Reconstruction of Forest Site History in Ethiopian Highlands Based on 13C Natural Abundance of Soils
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10889884 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zewdu Eshetu (0000-0002-7371-0180, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, corresponding author), Peter Högberg (0000-0002-2849-2719, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2000 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 83 |
| Publication date | 2000-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AMBIO (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0044-7447 • E-ISSN: 1654-7209 |
| Publisher | American Bryological and Lichenological Society (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1639/0044-7447(2000)029[0083:rofshi]2.0.co;2 |
| OpenAlex | W2179888074 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 27 |
Deforestation has been occurring in Ethiopia for millenia and has accelerated during the last century. On the other hand, historical accounts indicate that restricted afforestation of mountainous areas was initiated already 550 years ago. One of these areas was the Menagesha Forest. To reconstruct forest site history, soil samples from the Menagesha Forest and Wendo-Genet areas were analyzed for 13C natural abundance and C concentration. In soils from Menagesha, δ13C values ranged from −17‰ to −23‰ in the deeper horizons, and from −24‰ to −27‰ in the surface mineral soils and litter layer. This indicates that C4 grasses were once an important component of this ecosystem, and supports the historical accounts. In the Wendo-Genet area, δ13C values ranged from −16‰ to −14‰ in the deeper horizons, and from −23‰ to −16‰ in the topsoil in both cultivated lands and forested sites, suggesting more recent shifts from grassland to woodland or forest. With regard to reforestation and soil conservation, it is encouraging that productive forest with high soil organic carbon concentration could be established on the steep slopes at Menagesha. The study also shows that Ethiopian forest history is more complex than commonly appreciated, and that there has not been a simple unbroken trend of deforestation.
Abundance (ecology) · Afforestation · Agroforestry · Biology · Deforestation (computer science) · Geography · Grassland · Reforestation · Soil carbon · Soil water · Topsoil · Woodland · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Ecology · Environmental Science · Forestry · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology · Soil erosion and sediment transport · Soil Science
Community forest management (CFM) in south-west Ethiopia
Ancient and Backward or Long-Lived and Sustainable?” The Role of the Past in Debates Concerning Rural Livelihoods and Resource Conservation in Eastern Africa
Changes of ecosystem service values in response to land use/land cover dynamics in Munessa–Shashemene landscape of the Ethiopian highlands
Carbon isotopes in soils and palaeosols as ecology and palaeoecology indicators
Carbon isotope fractionation in plants
Carbon Isotopes in Photosynthesis
Two Categories of 13 C/ 12 C Ratios for Higher Plants
Ice core record of the 13C/12C ratio of atmospheric CO2 in the past two centuries
The distribution of C3 and C4 grasses and carbon isotope discrimination along an altitudinal and moisture gradient in Kenya
The Floristic Composition of the Menagesha State Forest and the Need to Conserve Such Forests in Ethiopia
| Citations per year | 0.19 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2010 - 2019 (10) |
| Highly cited | No |