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Wenzel A, Westphal C, Ballauff J, Berkelmann D, Brambach F, Buchori D, Camarretta N, Corre MD, Daniel R, Darras K, Erasmi S, Formaglio G, Hölscher D, Iddris NAA, Irawan B, Knohl A, Kotowska MM, Krashevska V, Kreft H, Mulyani Y, Mußhoff O, Paterno GB, Polle A, Potapov A, Röll A, Scheu S, Schlund M, Schneider D, Sibhatu KT, Stiegler C, Sundawati L, Tjoa A, Tscharntke T, Veldkamp E, Waite PA, Wollni M, Zemp DC, Grass I. Balancing economic and ecological functions in smallholder and industrial oil palm plantations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2307220121. [PMID: 38621138 PMCID: PMC11047082 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307220121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The expansion of the oil palm industry in Indonesia has improved livelihoods in rural communities, but comes at the cost of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation. Here, we investigated ways to balance ecological and economic outcomes of oil palm cultivation. We compared a wide range of production systems, including smallholder plantations, industrialized company estates, estates with improved agronomic management, and estates with native tree enrichment. Across all management types, we assessed multiple indicators of biodiversity, ecosystem functions, management, and landscape structure to identify factors that facilitate economic-ecological win-wins, using palm yields as measure of economic performance. Although, we found that yields in industrialized estates were, on average, twice as high as those in smallholder plantations, ecological indicators displayed substantial variability across systems, regardless of yield variations, highlighting potential for economic-ecological win-wins. Reducing management intensity (e.g., mechanical weeding instead of herbicide application) did not lower yields but improved ecological outcomes at moderate costs, making it a potential measure for balancing economic and ecological demands. Additionally, maintaining forest cover in the landscape generally enhanced local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning within plantations. Enriching plantations with native trees is also a promising strategy to increase ecological value without reducing productivity. Overall, we recommend closing yield gaps in smallholder cultivation through careful intensification, whereas conventional plantations could reduce management intensity without sacrificing yield. Our study highlights various pathways to reconcile the economics and ecology of palm oil production and identifies management practices for a more sustainable future of oil palm cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Wenzel
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Catrin Westphal
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Johannes Ballauff
- Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Dirk Berkelmann
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Enschede7522 NB, Netherlands
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart70599, Germany
- Laboratorio Biotecnología de Plantas, Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro11501, Costa Rica
| | - Fabian Brambach
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Damayanti Buchori
- Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor16680, Indonesia
| | | | - Marife D. Corre
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Enschede7522 NB, Netherlands
| | - Kevin Darras
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Stefan Erasmi
- Thünen Institute of Farm Economics, Braunschweig38116, Germany
| | - Greta Formaglio
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Dirk Hölscher
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Najeeb Al-Amin Iddris
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Bambang Irawan
- Forestry Faculty, University of Jambi, Jambi36361, Indonesia
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Martyna M. Kotowska
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Valentyna Krashevska
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | - Holger Kreft
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Yeni Mulyani
- Department of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor16680, Indonesia
| | - Oliver Mußhoff
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | - Gustavo B. Paterno
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Andrea Polle
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Anton Potapov
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Alexander Röll
- Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | - Michael Schlund
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Enschede7522 NB, Netherlands
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Kibrom T. Sibhatu
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | | | - Leti Sundawati
- Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor16680, Indonesia
| | - Aiyen Tjoa
- Agriculture Faculty, Tadulako University, Palu94118, Indonesia
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37075, Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Pierre-André Waite
- Technische Universität Dresden, Chair of Forest Botany, Tharandt01737, Germany
| | - Meike Wollni
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | | | - Ingo Grass
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart70599, Germany
- Center for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy (KomBioTa), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart70599, Germany
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2
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von Groß V, Sibhatu KT, Knohl A, Qaim M, Veldkamp E, Hölscher D, Zemp DC, Corre MD, Grass I, Fiedler S, Stiegler C, Irawan B, Sundawati L, Husmann K, Paul C. Transformation scenarios towards multifunctional landscapes: A multi-criteria land-use allocation model applied to Jambi Province, Indonesia. J Environ Manage 2024; 356:120710. [PMID: 38547822 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
In tropical regions, shifting from forests and traditional agroforestry to intensive plantations generates conflicts between human welfare (farmers' demands and societal needs) and environmental protection. Achieving sustainability in this transformation will inevitably involve trade-offs between multiple ecological and socioeconomic functions. To address these trade-offs, our study used a new methodological approach allowing the identification of transformation scenarios, including theoretical landscape compositions that satisfy multiple ecological functions (i.e., structural complexity, microclimatic conditions, organic carbon in plant biomass, soil organic carbon and nutrient leaching losses), and farmers needs (i.e., labor and input requirements, total income to land, and return to land and labor) while accounting for the uncertain provision of these functions and having an actual potential for adoption by farmers. We combined a robust, multi-objective optimization approach with an iterative search algorithm allowing the identification of ecological and socioeconomic functions that best explain current land-use decisions. The model then optimized the theoretical land-use composition that satisfied multiple ecological and socioeconomic functions. Between these ends, we simulated transformation scenarios reflecting the transition from current land-use composition towards a normative multifunctional optimum. These transformation scenarios involve increasing the number of optimized socioeconomic or ecological functions, leading to higher functional richness (i.e., number of functions). We applied this method to smallholder farms in the Jambi Province, Indonesia, where traditional rubber agroforestry, rubber plantations, and oil palm plantations are the main land-use systems. Given the currently practiced land-use systems, our study revealed short-term returns to land as the principal factor in explaining current land-use decisions. Fostering an alternative composition that satisfies additional socioeconomic functions would require minor changes ("low-hanging fruits"). However, satisfying even a single ecological indicator (e.g., reduction of nutrient leaching losses) would demand substantial changes in the current land-use composition ("moonshot"). This would inevitably lead to a profit decline, underscoring the need for incentives if the societal goal is to establish multifunctional agricultural landscapes. With many oil palm plantations nearing the end of their production cycles in the Jambi province, there is a unique window of opportunity to transform agricultural landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker von Groß
- Forest Economics and Sustainable Land-use Planning, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany.
