Sheep faeces decomposition and nutrient release across an environmental gradient in Southern Patagonia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.17.27.1.0.377Abstract
In Southern Patagonia, most of the land ranging from the mountains to the sea in contrasting environmental conditions is devoted to extensive sheep farming. Existing estimations indicate that in ecosystems under livestock use, around 85% of the nitrogen (N) returning to the soil is through animal feces and urine. However, there is a lack of information concerning the rate of nutrient return into the soil from animal feces in Southern Patagonia. In this study, we evaluated the rate of sheep faeces decomposition and nutrient (N, P, Ca and K) release in three different ecological areas of Southern Patagonia, representing a West to East environmental gradient. Samples of fresh sheep dung were collected in the field, processed in the laboratory and located in three ecological areas and subsequently collected periodically during 820 days. The remaining organic matter (OM) of decomposing faeces did not vary between the three ecological areas. At the end of the trial (820 days), the rate of OM decomposition averaged 63% of the initial amount. According to the linear regressions performed, the time to reach 100% OM decomposition fluctuated between 3.7 and 4.2 years. Nutrient dynamics followed a common general trend, since nutrients were released during the first stages of decomposition, and then, fluctuations between nutrient immobilisation and release were observed. The prevailing environmental conditions among the ecological areas evaluated did not seem to involve a measurable effect on sheep faeces decomposition and nutrient release. The results obtained in this work may be useful for quantifying the return of organic matter and nutrients from sheep faeces to the soil in Southern Patagonia.
References
Aber, J. D., and J. M. Melillo. 1980. Litter decomposition: measuring relative contribution of organic matter and nitrogen to forest soils. Can J Bot 58:416-421. doi:10.1139/b80-046
Aerts, R. 1997. Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems: a triangular relationship. Oikos 79(3):439-449.
Andrade, M., D. Suárez, P. L. Peri, P. Borrelli, S. Ormaechea, D. Ferrante, E. Rivera, and M. V. Sturzenbaum. 2015. Desarrollo de un modelo de asignación variable de carga animal en Patagonia Sur. Ediciones INTA. ISBN 978-987-521-592-4. Pp. 62.
Austin, A. T., and L. Vivanco. 2006. Plant litter decomposition in a semi-arid ecosystem controlled by photodegradation. Nature 442:555-558. doi:10.1038/nature05038
Austin, A., L. Yahdjian, J. M. Stark, J. Belnap, A. Porporato, I. C. Burke, U. Norton, D. A, Ravetta, and S. M. Schaeffer. 2004. Water pulses and biogeochemical cycles in arid and semiarid ecosystems. Oecologia 141:1-15. doi: 10.1007/s00442-004-1519-1
Austin, A. T., M. S. Méndez, and C. L. Ballaré. 2016. Photodegradation alleviates the lignin bottleneck for carbon turnover in terrestrial ecosystems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113:4392-4397.
Bahamonde, H. A., P. L. Peri, G. Martínez Pastur, and V. Lencinas. 2009. Variaciones microclimáticas en bosques primarios y bajo uso silvopastoril de Nothofagus antarctica en dos Clases de Sitio en Patagonia Sur. Pp. 289-296 in: Proceedings of the 1st National Congress of Silvopastoral Systems, Misiones, Argentina, 14-16 May 2009.
Bahamonde, H. A., P. L. Peri, R. Álvarez, A. Barneix, A. Moretto, and G. Martínez Pastur. 2012a. Litter decomposition and nutrients dynamics in Nothofagus antarctica forests under silvopastoral use in Southern Patagonia. Agrofor Syst 84:345-360. doi: 10.1007/s10457-012-9479-7
Bahamonde, H. A., P. L. Peri, R. Álvarez, and A. Barneix. 2012b. Producción y calidad de gramíneas en un gradiente de calidades de sitio y coberturas en bosques de Nothofagus antarctica (G. Forster) Oerst. en Patagonia. Ecol Austral 22:62-73.
Bahamonde, H. A., and P. L. Peri. 2013. Receptividad ganadera en bosques de Nothofagus antarctica (ñire) bajo uso silvopastoril en Patagonia Sur basado en los requerimientos energéticos de los animales. Actas Cuarto Congreso Forestal argentino y latinoamericano, Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina. ISSN 1669 6786. Pp. 10.
Bahamonde, H. A., P. L. Peri, R. Álvarez, A. Barneix, A. Moretto, and G. Martínez Pastur. 2013. Silvopastoral use of Nothofagus antarctica in Southern Patagonian forests, influence over net nitrogen soil mineralization. Agrofor Syst 87:259-271. doi: 10.1007/s10457-012-9541-5
Bahamonde, H. A., P. L. Peri, G. Martínez Pastur, and L. Monelos. 2015. Litterfall and nutrients return in Nothofagus antarctica forests growing in a site quality gradient with different management uses in Southern Patagonia. Eur J. Forest Res 134(1):113-124. doi: 10.1007/s10342-014-0837-z.
Barrera, M. D., J. L. