Soil organic carbon sequestration under Araucaria angustifolia plantations but not under exotic tree species on a mountain range

ABSTRACT Plantation forests can be efficient C sinks in biomass and soil organic carbon (SOC), but the latter depends on many factors, including climate. Tropical humid, mountain areas have cooler temperatures, slowing microbial decomposition, and thus can store considerable SOC. However, the effects of forest plantations on SOC of these montane areas are still poorly studied. Here, we aimed to assess changes in SOC, and related soil properties, after conversion of native rainforest to plantations of five tree species, with rotation cycles varying from 7 to 30 years, on the Mantiqueira Range, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We measured SOC contents and stocks (0.00-0.40 m layer) under a native montane rainforest (control) and plantations of Eucalyptus, Pinus, Cunninghamia, Cupressus and Araucaria, all planted in 3 × 3 m spacing, at an altitude of ca. 1,300 m, marked by humid and cool climate, where SOC contents are naturally high. Soil organic carbon varied from 55 g kg-1 under Eucalyptus to 105 g kg-1 under Araucaria (0.00-0.05 m layer), decreasing in depth (0.20-0.40 m) to the still high values of 20-40 g kg-1. Soil organic carbon stocks for the top 0.20 m were also high, reaching ca. 140 Mg ha-1 under Araucaria, significantly higher value than the native forest (ca. 90 Mg ha-1, p