| | - Kibrom T Sibhatu
- International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable land-use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany; Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Matin Qaim
- Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Bonn, 53113, Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Dirk Hölscher
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable land-use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany; Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Delphine Clara Zemp
- Conservation Biology Lab, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, 2000, Switzerland
| | - Marife D Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Ingo Grass
- Department of Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, 70599, Germany
| | - Sebastian Fiedler
- Ecosystem Modelling, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | | | - Bambang Irawan
- Forestry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jambi, Jambi, 36122, Indonesia; Center of Excellence for Land-Use Transformation Systems, University of Jambi, Jambi, 36122, Indonesia
| | - Leti Sundawati
- Department of Forest Management, IPB University, Bogor, 16680, Indonesia
| | - Kai Husmann
- Forest Economics and Sustainable Land-use Planning, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Carola Paul
- Forest Economics and Sustainable Land-use Planning, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany; Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable land-use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
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3
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Manu R, Corre MD, Aleeje A, Mwanjalolo MJG, Babweteera F, Veldkamp E, van Straaten O. Responses of tree growth and biomass production to nutrient addition in a semi-deciduous tropical forest in Africa. Ecology 2022; 103:e3659. [PMID: 35129838 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Experimental evidence of nutrient limitations on primary productivity in Afrotropical forests is rare and globally underrepresented, yet are crucial for understanding constraints to terrestrial carbon uptake. In an ecosystem-scale nutrient manipulation experiment, we assessed the early responses of tree growth rates among different tree sizes, taxonomic species and at a community level in a humid tropical forest in Uganda. Following a full factorial design, we established 32 (eight treatments × four replicates) experimental plots of 40 m × 40 m each. We added nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), their combinations (NP, NK, PK, and NPK) and control at the rates of 125 kg N.ha-1 .yr-1 , 50 kg P.ha-1 .yr-1 and 50 kg K.ha-1 .yr-1 , split into four equal applications, and measured stem growth of more than 15,000 trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 1 cm. After two years, the response of tree stem growth to nutrient additions was dependent on tree sizes, species and leaf habit but not community-wide. First, tree stem growth increased under N additions, primarily among medium-sized trees (10-30 cm DBH), and in trees of Lasiodiscus mildbraedii in the second year of the experiment. Second, K limitation was evident in semi-deciduous trees, which increased stem growth by 46% in +K than -K treatments, following a strong, prolonged dry season during the first year of the experiment. This highlights the key role of K in stomatal regulation and maintenance of water balance in trees, particularly under water-stressed conditions. Third, the role of P in promoting tree growth and carbon accumulation rates in this forest on highly weathered soils was rather not pronounced; nonetheless, mortality among saplings (1-5 cm DBH) was reduced by 30% in +P than in -P treatments. Although stem growth responses to nutrient interaction effects were positive or negative (likely depending on nutrient combinations and climate variability), our results underscore the fact that, in a highly diverse forest ecosystem, multiple nutrients and not one single nutrient regulate tree growth and aboveground carbon uptake due to varying nutrient requirements and acquisition strategies of different tree sizes, species and leaf habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Manu
- Department of Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Marife D Corre
- Department of Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Alfred Aleeje
- Department of Agricultural Production, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Majaliwa J G Mwanjalolo
- Department of Geography, Geo-informatics and Climate Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.,Regional FORUM for capacity building in Agriculture-RUFORUM, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Fred Babweteera
- Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.,Budongo Conservation Field Station, P.O. Box 362, Masindi, Uganda
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Department of Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Oliver van Straaten
- Department of Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.,Johann Heinrich von Thuenen Institute, Institute for Forest Ecosystems, Alfred-Möller-Straße 1, Eberswalde, Germany
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4
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Grass I, Kubitza C, Krishna VV, Corre MD, Mußhoff O, Pütz P, Drescher J, Rembold K, Ariyanti ES, Barnes AD, Brinkmann N, Brose U, Brümmer B, Buchori D, Daniel R, Darras KFA, Faust H, Fehrmann L, Hein J, Hennings N, Hidayat P, Hölscher D, Jochum M, Knohl A, Kotowska MM, Krashevska V, Kreft H, Leuschner C, Lobite NJS, Panjaitan R, Polle A, Potapov AM, Purnama E, Qaim M, Röll A, Scheu S, Schneider D, Tjoa A, Tscharntke T, Veldkamp E, Wollni M. Trade-offs between multifunctionality and profit in tropical smallholder landscapes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1186. [PMID: 32132531 PMCID: PMC7055322 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15013-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Land-use transitions can enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers but potential economic-ecological trade-offs remain poorly understood. Here, we present an interdisciplinary study of the environmental, social and economic consequences of land-use transitions in a tropical smallholder landscape on Sumatra, Indonesia. We find widespread biodiversity-profit trade-offs resulting from land-use transitions from forest and agroforestry systems to rubber and oil palm monocultures, for 26,894 aboveground and belowground species and whole-ecosystem multidiversity. Despite variation between ecosystem functions, profit gains come at the expense of ecosystem multifunctionality, indicating far-reaching ecosystem deterioration. We identify landscape compositions that can mitigate trade-offs under optimal land-use allocation but also show that intensive monocultures always lead to higher profits. These findings suggest that, to reduce losses in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, changes in economic incentive structures through well-designed policies are urgently needed. Identifying economic and ecological trade-offs of land-use transitions is important to ensure sustainability. Here, Grass et al. find biodiversity-profit trade-offs in tropical land-use transitions in Sumatra, and show that targeted landscape planning is needed to increase land-use efficiency while ensuring socio-ecological sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Grass
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 13, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany. .,Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstrasse 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Christoph Kubitza
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Neuer Jungfernstieg 21, 20354, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Vijesh V Krishna
- International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Carretera México-Veracruz Km. 45, El Batán, Mexico
| | - Marife D Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Mußhoff
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter Pütz
- Chair of Statistics, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Göttingen, Humboldtallee 3, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jochen Drescher
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katja Rembold
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Botanical Garden of the University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eka Sulpin Ariyanti
- Magister of Environmental of Science, University of Lampung, Lampung, 35145, Indonesia
| | - Andrew D Barnes
- School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Nicole Brinkmann
- Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- EcoNetLab, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,EcoNetLab, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger-Str. 159, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Bernhard Brümmer
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Damayanti Buchori
- Center for Transdisciplinary and Sustainability Sciences, IPB University, Bogor Agricultural University, Jalan Pajajaran, Bogor, 16128, Indonesia
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kevin F A Darras
- Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstrasse 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Heiko Faust
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Human Geography, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstr. 5, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lutz Fehrmann
- Forest Inventory and Remote Sensing, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 5, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jonas Hein
- Institute of Geography, Kiel University, Ludewig-Meyn-Str. 14, 24118, Kiel, Germany
| | - Nina Hennings
- Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Purnama Hidayat
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agriculture University, Jln. Kamper, Kampus IPB Dramaga, Bogor, 16880, Indonesia
| | - Dirk Hölscher
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Malte Jochum
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Experimental Interaction Ecology, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martyna M Kotowska
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Valentyna Krashevska
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Holger Kreft
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Leuschner
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Neil Jun S Lobite
- Animal Biology Division, Institute of Biological Science, University of the Philippines, Los Baños, 4031, Philippines
| | - Rawati Panjaitan
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agriculture University, Jln. Kamper, Kampus IPB Dramaga, Bogor, 16880, Indonesia
| | - Andrea Polle
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anton M Potapov
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 33, 119071, Moscow, Russia
| | - Edwine Purnama
- Forest Inventory and Remote Sensing, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 5, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Matin Qaim
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Röll
- Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Aiyen Tjoa
- Agriculture Faculty, Tadulako University, Jl. Soekarno Hatta km.09, Tondo, Palu, Indonesia
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstrasse 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Meike Wollni
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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5
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Meijide A, de la Rua C, Guillaume T, Röll A, Hassler E, Stiegler C, Tjoa A, June T, Corre MD, Veldkamp E, Knohl A. Measured greenhouse gas budgets challenge emission savings from palm-oil biodiesel. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1089. [PMID: 32107373 PMCID: PMC7046764 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14852-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The potential of palm-oil biofuels to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared with fossil fuels is increasingly questioned. So far, no measurement-based GHG budgets were available, and plantation age was ignored in Life Cycle Analyses (LCA). Here, we conduct LCA based on measured CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes in young and mature Indonesian oil palm plantations. CO2 dominates the on-site GHG budgets. The young plantation is a carbon source (1012 ± 51 gC m−2 yr−1), the mature plantation a sink (−754 ± 38 gC m−2 yr−1). LCA considering the measured fluxes shows higher GHG emissions for palm-oil biodiesel than traditional LCA assuming carbon neutrality. Plantation rotation-cycle extension and earlier-yielding varieties potentially decrease GHG emissions. Due to the high emissions associated with forest conversion to oil palm, our results indicate that only biodiesel from second rotation-cycle plantations or plantations established on degraded land has the potential for pronounced GHG emission savings. Palm oil biofuels are touted as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Meijide and colleagues use greenhouse gas measurements to update life cycle assessments of oil palm growth scenarios and show that despite the promise, emission savings do not meet sustainability standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Meijide
- Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany. .,Department of Crop Sciences, Division Agronomy, University of Göttingen, Von Siebold Str. 8, 37075, Göttingen, Germany. .,Ecology, University of Granada, Avenida Fuente Nueva s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
| | - Cristina de la Rua
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstraße 4a, 85748, Garching, München, Germany
| | - Thomas Guillaume
- Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Ecological Systems Laboratory (ECOS), Station 2, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.,Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Site Lausanne, Station 2, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Röll
- Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Evelyn Hassler
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Stiegler
- Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Aiyen Tjoa
- Fakultas Pertanian, Universitas Tadulako, Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia
| | - Tania June
- IPB University, Department of Geophysics and Meteorology, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Marife D Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Center of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Center of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
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6
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Beule L, Lehtsaar E, Corre MD, Schmidt M, Veldkamp E, Karlovsky P. Poplar Rows in Temperate Agroforestry Croplands Promote Bacteria, Fungi, and Denitrification Genes in Soils. Front Microbiol 2020; 10:3108. [PMID: 32038551 PMCID: PMC6988714 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.03108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Agroforestry, which is the integration of trees into monoculture cropland, can alter soil properties and nutrient cycling. Temperate agroforestry practices have been shown to affect soil microbial communities as indicated by changes in enzyme activities, substrate-induced respiration, and microbial biomass. Research exploring soil microbial communities in temperate agroforestry with the help of molecular tools which allow for the quantification of microbial taxa and selected genes is scarce. Here, we quantified 13 taxonomic groups of microorganisms and nine genes involved in N cycling (N2 fixation, nitrification, and denitrification) in soils of three paired temperate agroforestry and conventional monoculture croplands using real-time PCR. The agroforestry croplands were poplar-based alley-cropping systems in which samples were collected in the tree rows as well as within the crop rows at three distances from the tree rows. The abundance of Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Verrucomicrobia increased in the vicinity of poplar trees, which may be accounted for by the presence of persistent poplar roots as well as by the input of tree litter. The strongest population increase was observed for Basidiomycota, which was likely related to high soil moisture, the accumulation of tree litter, and the absence of tillage in the tree rows. Soil microorganisms carrying denitrification genes were more abundant in the tree rows than in the crop rows and monoculture systems, suggesting a greater potential for nitrate removal through denitrification, which may reduce nitrate leaching. Since microbial communities are involved in critical soil processes, we expect that the combination of real-time PCR with soil process measurements will greatly enhance insights into the microbial control of important soil functions in agroforestry systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Beule
