Dynamics of chemical and microbial properties of Algerian forest soils: Influence of natural and anthropogenic factors (Northwest of Tlemcen)
, , , and | Nov 09, 2023
About this article
Article Category: Research paper
Published Online: Nov 09, 2023
Page range: 41 - 56
Received: May 07, 2023
Accepted: Aug 25, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fsmu-2023-0004
© 2023 Rachid Dahmani et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
General characteristics of sampling sites in the study area.
| Site | Exposure | GPS coordinates | Slope (%) | Substrate | Anthropogenic activities | Dominant species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Al-Natour | South | 35° 2′32.60»N 1°37′39.54»O Al: 450 m | < 25 | calcareous | Overgrazing (sheep and goats), Logging, Opening of trails, Tourism, Medicinal plant collection, Deforestation. | Sclérophylles and thermophiles: |
| 2. Ain El Kabira | Southeast | 35° 1′33.09»N 1°40′28.73»O Al: 740 m | 20 to 25 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Fires. | |
| 3. Karkoum Sidi Boumediene | South | 35° 0′32.02»N 1°40′43.39»O Al: 750 m | 03 to 10 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Fires. | |
| 4. Ouled Chaaban | North | 35° 0′58.99»N 1°42′0.75»O Al: 685 m | 10 to 15 | calcareous | Overgrazing (sheep and goats), Logging, Opening of trails, Tourism, Medicinal plant collection, Deforestation. | |
| 5. Peak of Fellaoucene | North | 35° 0′32.04»N 1°41′21.02»O Al: 1130 m | 03 to 15 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Logging, Opening of trails, Tourism, Medicinal plant collection, Fires, Deforestation | |
| 6. El Hyadra | North | 35° 0′49.54»N 1°41′2.81»O Al: 930 m | 05 to 15 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Logging, Opening of trails, Tourism, Medicinal plant collection, Fires, Deforestation | |
| 7. Ras Al-Taher | Northwest, Southeast | 35° 0′27.04»N 1°38′18.96»O Al: 500 m | 10 to 20 | calcareous | Overgrazing (sheep and goats), Logging, Opening of trails, Medicinal plant collection, Deforestation | |
| 8. Ain Manchar | South | 35° 0′0.81»N 1°41′30.89»O Al: 780 m | < 25 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Fires |
Results of soil microbial properties in the study area.
| SITE | Soil microbial analyses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basal respiration (μgC-CO2/h/g) | Bacterial biomass (μgC mic/g) | qCO2 (μgC-CO2/h/g) | |
| Al-Natour | 0.14 | 0.03 | 4.64 |
| Ain El Kabira | 0.38 | 0.08 | 4.91 |
| Karkoum S.B | 0.43 | 0.09 | 4.85 |
| Ouled Chaaban | 0.13 | 0.03 | 4.64 |
| S. Fellaoucene | 0.14 | 0.03 | 4.50 |
| El Hyadra | 0.14 | 0.03 | 4.56 |
| Ras Al-Taher | 0.13 | 0.02 | 4.64 |
| Ain Manchar | 0.42 | 0.09 | 4.86 |
Analysis results of soil chemical properties.
| SITE | Average of soil chemical properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H (%) | OM (%) | pH | CON (ms) | C (%) | CaCO3 (%) | |
| Al-Natour | 11.25 | 8.95 | 7.76 | 0.19 | 5.19 | 7.56 |
| Ain El Kabira | 14.78 | 9.07 | 7.67 | 0.16 | 5.26 | 1.26 |
| Karkoum S.B | 9.63 | 5.30 | 7.57 | 0.14 | 3.08 | 0.61 |
| Ouled Chaaban | 18.70 | 12.23 | 7.79 | 0.20 | 7.09 | 78.43 |
| S. Fellaoucene | 22.83 | 17.47 | 7.49 | 0.23 | 10.13 | 0.63 |
| El Hyadra | 23.24 | 7.40 | 7.59 | 0.27 | 4.30 | 2.93 |
| Ras Al-Taher | 14.99 | 10.45 | 7.77 | 0.19 | 6.07 | 37.49 |
| Ain Manchar | 11.69 | 7.02 | 7.61 | 0.15 | 4.08 | 1.00 |
Values of the PCA axis 2 of soil chemical and microbial properties.
| Positive side of axis 2 | Negative side of axis 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Value (+) | Variable | Value (–) |
| Moisture | 0.69 | ||
| CaCO3 (%) | 2.53 | Organic matter | 0.61 |
Value of axis 1 of the ACP of the chemical and microbial properties of the soils of each station.
| Positive side of axis 1 | Negative side of axis 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample | Value (+) | Sample | Value (−) |
| Spl.4f | 3.93 | Spl.2a | 3.37 |
| Spl.5a | 3.51 | Spl.3b | 4.10 |
| Spl.5f | 3.57 | Spl.3g | 3.47 |
| Spl.5j | 3.60 | Spl.8a | 3.46 |
Values of the PCA axis 1 of soil chemical and microbial properties.
| Positive side of axis 1 | Negative side of axis 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Value (+) | Variable | Value (–) |
| Moisture | 4.48 | Basal respiration | 3.53 |
| Organic matter | 2.82 | Microbial biomass | 3.49 |
| Conductivity | 3.61 | ||
Value of Axis 2 of the ACP of the chemical and microbial properties of the soils of each station.
| Positive side of axis 2 | Negative side of axis 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Samples | Value (+) | Samples | Value (−) |
| Spl.1c | 2.30 | Spl.5f | 2.28 |
| Spl.4f | 3.08 | Spl.5i | 3.07 |
| Spl.6d | 2.25 | Spl.5j | 2.77 |