management.

[1]  P. Doraiswamy,et al.  Modeling organic carbon dynamics under no-tillage and plowed systems in tropical soils of Brazil using CQESTR , 2009 .

[2]  H. Miranda,et al.  Soil and air temperatures during prescribed cerated fires in Central Brazil , 1993, Journal of Tropical Ecology.

[3]  S. Ogle,et al.  Agricultural management impacts on soil organic carbon storage under moist and dry climatic conditions of temperate and tropical regions , 2005 .

[4]  Ross E. McMurtrie,et al.  Does conversion of forest to agricultural land change soil carbon and nitrogen? a review of the literature , 2002 .

[5]  E. Scopel,et al.  N2O and CH4 emissions from soils under conventional and no-till management practices in Goiânia (Cerrados, Brazil) , 2007 .

[6]  K. Paustian,et al.  Simulating SOC changes in 11 land use change chronosequences from the Brazilian Amazon with RothC and Century models , 2007 .

[7]  Martial Bernoux,et al.  Predicted soil organic carbon stocks and changes in the Brazilian Amazon between 2000 and 2030 , 2007 .

[8]  C. Nobre,et al.  Long-term potential for fires in estimates of the occurrence of savannas in the tropics , 2008 .

[9]  B. A. Needelman,et al.  Interaction of Tillage and Soil Texture Biologically Active Soil Organic Matter in Illinois , 1999 .

[10]  K. Paustian,et al.  GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT AND CONVERSION INTO GRASSLAND: EFFECTS ON SOIL CARBON , 2001 .

[11]  J. L. Carvalho,et al.  Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils in the Cerrado region of the Brazilian Amazon , 2009 .

[12]  Alfredo Huete,et al.  Seasonal landscape and spectral vegetation index dynamics in the Brazilian Cerrado: An analysis within the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazônia (LBA) , 2003 .

[13]  W. Wilcke,et al.  Nutrient leaching in oxisols under native and managed vegetation in Brazil , 2005 .

[14]  A. Moreira.  Effects of fire protection on savanna structure in Central Brazil , 2000 .

[15]  Gregory P. Asner,et al.  Pasture degradation in the central Amazon: linking changes in carbon and nutrient cycling with remote sensing , 2004 .

[16]  L. Vilela,et al.  Carbon and nitrogen stocks in a Brazilian clayey Oxisol: 13-year effects of integrated crop-livestock management systems , 2009 .

[17]  Martial Bernoux,et al.  National and sub-national assessments of soil organic carbon stocks and changes: The GEFSOC modelling system , 2007 .

[18]  Kelly K. Caylor,et al.  Spatial heterogeneity and sources of soil carbon in southern African savannas , 2007 .

[19]  J. Bates,et al.  Biogeographic Patterns and Conservation in the South American Cerrado: A Tropical Savanna Hotspot , 2002 .

[20]  I. Kögel‐Knabner,et al.  Soil C and N stocks as affected by cropping systems and nitrogen fertilisation in a southern Brazil Acrisol managed under no-tillage for 17 years , 2005 .

[21]  R. Lal.  Soil carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change , 2004 .

[22]  E. E. Sano,et al.  Assessing the spatial distribution of cultivated pastures in the Brazilian savanna. , 2000 .

[23]  J. Boone Kauffman,et al.  Ecosystem structure in the Brazilian Cerrado: a vegetation gradient of aboveground biomass, root mass and consumption by fire , 1998, Journal of Tropical Ecology.

[24]  Robert M. Boddey,et al.  Alternatives for nitrogen nutrition of crops in tropical agriculture , 1995, Fertilizer research.

[25]  C. Bayer,et al.  Effect of no-till cropping systems on soil organic matter in a sandy clay loam Acrisol from Southern Brazil monitored by electron spin resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance , 2000 .

[26]  R. Howarth,et al.  Nitrogen Cycling in the Americas: Natural and Anthropogenic Influences and Controls , 2006 .