- Molecular Phytopathology and Mycotoxin Research, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ena Lehtsaar
- Molecular Phytopathology and Mycotoxin Research, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marife D Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marcus Schmidt
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Petr Karlovsky
- Molecular Phytopathology and Mycotoxin Research, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
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7
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Beule L, Corre MD, Schmidt M, Göbel L, Veldkamp E, Karlovsky P. Conversion of monoculture cropland and open grassland to agroforestry alters the abundance of soil bacteria, fungi and soil-N-cycling genes. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218779. [PMID: 31246995 PMCID: PMC6597161 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Integration of trees in agroforestry systems can increase the system sustainability compared to monocultures. The resulting increase in system complexity is likely to affect soil-N cycling by altering soil microbial community structure and functions. Our study aimed to assess the abundance of genes encoding enzymes involved in soil-N cycling in paired monoculture and agroforestry cropland in a Phaeozem soil, and paired open grassland and agroforestry grassland in Histosol and Anthrosol soils. The soil fungi-to-bacteria ratio was greater in the tree row than in the crop or grass rows of the monoculture cropland and open grassland in all soil types, possibly due to increased input of tree residues and the absence of tillage in the Phaeozem (cropland) soil. In the Phaeozem (cropland) soil, gene abundances of amoA indicated a niche differentiation between archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers that distinctly separated the influence of the tree row from the crop row and monoculture system. Abundances of nitrate (napA and narG), nitrite (nirK and nirS) and nitrous oxide reductase genes (nosZ clade I) were largely influenced by soil type rather than management system. The soil types’ effects were associated with their differences in soil organic C, total N and pH. Our findings show that in temperate regions, conversion of monoculture cropland and open grassland to agroforestry systems can alter the abundance of soil bacteria and fungi and soil-N-cycling genes, particularly genes involved in ammonium oxidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Beule
- Molecular Phytopathology and Mycotoxin Research, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Marife D. Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Marcus Schmidt
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Leonie Göbel
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Petr Karlovsky
- Molecular Phytopathology and Mycotoxin Research, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
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8
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Barnes AD, Allen K, Kreft H, Corre MD, Jochum M, Veldkamp E, Clough Y, Daniel R, Darras K, Denmead LH, Farikhah Haneda N, Hertel D, Knohl A, Kotowska MM, Kurniawan S, Meijide A, Rembold K, Edho Prabowo W, Schneider D, Tscharntke T, Brose U. Direct and cascading impacts of tropical land-use change on multi-trophic biodiversity. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:1511-1519. [PMID: 29185508 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0275-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The conversion of tropical rainforest to agricultural systems such as oil palm alters biodiversity across a large range of interacting taxa and trophic levels. Yet, it remains unclear how direct and cascading effects of land-use change simultaneously drive ecological shifts. Combining data from a multi-taxon research initiative in Sumatra, Indonesia, we show that direct and cascading land-use effects alter biomass and species richness of taxa across trophic levels ranging from microorganisms to birds. Tropical land use resulted in increases in biomass and species richness via bottom-up cascading effects, but reductions via direct effects. When considering direct and cascading effects together, land use was found to reduce biomass and species richness, with increasing magnitude at higher trophic levels. Our analyses disentangle the multifaceted effects of land-use change on tropical ecosystems, revealing that biotic interactions on broad taxonomic scales influence the ecological outcome of anthropogenic perturbations to natural ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Barnes
- Systemic Conservation Biology, University of Goettingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073, Goettingen, Germany. .,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. .,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Kara Allen
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Goettingen, Büsgen Institute, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 306 Ecology, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Marife D Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Goettingen, Büsgen Institute, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Malte Jochum
- Systemic Conservation Biology, University of Goettingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073, Goettingen, Germany.,Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Goettingen, Büsgen Institute, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Yann Clough
- Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.,Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 22362, Lund, Sweden
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology & Goettingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Kevin Darras
- Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Lisa H Denmead
- Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.,Marine and Environmental Management, School of Applied Sciences, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, 70 Windermere Drive, 3112, Tauranga, New Zealand
| | - Noor Farikhah Haneda
- Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Darmaga Campus, 16680, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Dietrich Hertel
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Bioclimatology, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Martyna M Kotowska
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Syahrul Kurniawan
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Goettingen, Büsgen Institute, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.,Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia
| | - Ana Meijide
- Bioclimatology, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Katja Rembold
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Walesa Edho Prabowo
- Conservation Biology Division, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology & Goettingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- Systemic Conservation Biology, University of Goettingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073, Goettingen, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger-Str. 159, 07743, Jena, Germany
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9
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Matson AL, Corre MD, Veldkamp E. Canopy soil greenhouse gas dynamics in response to indirect fertilization across an elevation gradient of tropical montane forests. Biotropica 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L. Matson
- Buesgen Institute, Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems; Georg-August University; Buesgenweg 2 37077 Goettingen Germany
| | - Marife D. Corre
- Buesgen Institute, Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems; Georg-August University; Buesgenweg 2 37077 Goettingen Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Buesgen Institute, Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems; Georg-August University; Buesgenweg 2 37077 Goettingen Germany
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10
