Summary
This field study examined how tropical forest conversion to different plantation types (rubber, oil-palm) and secondary forests alters the composition and stabilisation of soil organic carbon through divergent accumulation of plant- and microbial-derived compounds. The research found that conversion to rubber plantations substantially reduced total soil carbon whilst shifting the biochemical composition of remaining carbon towards amino sugars, whereas oil-palm and secondary forest conversions showed more modest and differentiated effects. The findings suggest that land-use change fundamentally restructures soil carbon formation and stabilisation mechanisms through changes in microbial activity, nutrient availability, and the functional composition of organic carbon pools.
UK applicability
While this study is conducted in tropical systems where forest conversion pressures differ markedly from the UK context, the mechanistic insights into how land-use change alters soil microbial communities and soil carbon stability may inform UK agroforestry and woodland management practices. The emphasis on soil functional carbon pools and their link to microbial properties is relevant to temperate soil health assessment, though direct applicability requires consideration of contrasting climate, vegetation, and management regimes.
Key measures
Soil organic carbon (SOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) concentrations; amino sugar and lignin concentrations within each pool; soil enzyme activities; microbial biomass; soil nutrient stoichiometry
Outcomes reported
The study measured accumulation of plant- and microbial-derived compounds (amino sugars and lignins) within distinct soil organic carbon pools (SOC, POC, MAOC) under different land-use conversions from primary forest. It assessed how conversion to rubber plantations, secondary forests, and oil-palm plantations differentially altered soil carbon dynamics, enzyme activities, and microbial biomass.
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