[27]  D. Resck,et al.  Comportamento de diferentes sistemas de manejo como fonte ou depósito de carbono em relação à vegetação de Cerrado , 1999 .

[28]  Fernando-Antonio Macena Da Silva,et al.  Long-term effects of continuous direct seeding mulch-based cropping systems on soil nitrogen supply in the Cerrado region of Brazil , 2007, Plant and Soil.

[29]  DoKyoung Lee,et al.  Changes of soil organic carbon and its fractions in relation to soil physical properties in a long-term fertilized paddy. , 2009 .

[30]  Eric Scopel,et al.  Storage and forms of organic carbon in a no-tillage under cover crops system on clayey Oxisol in dryland rice production (Cerrados, Brazil) , 2007 .

[31]  R. Roscoe,et al.  Soil organic matter dynamics in density and particle size fractions as revealed by the 13C/12C isotopic ratio in a Cerrado's oxisol , 2001 .

[32]  J. Melillo,et al.  Tropical agriculture and global warming: impacts and mitigation options , 2007 .

[33]  Eros Comunello,et al.  From forest to waste: Assessment of the Brazilian soybean chain, using nitrogen as a marker. , 2008 .

[34]  B. Ellert,et al.  Calculation of organic matter and nutrients stored in soils under contrasting management regimes , 1995 .

[35]  D. O. Hall,et al.  The global carbon sink: a grassland perspective , 1998 .

[36]  W. Post,et al.  Soil organic carbon sequestration rates by tillage and crop rotation : A global data analysis , 2002 .

[37]  G. V. van Kooten,et al.  Creating Carbon Offsets in Agriculture through No-Till Cultivation: A Meta-Analysis of Costs and Carbon Benefits , 2005 .

[38]  李幼升,et al.  Ph , 1989 .

[39]  D. Resck,et al.  Soil organic carbon as affected by afforestation with Eucalyptus and Pinus in the Cerrado region of Brazil , 2002 .

[40]  N. H. Ravindranath,et al.  2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories , 2006 .

[41]  Juan F. Silva,et al.  Spatial heterogeneity, land use and conservation in the cerrado region of Brazil , 2006 .

[42]  A. Wambeke.  Soils of the Tropics: Properties and Appraisal , 1992 .

[43]  C. Brannstrom,et al.  Remote classification of Cerrado (Savanna) and agricultural land covers in northeastern Brazil , 2008 .

[44]  W. Delitti,et al.  Belowground biomass seasonal variation in two Neotropical savannahs (Brazilian Cerrados) with different fire histories , 2001 .

[45]  J. A. Ratter,et al.  The Brazilian Cerrado Vegetation and Threats to its Biodiversity , 1997 .

[46]  N. H. Ravindranath,et al.  Carbon Inventory Methods : Chinese translation of the English language edition: Carbon Inventory Methods – handbook for greenhouse gas inventory, carbon mitigation and roundwood production projects , 2007 .

[47]  S. Ogle,et al.  Effect of grassland management on soil carbon sequestration in Rondônia and Mato Grosso states, Brazil , 2009 .

[48]  M. Bernoux,et al.  CO2 emissions from liming of agricultural soils in Brazil , 2003 .

[49]  Philippe Blancaneaux,et al.  Nível e natureza do estoque orgânico de latossolos sob diferentes sistemas de uso e manejo , 2000 .

[50]  R. Roscoe,et al.  Tillage effects on soil organic matter in density fractions of a Cerrado Oxisol , 2003 .

[51]  W. Wilcke,et al.  Nutrient storage in soil and biomass of native Brazilian Cerrado , 2001 .

[52]  Richard A. Houghton,et al.  Why are estimates of the terrestrial carbon balance so different? , 2003 .

[53]  Ladislau Martin-Neto,et al.  Carbon sequestration in two Brazilian Cerrado soils under no-till , 2006 .