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Clough Y, Krishna VV, Corre MD, Darras K, Denmead LH, Meijide A, Moser S, Musshoff O, Steinebach S, Veldkamp E, Allen K, Barnes AD, Breidenbach N, Brose U, Buchori D, Daniel R, Finkeldey R, Harahap I, Hertel D, Holtkamp AM, Hörandl E, Irawan B, Jaya INS, Jochum M, Klarner B, Knohl A, Kotowska MM, Krashevska V, Kreft H, Kurniawan S, Leuschner C, Maraun M, Melati DN, Opfermann N, Pérez-Cruzado C, Prabowo WE, Rembold K, Rizali A, Rubiana R, Schneider D, Tjitrosoedirdjo SS, Tjoa A, Tscharntke T, Scheu S. Land-use choices follow profitability at the expense of ecological functions in Indonesian smallholder landscapes. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13137. [PMID: 27725673 PMCID: PMC5062595 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Smallholder-dominated agricultural mosaic landscapes are highlighted as model production systems that deliver both economic and ecological goods in tropical agricultural landscapes, but trade-offs underlying current land-use dynamics are poorly known. Here, using the most comprehensive quantification of land-use change and associated bundles of ecosystem functions, services and economic benefits to date, we show that Indonesian smallholders predominantly choose farm portfolios with high economic productivity but low ecological value. The more profitable oil palm and rubber monocultures replace forests and agroforests critical for maintaining above- and below-ground ecological functions and the diversity of most taxa. Between the monocultures, the higher economic performance of oil palm over rubber comes with the reliance on fertilizer inputs and with increased nutrient leaching losses. Strategies to achieve an ecological-economic balance and a sustainable management of tropical smallholder landscapes must be prioritized to avoid further environmental degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Clough
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 22362 Lund, Sweden.,Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, Georg August University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Vijesh V Krishna
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg August University Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marife D Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen Institute, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kevin Darras
- Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, Georg August University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lisa H Denmead
- Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, Georg August University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ana Meijide
- Bioclimatology, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Moser
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg August University Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Musshoff
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg August University Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefanie Steinebach
- Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Georg August University Göttingen, Theaterplatz 15, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen Institute, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kara Allen
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen Institute, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andrew D Barnes
- Systemic Conservation Biology, Georg August University Göttingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Natalie Breidenbach
- Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding, Büsgen Institute, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- Systemic Conservation Biology, Georg August University Göttingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger-Str. 159, Jena 07743, Germany
| | - Damayanti Buchori
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University Jalan Kamper Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg August University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Reiner Finkeldey
- Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding, Büsgen Institute, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Idham Harahap
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University Jalan Kamper Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Dietrich Hertel
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, Georg August University Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - A Mareike Holtkamp
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg August University Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Elvira Hörandl
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Georg August University Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bambang Irawan
- Forestry Faculty, University of Jambi, Campus Pinang Masak Mendalo, Jambi 36361, Indonesia
| | - I Nengah Surati Jaya
- Forest Resources Inventory and Remote Sensing, Bogor Agricultural University, Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Malte Jochum
- Systemic Conservation Biology, Georg August University Göttingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bernhard Klarner
- JF Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Animal Ecology, Georg August University Göttingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Bioclimatology, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martyna M Kotowska
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, Georg August University Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Valentyna Krashevska
- JF Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Animal Ecology, Georg August University Göttingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology &Conservation Biogeography, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Syahrul Kurniawan
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen Institute, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Brawijaya University. Jl. Veteran 56 Malang, East Java, 65145, Indonesia
| | - Christoph Leuschner
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, Georg August University Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mark Maraun
- JF Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Animal Ecology, Georg August University Göttingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dian Nuraini Melati
- Forest Inventory and Remote Sensing, Burckhardt Institute, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 5, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nicole Opfermann
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Georg August University Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - César Pérez-Cruzado
- Forest Inventory and Remote Sensing, Burckhardt Institute, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 5, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Walesa Edho Prabowo
- Conservation Biology Division, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Katja Rembold
- Forest Inventory and Remote Sensing, Burckhardt Institute, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 5, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Akhmad Rizali
- Department of Plant Pests and Diseases, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Brawijaya. Jl. Veteran Malang, East Java 65145, Indonesia
| | - Ratna Rubiana
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University Jalan Kamper Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg August University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Aiyen Tjoa
- Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University, Jl. Soekarno Hatta km 09 Tondo, Palu 94118, Indonesia
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, Georg August University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- JF Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Animal Ecology, Georg August University Göttingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
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11
