Hydrolysable carbohydrate in tropical soils under adjacent forest and savanna vegetation in Lamto, Côte d’Ivoire
Hassan Bismarck Nacro A D , Marie Christine Larré-Larrouy B , Christian Feller B and Luc Abbadie CA Present address: Institut du Développement Rural, Université Polytechnique de Bobo-Dioulasso, 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
B Laboratoire Matière Organique des Sols Tropicaux, IRD-CIRAD, BP 64501, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
C Laboratoire d’Ecologie, UMR.7625, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75230 Paris Cedex 05, France.
D Corresponding author. Email address: nacrohb@yahoo.fr
Australian Journal of Soil Research 43(6) 705-711 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR03134
Submitted: 3 September 2003 Accepted: 2 May 2005 Published: 22 September 2005
Abstract
Carbohydrates represent 5–25% of the organic matter in soils. They constrain microbial activities and mineral nutrient production in soil and also reflect the whole microorganism community dynamic. The objective of this study was to determine the contents and composition of hydrolysable carbohydrates in soils collected in a forest–savanna mosaic landscape in the region of Lamto (Côte d’Ivoire). Capillary gas chromatography was used to identify and determine carbohydrates in soil profile under 4 tropical ecosystems: gallery and plateau forests, and grass and shrub tree savannas. Forest soils were higher in organic matter than savanna soils (0.50–2.96% C v. 0.53–1.22% C). The carbohydrate-C content of soils, expressed as percentage of total soil organic C, was low, a likely consequence of the tropical climate that promotes a rapid decomposition of surface plant debris. The carbohydrate-C content was higher under savanna soils (5–7%) than under forest soils (3–4%). Glucose, ribose, mannose, xylose, and galactose were the 5 most abundant extractable monosaccharides in all soils. Between them, only xylose and ribose are controlled by the vegetation type. The [(galactose + mannose) : (arabinose + xylose)] and [mannose : xylose] ratios suggested that most soil sugars derive from microbial biomass. The large abundance of microbial carbohydrates indicates intense microbial activities in the soil, and then rapid decomposition of soil organic matter favoured by the long wet season, with high temperatures and soil water availability at the site study. Results suggest clearly that the climate likely controls the amount and composition of carbohydrates in Lamto soils.
Additional keywords: monosaccharide, soil microorganisms, soil organic matter, microbially derived compounds, carbon, nitrogen.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge critical and helpful comments by the editor and 2 anonymous reviewers. We gratefully acknowledge R. Vuattoux, Director of the Lamto Ecological Research Station, for all the facilities he offered in the field. We thank also D. Benest and G. Guillaune for efficient help during laboratory experiments. This study was financially supported by the SALT programme (CNRS, Programme Environnement, Vie et Sociétés) directed by J. C. Menaut.
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