[54]  Rattan Lal,et al.  Changes in soil organic carbon stocks under agriculture in Brazil , 2005 .

[55]  Rattan Lal,et al.  Organic matter dynamics and carbon sequestration rates for a tillage chronosequence in a Brazilian Oxisol , 2001 .

[56]  Johan Six,et al.  The potential to mitigate global warming with no‐tillage management is only realized when practised in the long term , 2004 .

[57]  R. Mittermeier,et al.  Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities , 2000, Nature.

[58]  R. Lal,et al.  Soil organic carbon and fertility interactions affected by a tillage chronosequence in a Brazilian Oxisol. , 2009 .

[59]  L. Mann,et al.  CHANGES IN SOIL CARBON STORAGE AFTER CULTIVATION , 1986 .

[60]  P. Sánchez,et al.  Properties and Management of Soils in the Tropics , 1977 .

[61]  R. Gifford,et al.  Soil carbon stocks and land use change: a meta analysis , 2002 .

[62]  R. Lal,et al.  Carbon sequestration in soils of Latin America. , 2006 .

[63]  M. Bernoux,et al.  Modeling Soil Carbon from Forest and Pasture Ecosystems of Amazon, Brazil , 2003 .

[64]  S. Urquiaga,et al.  Nitrogen cycling in Brachiaria pastures: the key to understanding the process of pasture decline , 2004 .

[65]  G. Asner,et al.  Nitrogen cycling in tropical and temperate savannas , 2006 .

[66]  C. Bayer,et al.  Organic matter storage in a sandy clay loam Acrisol affected by tillage and cropping systems in southern Brazil. , 2000 .

[67]  Segundo Urquiaga,et al.  Fluxes of nitrous oxide from soil under different crop rotations and tillage systems in the South of Brazil , 2008, Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems.

[68]  P. Fearnside,et al.  Above-ground biomass and the fate of carbon after burning in the savannas of Roraima, Brazilian Amazonia , 2005 .

[69]  M. Bernoux,et al.  Effect of direct seeding mulch-based systems on soil carbon storage and macrofauna in central Brazil , 2007 .

[70]  M. S. Neto.  Estoque de carbono e nitrogênio do solo com diferentes usos no Cerrado em Rio Verde (GO). , 2006 .

[71]  D. Resck,et al.  Perdas de matéria orgânica e suas relações com a capacidade de troca catiônoica em solos da região de cerrados do oeste baiano , 1994 .

[72]  M. Bernoux,et al.  CO2 emission from mineral soils following land‐cover change in Brazil , 2001 .

[73]  Wendy Jepson,et al.  A disappearing biome? Reconsidering land‐cover change in the Brazilian savanna , 2005 .

[74]  M. Andreae,et al.  Biogenic and Pyrogenic Emissions from Africa and their Impact on the Global Atmosphere , 2000 .

[75]  M. Bernoux,et al.  Soil carbon storage potential of direct seeding mulch‐based cropping systems in the Cerrados of Brazil , 2006 .

[76]  C. G. Tornquist,et al.  Modeling soil organic carbon dynamics in Oxisols of Ibirubá (Brazil) with the Century Model. , 2009 .

[77]  G. Eiten,et al.  The cerrado vegetation of Brazil , 1972, The Botanical Review.

[78]  C. Brannstrom,et al.  Land change in the Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado), 1986–2002: Comparative analysis and implications for land-use policy , 2008 .

[79]  P. Fearnside,et al.  Soil carbon changes from conversion of forest to pasture in Brazilian Amazonia , 1998 .

[80]  Stefan H. Robock,et al.  The Brazilian Experience , 1975 .

[81]  N. Batjes,et al.  Possibilities for carbon sequestration in tropical and subtropical soils , 1997 .

[82]  Martial Bernoux,et al.  Modeling changes in soil organic matter in Amazon forest to pasture conversion with the Century model , 2004 .