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Dislich C, Keyel AC, Salecker J, Kisel Y, Meyer KM, Auliya M, Barnes AD, Corre MD, Darras K, Faust H, Hess B, Klasen S, Knohl A, Kreft H, Meijide A, Nurdiansyah F, Otten F, Pe'er G, Steinebach S, Tarigan S, Tölle MH, Tscharntke T, Wiegand K. A review of the ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, using forests as a reference system. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1539-1569. [PMID: 27511961 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Revised: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Oil palm plantations have expanded rapidly in recent decades. This large-scale land-use change has had great ecological, economic, and social impacts on both the areas converted to oil palm and their surroundings. However, research on the impacts of oil palm cultivation is scattered and patchy, and no clear overview exists. We address this gap through a systematic and comprehensive literature review of all ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, including several (genetic, medicinal and ornamental resources, information functions) not included in previous systematic reviews. We compare ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations to those in forests, as the conversion of forest to oil palm is prevalent in the tropics. We find that oil palm plantations generally have reduced ecosystem functioning compared to forests: 11 out of 14 ecosystem functions show a net decrease in level of function. Some functions show decreases with potentially irreversible global impacts (e.g. reductions in gas and climate regulation, habitat and nursery functions, genetic resources, medicinal resources, and information functions). The most serious impacts occur when forest is cleared to establish new plantations, and immediately afterwards, especially on peat soils. To variable degrees, specific plantation management measures can prevent or reduce losses of some ecosystem functions (e.g. avoid illegal land clearing via fire, avoid draining of peat, use of integrated pest management, use of cover crops, mulch, and compost) and we highlight synergistic mitigation measures that can improve multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously. The only ecosystem function which increases in oil palm plantations is, unsurprisingly, the production of marketable goods. Our review highlights numerous research gaps. In particular, there are significant gaps with respect to socio-cultural information functions. Further, there is a need for more empirical data on the importance of spatial and temporal scales, such as differences among plantations in different environments, of different sizes, and of different ages, as our review has identified examples where ecosystem functions vary spatially and temporally. Finally, more research is needed on developing management practices that can offset the losses of ecosystem functions. Our findings should stimulate research to address the identified gaps, and provide a foundation for more systematic research and discussion on ways to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive impacts of oil palm cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Dislich
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexander C Keyel
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jan Salecker
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Yael Kisel
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katrin M Meyer
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mark Auliya
- Department of Conservation Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andrew D Barnes
- Department of Systemic Conservation Biology, Faculty of Biology and Psychology, University of Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marife D Corre
- Department of Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kevin Darras
- Department of Crop Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Heiko Faust
- Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Geoscience and Geography, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bastian Hess
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stephan Klasen
- Department of Development Economics, Faculty of Economic Science, University of Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Department of Bioclimatology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Holger Kreft
- Department of Biodiversity, Macroecology & Conservation Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ana Meijide
- Department of Bioclimatology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fuad Nurdiansyah
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Crop Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fenna Otten
- Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Geoscience and Geography, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Guy Pe'er
- Department of Conservation Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefanie Steinebach
- Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Suria Tarigan
- Department of Soil Sciences and Land Resources Management, Bogor Agriculture University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Merja H Tölle
- Department of Bioclimatology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Institute for Geography, University of Giessen, 35390, Giessen, Germany
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Department of Crop Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Wiegand
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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Schneider D, Engelhaupt M, Allen K, Kurniawan S, Krashevska V, Heinemann M, Nacke H, Wijayanti M, Meryandini A, Corre MD, Scheu S, Daniel R. Impact of Lowland Rainforest Transformation on Diversity and Composition of Soil Prokaryotic Communities in Sumatra (Indonesia). Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1339. [PMID: 26696965 PMCID: PMC4672069 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Prokaryotes are the most abundant and diverse group of microorganisms in soil and mediate virtually all biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. Thereby, they influence aboveground plant productivity and diversity. In this study, the impact of rainforest transformation to intensively managed cash crop systems on soil prokaryotic communities was investigated. The studied managed land use systems comprised rubber agroforests (jungle rubber), rubber plantations and oil palm plantations within two Indonesian landscapes Bukit Duabelas and Harapan. Soil prokaryotic community composition and diversity were assessed by pyrotag sequencing of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes. The curated dataset contained 16,413 bacterial and 1679 archaeal operational taxonomic units at species level (97% genetic identity). Analysis revealed changes in indigenous taxon-specific patterns of soil prokaryotic communities accompanying lowland rainforest transformation to jungle rubber, and intensively managed rubber and oil palm plantations. Distinct clustering of the rainforest soil communities indicated that these are different from the communities in the studied managed land use systems. The predominant bacterial taxa in all investigated soils were Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. Overall, the bacterial community shifted from proteobacterial groups in rainforest soils to Acidobacteria in managed soils. The archaeal soil communities were mainly represented by Thaumarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. Members of the Terrestrial Group and South African Gold Mine Group 1 (Thaumarchaeota) dominated in the rainforest and members of Thermoplasmata in the managed land use systems. The alpha and beta diversity of the soil prokaryotic communities was higher in managed land use systems than in rainforest. In the case of bacteria, this was related to soil characteristics such as pH value, exchangeable Ca and Fe content, C to N ratio, and extractable P content. Archaeal community composition and diversity were correlated to pH value, exchangeable Fe content, water content, and total N. The distribution of bacterial and archaeal taxa involved in biological N cycle indicated functional shifts of the cycle during conversion of rainforest to plantations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Schneider
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martin Engelhaupt
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kara Allen
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Buesgen Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Syahrul Kurniawan
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Buesgen Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany ; Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Brawijaya Malang, Indonesia
| | - Valentyna Krashevska
- Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Melanie Heinemann
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Heiko Nacke
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marini Wijayanti
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences IPB, Bogor Agricultural University Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Anja Meryandini
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences IPB, Bogor Agricultural University Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Marife D Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Buesgen Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
