Title | Changes in soil labile-C indicated by the ratio of microbial biomass-C to total Organic-C in a semi-arid grassland undergoing desertification |
Publication Type | Thesis |
Year of Publication | 1996 |
Authors | Lassetter W.L. |
Number of Pages | 108 |
Date Published | 1996 |
University | University of Nevada |
City | Reno, Nevada |
Thesis Type | M.S. Thesispp |
Accession Number | JRN00205 |
Call Number | 00683 |
Keywords | carbon,soil, desertification, organic carbon, dissertation, dissertations, microbial biomass, grassland, soil, labile carbon, soil, microbial biomss, soil, organic carbon, soil, organic matter turnover, theses, thesis |
Abstract | To study changes in labile-C in a Chihuahuan desert grassland in southern New Mexico, microbial biomass-C (Cmic) and total soil organic-C (Corg) were measured along a gradient of long-term grazing impacts, with an ungrazed site chosen to represent steady state conditions with respect to soil organic matter. The results of this study show that the Cmic and Corg ratio is a better indicator of soil labile-C in this semi-arid ecosystem than either variable alone, and that different areas of the soil landscape have responded to grazing impacts in different ways. The Cmic and Corg ratio may thus provide a tool for monitoring changes in soil productivity that occur with desertification. |