[83]  P. Fearnside.  Soybean cultivation as a threat to the environment in Brazil , 2001, Environmental Conservation.

[84]  T. Giambelluca,et al.  Evapotranspiration and energy balance of Brazilian savannas with contrasting tree density , 2009 .

[85]  C. Bayer,et al.  Soil organic carbon accumulation and carbon costs related to tillage, cropping systems and nitrogen fertilization in a subtropical Acrisol , 2007 .

[86]  Keith A. Smith,et al.  Impacts of land management on fluxes of trace greenhouse gases , 2004 .

[87]  William H. Schlesinger,et al.  Carbon sequestration in soils: some cautions amidst optimism , 2000 .

[88]  Lindsay B. Hutley,et al.  Carbon balance of a tropical savanna of northern Australia , 2003, Oecologia.

[89]  J. F. Ribeiro,et al.  Fitofisionomias do bioma cerrado. , 1998 .

[90]  Gregory P. Asner,et al.  Spectrometry of pasture condition and biogeochemistry in the central Amazon , 1999 .

[91]  D. Skole,et al.  Soil carbon stocks of the Brazilian Amazon Basin , 1995 .

[92]  D. Ward,et al.  Fire in the Brazilian Amazon: 1. Biomass, nutrient pools, and losses in slashed primary forests , 1995, Oecologia.

[93]  T. Ochsner,et al.  Tillage and soil carbon sequestration—What do we really know? , 2007 .

[94]  Peter A. Furley,et al.  The nature and diversity of neotropical savanna vegetation with particular reference to the Brazilian cerrados , 1999 .

[95]  J. Mielniczuk,et al.  Adição de carbono e nitrogênio e sua relação com os estoques no solo e com o rendimento do milho em sistemas de manejo , 2004 .

[96]  E. Davidson,et al.  Deep root function in soil water dynamics in cerrado savannas of central Brazil , 2005 .

[97]  N. Batjes,et al.  Total carbon and nitrogen in the soils of the world , 1996 .

[98]  J. Pereira,et al.  Effects of fire on soil organic matter in a "cerrado sensu-stricto" from Southeast Brazil as revealed by changes in δ13C. , 2000 .

[99]  W. M. Post,et al.  Soil carbon sequestration and land‐use change: processes and potential , 2000 .

[100]  D. Richardson,et al.  Spatial congruence between biodiversity and ecosystem services in South Africa , 2009 .

[101]  L. Zotarelli,et al.  Tillage effect on C stocks of a clayey Oxisol under a soybean-based crop rotation in the Brazilian Cerrado region , 2007 .

[102]  A. S. Lopes.  Soils under Cerrado: A Success Story in Soil Management , 1996 .

[103]  J. Mielniczuk,et al.  Armazenamento de carbono em frações lábeis da matéria orgânica de um Latossolo Vermelho sob plantio direto , 2004 .

[104]  L. H. C. Anjos,et al.  Sistema Brasileiro de Classificação de Solos. , 2006 .

[105]  R. Lal,et al.  Soil Carbon Sequestration Impacts on Global Climate Change and Food Security , 2004, Science.

[106]  Robert M. Boddey,et al.  Chemical and biological indicators of decline/degradation of Brachiaria pastures in the Brazilian Cerrado , 2004 .

[107]  C. Bayer,et al.  Carbon accumulation at depth in Ferralsols under zero‐till subtropical agriculture , 2010 .

[108]  R. J. Thomas,et al.  Carbon storage by introduced deep-rooted grasses in the South American savannas , 1994, Nature.

[109]  M. F. Guimarães,et al.  Impact of Long‐Term No‐Tillage and Cropping System Management on Soil Organic Carbon in an Oxisol: A Model for Sustainability , 2008 .

[110]  Alfredo Huete,et al.  Terrestrial carbon sinks in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado region predicted from MODIS satellite data and ecosystem modeling , 2009 .

