@article{fdi:010066862,
  title = {{C}ontrols of soil spatial variability in a dry tropical forest},
  author = {{P}ulla, {S}. and {R}iotte, {J}ean and {S}uresh, {H}. {S}. and {D}attaraja, {H}. {S}. and {S}ukumar, {R}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{W}e examined the roles of lithology, topography, vegetation and fire in generating local-scale (< 1 km(2)) soil spatial variability in a seasonally dry tropical forest ({SDTF}) in southern {I}ndia. {F}or this, we mapped soil (available nutrients, {A}l, total {C}, p{H}, moisture and texture in the top 10cm), rock outcrops, topography, all native woody plants >= 1 cm diameter at breast height ({DBH}), and spatial variation in fire frequency (times burnt during the 17 years preceding soil sampling) in a permanent 50-ha plot. {U}nlike classic catenas, lower elevation soils had lesser moisture, plant-available {C}a, {C}u, {M}n, {M}g, {Z}n, {B}, clay and total {C}. {T}he distribution of plant-available {C}a, {C}u, {M}n and {M}g appeared to largely be determined by the whole-rock chemical composition differences between amphibolites and hornblende-biotite gneisses. {A}mphibolites were associated with summit positions, while gneisses dominated lower elevations, an observation that concurs with other studies in the region which suggest that hillslope-scale topography has been shaped by differential weathering of lithologies. {N}either {NO}3--{N} nor {NH}4+-{N} was explained by the basal area of trees belonging to {F}abaceae, a family associated with {N}-fixing species, and no long-term effects of fire on soil parameters were detected. {L}ocal-scale lithological variation is an important first-order control over soil variability at the hillslope scale in this {SDTF}, by both direct influence on nutrient stocks and indirect influence via control of local relief.},
  keywords = {{INDE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{P}los {O}ne},
  volume = {11},
  numero = {4},
  pages = {e0153212 [20 p.]},
  ISSN = {1932-6203},
  year = {2016},
  DOI = {10.1371/journal.pone.0153212},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066862},
}