Experimental in situ transformation of vermiculites to study the weathering impact of tree species on the soil |
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| Authors: | L Augusto J Ranger M -P Turpault & P Bonnaud |
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| Institution: | Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Centre de Recherches Forestières de Nancy, Equipe Cycles Biogéochimiques, 54280 Champenoux, France |
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| Abstract: | Weathering of soil minerals under forest seems to depend on the species present. To study the influence of tree species we placed unweathered vermiculites in the soil and assessed the impact in terms of saturation index of earth‐alkaline cations and cation exchange capacity in 64 forest stands, dominated by different species and growing side by side at 20 sites on acidic soils. The vermiculites were of two types, one with a large charge and the other with a small charge. Minerals were maintained in the soil for 1 and 3 years. The minerals placed in the topsoil and in soils with low buffering capacity were more acidified and weathered than those deeper in the soil and in less acid conditions. The vermiculites were transformed into hydroxylated interlayered vermiculites, and the formation of hydroxides in the interlayer space decreased the vermiculites' cation exchange capacities. The high‐charge vermiculite had a greater affinity for aluminium than the low‐charge variety. The effect of tree species was significant but small compared with factors such as soil type, depth and duration of incubation. Nevertheless, we can rank the acidifying and weathering caused by the trees in the following order: Picea abies, Abies alba > Pinus sylvestris, Pseudotsuga menziesii > Quercus spp., Fagus sylvatica. This in situ experimental approach enabled us to study potential trends in pedogenesis in few years. |
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