[111]  J. C. Salton.  Matéria orgânica e agregação do solo na rotação lavoura-pastagem em ambiente tropical , 2005 .

[112]  Rodrigo Ribeiro Fidelis,et al.  Alguns aspectos do plantio direto para a cultura da soja , 2003 .

[113]  P. Rochette,et al.  Greenhouse gas fluxes associated with soybean production under two tillage systems in southwestern Quebec , 2009 .

[114]  F. Jiguet,et al.  Predicted Climate‐Driven Bird Distribution Changes and Forecasted Conservation Conflicts in a Neotropical Savanna , 2009, Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology.

[115]  Dinesh Kumar,et al.  Integrated Crop Management , 2008 .

[116]  C. Bayer,et al.  Land use, tillage, texture and organic matter stock and composition in tropical and subtropical Brazilian soils , 2009 .

[117]  A. J. Regazzi,et al.  Dinâmica de decomposição e mineralização de nitrogênio em função da qualidade de resíduos de gramíneas e leguminosas forrageiras , 2002 .

[118]  L. Vivaldi,et al.  Carbon storage in clayey Oxisol cultivated pastures in the “Cerrado” region, Brazil , 2004 .

[119]  J. Laurent,et al.  Carbon and phosphorus stocks of clayey Ferralsols in Cerrado native and agroecosystems, Brazil , 2002 .

[120]  J. Six,et al.  Building Up Organic Matter in a Subtropical Paleudult under Legume Cover-Crop-Based Rotations , 2009 .

[121]  N. Batjes.  Organic carbon stocks in the soils of Brazil , 2005 .

[122]  P. Crutzen,et al.  Biomass Burning in the Tropics: Impact on Atmospheric Chemistry and Biogeochemical Cycles , 1990, Science.

[123]  Rodney T. Venterea,et al.  Impact of reduced tillage and cover cropping on the greenhouse gas budget of a maize/soybean rotation ecosystem , 2009 .

[124]  J. Boone Kauffman,et al.  Relationships of fire, biomass and nutrient dynamics along a vegetation gradient in the Brazilian Cerrado , 1994 .

[125]  Rattan Lal,et al.  Global Potential of Soil Carbon Sequestration to Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect , 2003 .

[126]  S. Urquiaga,et al.  Change in carbon and nitrogen stocks in soil under 13 years of conventional or zero tillage in southern Brazil , 2003 .

[127]  José J. San José,et al.  Productivity and carbon fluxes of tropical savannas , 2006 .

[128]  R. Lal,et al.  Soil carbon storage and sequestration potential in the Cerrado Region of Brazil. , 2006 .

[129]  M. L. L. Assad,et al.  Estoques de carbono em solos sob diferentes fitofisionomias de cerrados , 1996 .

[130]  Anne-Sophie Perrin,et al.  Cropping systems, carbon sequestration and erosion in Brazil, a review , 2006 .

[131]  J. C. Sa,et al.  The contribution of biological nitrogen fixation for sustainable agricultural systems in the tropics , 1997 .

[132]  R. Delmas,et al.  Sources and sinks of methane in the African savanna. CH4 emissions from biomass burning , 1991 .

[133]  P. Furley,et al.  Soil resources and plant communities of the central Brazilian cerrado and their development , 1988 .

[134]  Martial Bernoux,et al.  Brazil's Soil Carbon Stocks , 2002 .

[135]  Emilio Chuvieco,et al.  Aboveground biomass assessment in Colombia: a remote sensing approach. , 2009 .

[136]  Rattan Lal,et al.  Residue management, conservation tillage and soil restoration for mitigating greenhouse effect by CO2-enrichment , 1997 .

[137]  N. Curi,et al.  Estoque de carbono e nitrogênio e formas de nitrogênio mineral em um solo submetido a diferentes sistemas de manejo , 2004 .