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Sahner J, Budi SW, Barus H, Edy N, Meyer M, Corre MD, Polle A. Degradation of Root Community Traits as Indicator for Transformation of Tropical Lowland Rain Forests into Oil Palm and Rubber Plantations. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138077. [PMID: 26366576 PMCID: PMC4569261 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Conversion of tropical forests into intensely managed plantations is a threat to ecosystem functions. On Sumatra, Indonesia, oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations are rapidly expanding, displacing rain forests and extensively used rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) agro-forests. Here, we tested the influence of land use systems on root traits including chemical traits (carbon, nitrogen, mineral nutrients, potentially toxic elements [aluminium, iron] and performance traits (root mass, vitality, mycorrhizal colonization). Traits were measured as root community-weighed traits (RCWTs) in lowland rain forests, in rubber agro-forests mixed with rain forest trees, in rubber and oil palm plantations in two landscapes (Bukit Duabelas and Harapan, Sumatra). We hypothesized that RCWTs vary with land use system indicating increasing transformation intensity and loss of ecosystem functions. The main factors found to be related to increasing transformation intensity were declining root vitality and root sulfur, nitrogen, carbon, manganese concentrations and increasing root aluminium and iron concentrations as well as increasing spore densities of arbuscular mycorrhizas. Mycorrhizal abundance was high for arbuscular and low for ectomycorrhizas and unrelated to changes in RCWTs. The decline in RCWTs showed significant correlations with soil nitrogen, soil pH and litter carbon. Thus, our study uncovered a relationship between deteriorating root community traits and loss of ecosystem functionality and showed that increasing transformation intensity resulted in decreasing root nutrition and health. Based on these results we suggest that land management that improves root vitality may enhance the ecological functions of intense tropical production systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Sahner
- Department for Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, Büsgen-Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sri Wilarso Budi
- Department of Sylviculture, Faculty of Forestry, Jalan Lingkar Akademik Campus, IPB Darmaga, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Henry Barus
- Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
| | - Nur Edy
- Department for Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, Büsgen-Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
| | - Marike Meyer
- Institute for Geography, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marife D. Corre
- Department for Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen-Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andrea Polle
- Department for Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, Büsgen-Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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14
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Allen K, Corre MD, Tjoa A, Veldkamp E. Soil Nitrogen-Cycling Responses to Conversion of Lowland Forests to Oil Palm and Rubber Plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133325. [PMID: 26222690 PMCID: PMC4519237 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid deforestation in Sumatra, Indonesia is presently occurring due to the expansion of palm oil and rubber production, fueled by an increasing global demand. Our study aimed to assess changes in soil-N cycling rates with conversion of forest to oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations. In Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia, we selected two soil landscapes - loam and clay Acrisol soils - each with four land-use types: lowland forest and forest with regenerating rubber (hereafter, "jungle rubber") as reference land uses, and rubber and oil palm as converted land uses. Gross soil-N cycling rates were measured using the 15N pool dilution technique with in-situ incubation of soil cores. In the loam Acrisol soil, where fertility was low, microbial biomass, gross N mineralization and NH4+ immobilization were also low and no significant changes were detected with land-use conversion. The clay Acrisol soil which had higher initial fertility based on the reference land uses (i.e. higher pH, organic C, total N, effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) and base saturation) (P≤0.05-0.09) had larger microbial biomass and NH4+ transformation rates (P≤0.05) compared to the loam Acrisol soil. Conversion of forest and jungle rubber to rubber and oil palm in the clay Acrisol soil decreased soil fertility which, in turn, reduced microbial biomass and consequently decreased NH4+ transformation rates (P≤0.05-0.09). This was further attested by the correlation of gross N mineralization and microbial biomass N with ECEC, organic C, total N (R=0.51-0. 76; P≤0.05) and C:N ratio (R=-0.71 - -0.75, P≤0.05). Our findings suggest that the larger the initial soil fertility and N availability, the larger the reductions upon land-use conversion. Because soil N availability was dependent on microbial biomass, management practices in converted oil palm and rubber plantations should focus on enriching microbial biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara Allen
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen Institute, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Marife D. Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen Institute, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Aiyen Tjoa
- Fakultas Pertanian, Agroforestry Centre, Universitas Tadulako, Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen Institute, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
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15
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Heineman KD, Caballero P, Morris A, Velasquez C, Serrano K, Ramos N, Gonzalez J, Mayorga L, Corre MD, Dalling JW. Variation in Canopy Litterfall Along a Precipitation and Soil Fertility Gradient in a Panamanian Lower Montane Forest. Biotropica 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine D. Heineman
- Department of Plant Biology and Program for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology; University of Illinois; Urbana IL 61801 U.S.A
| | - Pedro Caballero
- Departamento de Biología; Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí; David Panama
| | - Arturo Morris
- Departamento de Biología; Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí; David Panama
| | - Carmen Velasquez
- Departamento de Biología; Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí; David Panama
| | - Kiria Serrano
- Departamento de Biología; Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí; David Panama
| | - Nelly Ramos
- Departamento de Biología; Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí; David Panama
| | - Jonathan Gonzalez
- Departamento de Biología; Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí; David Panama
| | - Luis Mayorga
- Departamento de Biología; Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí; David Panama
| | - Marife D. Corre
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems; Büsgen Institute; Georg-August-University Göttingen; Büsgenweg 2 37077 Göttingen Germany
| | - James W. Dalling
- Department of Plant Biology and Program for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology; University of Illinois; Urbana IL 61801 U.S.A
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa Ancon Panama
