Agricultural land-use change in a Mexican oligotrophic desert depletes ecosystem stability.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Global demand for food has led to increased land-use change, particularly in dry land ecosystems, which has caused several environmental problems due to the soil degradation. In the Cuatro Cienegas Basin (CCB), alfalfa production irrigated by flooding impacts strongly on the soil.

Methods

In order to analyze the effect of such agricultural land-use change on soil nutrient dynamics and soil bacterial community composition, this work examined an agricultural gradient within the CCB which was comprised of a native desert grassland, a plot currently cultivated with alfalfa and a former agricultural field that had been abandoned for over 30 years. For each site, we analyzed C, N and P dynamic fractions, the activity of the enzyme phosphatase and the bacterial compositi

SUBMITTER: Hernandez-Becerra N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4994104 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature