Temporal variation in soil organic carbon stocks under different land-use and land-cover conditions in a semi-arid region
6 affiliations
- 1The Center for Caribbean Studies, Institute of Remote Sensing and Geosciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; Postgraduate Program in Biodiversity and Conservation, Academic Unit of Serra Talhada, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, Brazil; Corresponding authors.
- 2The Center for Caribbean Studies, Institute of Remote Sensing and Geosciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; Corresponding authors.
- 3Postgraduate Program in Biodiversity and Conservation, Academic Unit of Serra Talhada, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, Brazil
- 4Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Dom Manoel de Medeiros Avenue, s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil
- 5Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change and Department of Biodiversity, Phenology Lab, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Biosciences Institute, Rio Claro 13506-900, SP, Brazil
- 6Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Federal Rural University of the Semi- Arid, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, 59625-900, Brazil
Abstract
Land-use and land-cover changes, combined with the variation in water availability may disrupt the balance between organic matter inputs and outputs in seasonally dry forests, potentially leading to reductions in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. However, how such temporal dynamics manifest across areas with different disturbance intensities remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study investigated temporal variation in SOC stocks across Caatinga areas under different land-use conditions in the Brazilian semi-arid region. We evaluated three areas with distinct vegetation cover: (i) preserved Caatinga; (ii) regenerating area; and (iii) deforested area. Soil samples for the determination of SOC stocks were collected at two depths (0–15 cm and 15–30 cm), along with undisturbed soil samples for the determination of bulk density. Microclimatic conditions were monitored using a micrometeorological station installed in the Caatinga area. Additionally, soil samples were collected during four distinct periods defined according to local water availability: the rainy-to-dry transition, dry period, dry-to-rainy transition, and rainy period. Our results indicated significant differences in SOC stocks among land-use conditions and across sampling periods. The preserved Caatinga (15.95 Mg ha −1 ) and the regenerating area (25.87 Mg ha −1 ) exhibited the highest SOC stocks, whereas the deforested area (8.62 Mg ha −1 ) showed substantially lower values. Temporal fluctuations in SOC stocks were observed across all areas but were more pronounced in the deforested area, which demonstrated greater sensitivity to microclimatic conditions associated with water availability. When the soil depths were analyzed separately, no significant differences in SOC stocks were observed between the evaluated layers. Principal component analysis indicated that land use influenced soil physical and chemical properties, with the deforested area showing higher bulk density and lower clay and organic carbon contents. We conclude that SOC stocks in the Caatinga ecosystems are more strongly influenced by land use history than by temporal variation in water availability, underscoring the critical role of native vegetation conservation and restoration in maintaining soil quality and ecosystem services in semi-arid environments. Therefore, sustainable land use management practices, combined with conservation and restoration efforts, are essential to mitigate SOC losses and promote the recovery of SOC stocks in Caatinga regions.
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BibTeX
@article{moura2026temporal,
title = {{Temporal variation in soil organic carbon stocks under different land-use and land-cover conditions in a semi-arid region}},
author = {Márcia Bruna Marim de Moura and Xuguang Tang and Klébia Raiane Siqueira de Souza and Wagner Martins dos Santos and Thieres George Freire da Silva and Lady Daiane Costa de Sousa Martins and Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato and Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim and Carlos André Alves de Souza and Lara Rosa de Lima-Silva and Pedro Paulo Santos de Souza and Elania Freire da Silva and Alan Cezar Bezerra and José Raliuson Inácio Silva and Luiz Guilherme Medeiros Pessoa and José Orlando Nunes da Silva and Luciana Sandra Bastos de Souza},
journal = {Ecological Indicators},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115519},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115519},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Temporal variation in soil organic carbon stocks under different land-use and land-cover conditions in a semi-arid region
AU - Márcia Bruna Marim de Moura
AU - Xuguang Tang
AU - Klébia Raiane Siqueira de Souza
AU - Wagner Martins dos Santos
AU - Thieres George Freire da Silva
AU - Lady Daiane Costa de Sousa Martins
AU - Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
AU - Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim
AU - Carlos André Alves de Souza
AU - Lara Rosa de Lima-Silva
AU - Pedro Paulo Santos de Souza
AU - Elania Freire da Silva
AU - Alan Cezar Bezerra
AU - José Raliuson Inácio Silva
AU - Luiz Guilherme Medeiros Pessoa
AU - José Orlando Nunes da Silva
AU - Luciana Sandra Bastos de Souza
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Ecological Indicators
DO - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115519
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115519
AB - Land-use and land-cover changes, combined with the variation in water availability may disrupt the balance between organic matter inputs and outputs in seasonally dry forests, potentially leading to reductions in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. However, how such temporal dynamics manifest across areas with different disturbance intensities remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study investigated temporal variation in SOC stocks across Caatinga areas under different land-use conditions in the Brazilian semi-arid region. We evaluated three areas with distinct vegetation cover: (i) preserved Caatinga; (ii) regenerating area; and (iii) deforested area. Soil samples for the determination of SOC stocks were collected at two depths (0–15 cm and 15–30 cm), along with undisturbed soil samples for the determination of bulk density. Microclimatic conditions were monitored using a micrometeorological station installed in the Caatinga area. Additionally, soil samples were collected during four distinct periods defined according to local water availability: the rainy-to-dry transition, dry period, dry-to-rainy transition, and rainy period. Our results indicated significant differences in SOC stocks among land-use conditions and across sampling periods. The preserved Caatinga (15.95 Mg ha −1 ) and the regenerating area (25.87 Mg ha −1 ) exhibited the highest SOC stocks, whereas the deforested area (8.62 Mg ha −1 ) showed substantially lower values. Temporal fluctuations in SOC stocks were observed across all areas but were more pronounced in the deforested area, which demonstrated greater sensitivity to microclimatic conditions associated with water availability. When the soil depths were analyzed separately, no significant differences in SOC stocks were observed between the evaluated layers. Principal component analysis indicated that land use influenced soil physical and chemical properties, with the deforested area showing higher bulk density and lower clay and organic carbon contents. We conclude that SOC stocks in the Caatinga ecosystems are more strongly influenced by land use history than by temporal variation in water availability, underscoring the critical role of native vegetation conservation and restoration in maintaining soil quality and ecosystem services in semi-arid environments. Therefore, sustainable land use management practices, combined with conservation and restoration efforts, are essential to mitigate SOC losses and promote the recovery of SOC stocks in Caatinga regions.
SN - 1470-160X
SN - 1872-7034
ER -