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Baldos AP, Corre MD, Veldkamp E. Response of N cycling to nutrient inputs in forest soils across a 1000–3000 m elevation gradient in the Ecuadorian Andes. Ecology 2015; 96:749-61. [DOI: 10.1890/14-0295.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Matson AL, Corre MD, Veldkamp E. Nitrogen cycling in canopy soils of tropical montane forests responds rapidly to indirect N and P fertilization. Glob Chang Biol 2014; 20:3802-3813. [PMID: 24965673 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Although the canopy can play an important role in forest nutrient cycles, canopy-based processes are often overlooked in studies on nutrient deposition. In areas of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition, canopy soils may retain a significant proportion of atmospheric inputs, and also receive indirect enrichment through root uptake followed by throughfall or recycling of plant litter in the canopy. We measured net and gross rates of N cycling in canopy soils of tropical montane forests along an elevation gradient and assessed indirect effects of elevated nutrient inputs to the forest floor. Net N cycling rates were measured using the buried bag method. Gross N cycling rates were measured using (15) N pool dilution techniques. Measurements took place in the field, in the wet and dry season, using intact cores of canopy soil from three elevations (1000, 2000 and 3000 m). The forest floor had been fertilized biannually with moderate amounts of N and P for 4 years; treatments included control, N, P, and N + P. In control plots, gross rates of NH4 (+) transformations decreased with increasing elevation; gross rates of NO3 (-) transformations did not exhibit a clear elevation trend, but were significantly affected by season. Nutrient-addition effects were different at each elevation, but combined N + P generally increased N cycling rates at all elevations. Results showed that canopy soils could be a significant N source for epiphytes as well as contributing up to 23% of total (canopy + forest floor) mineral N production in our forests. In contrast to theories that canopy soils are decoupled from nutrient cycling in forest floor soil, N cycling in our canopy soils was sensitive to slight changes in forest floor nutrient availability. Long-term atmospheric N and P deposition may lead to increased N cycling, but also increased mineral N losses from the canopy soil system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Matson
- Buesgen Institute, Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, Goettingen, 37077, Germany
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18
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Hoeft I, Keuter A, Quiñones CM, Schmidt-Walter P, Veldkamp E, Corre MD. Nitrogen retention efficiency and nitrogen losses of a managed and phytodiverse temperate grassland. Basic Appl Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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de Blécourt M, Brumme R, Xu J, Corre MD, Veldkamp E. Soil carbon stocks decrease following conversion of secondary forests to rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations. PLoS One 2013; 8:e69357. [PMID: 23894456 PMCID: PMC3716606 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2013] [Accepted: 06/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest-to-rubber plantation conversion is an important land-use change in the tropical region, for which the impacts on soil carbon stocks have hardly been studied. In montane mainland southeast Asia, monoculture rubber plantations cover 1.5 million ha and the conversion from secondary forests to rubber plantations is predicted to cause a fourfold expansion by 2050. Our study, conducted in southern Yunnan province, China, aimed to quantify the changes in soil carbon stocks following the conversion from secondary forests to rubber plantations. We sampled 11 rubber plantations ranging in age from 5 to 46 years and seven secondary forest plots using a space-for-time substitution approach. We found that forest-to-rubber plantation conversion resulted in losses of soil carbon stocks by an average of 37.4±4.7 (SE) Mg C ha−1 in the entire 1.2-m depth over a time period of 46 years, which was equal to 19.3±2.7% of the initial soil carbon stocks in the secondary forests. This decline in soil carbon stocks was much larger than differences between published aboveground carbon stocks of rubber plantations and secondary forests, which range from a loss of 18 Mg C ha−1 to an increase of 8 Mg C ha−1. In the topsoil, carbon stocks declined exponentially with years since deforestation and reached a steady state at around 20 years. Although the IPCC tier 1 method assumes that soil carbon changes from forest-to-rubber plantation conversions are zero, our findings show that they need to be included to avoid errors in estimating overall ecosystem carbon fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleen de Blécourt
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen Institute, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
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van Straaten O, Veldkamp E, Corre MD. Simulated drought reduces soil CO2efflux and production in a tropical forest in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Ecosphere 2011. [DOI: 10.1890/es11-00079.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Wright SJ, Yavitt JB, Wurzburger N, Turner BL, Tanner EVJ, Sayer EJ, Santiago LS, Kaspari M, Hedin LO, Harms KE, Garcia MN, Corre MD. Potassium, phosphorus, or nitrogen limit root allocation, tree growth, or litter production in a lowland tropical forest. Ecology 2011; 92:1616-25. [PMID: 21905428 DOI: 10.1890/10-1558.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S Joseph Wright
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Republic of Panama.
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Abstract
Nitrogen deposition is projected to increase rapidly in tropical ecosystems, but changes in soil-N-cycling processes in tropical ecosystems under elevated N input are less well understood. We used N-addition experiments to achieve N-enriched conditions in mixed-species, lowland and montane forests in Panama. Our objectives were to (1) assess changes in soil mineral N production (gross rates of N mineralization and nitrification) and retention (microbial immobilization and rapid reactions to organic N) during 1- and 9-yr N additions in the lowland forest and during 1-yr N addition in the montane forest and (2) relate these changes to N leaching and N-oxide emissions. In the old-growth lowland forest located on an Inceptisol, with high base saturation and net primary production not limited by N, there was no immediate effect of first-year N addition on gross rates of mineral-N production and N-oxide emissions. Changes in soil-N processes were only apparent in chronic (9 yr) N-addition plots: gross N mineralization and nitrification rates, NO3- leaching, and N-oxide emissions increased, while microbial biomass and NH4+ immobilization rates decreased compared to the control. Increased mineral-N production under chronic N addition was paralleled by increased substrate quality (e.g., reduced C:N ratios of litterfall), while the decrease in microbial biomass was possibly due to an increase in soil acidity. An increase in N losses was reflected in the increase in 15N signatures of litterfall under chronic N addition. In contrast, the old-growth montane forest located on an Andisol, with low base saturation and aboveground net primary production limited by N, reacted to first-year N addition with increases in gross rates of mineral-N production, microbial biomass, NO3- leaching, and N-oxide emissions compared to the control. The increased N-oxide emissions were attributed to increased nitrification activity in the organic layer, and the high NO3- availability combined with the high rainfall on this sandy loam soil facilitated the instantaneous increase in NO3-leaching. These results suggest that soil type, presence of an organic layer, changes in soil-N cycling, and hydrological properties are more important indicators than vegetation as an N sink on how tropical forests respond to elevated N input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marife D Corre
- Buesgen Institute, Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, Goettingen 37077, Germany.
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23
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Andersen KM, Corre MD, Turner BL, Dalling JW. Plant-soil associations in a lower montane tropical forest: physiological acclimation and herbivore-mediated responses to nitrogen addition. Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01731.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Veldkamp E, Purbopuspito J, Corre MD, Brumme R, Murdiyarso D. Land use change effects on trace gas fluxes in the forest margins of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007jg000522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Edzo Veldkamp
- Buesgen Institute, Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems; Georg-August University of Goettingen; Goettingen Germany
| | - Joko Purbopuspito
- Buesgen Institute, Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems; Georg-August University of Goettingen; Goettingen Germany
| | - Marife D. Corre
- Buesgen Institute, Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems; Georg-August University of Goettingen; Goettingen Germany
| | - Rainer Brumme
- Buesgen Institute, Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems; Georg-August University of Goettingen; Goettingen Germany
| | - Daniel Murdiyarso
- Center for International Forestry Research, Jalan CIFOR; Situgede, Sindangbarang, Bogor Indonesia
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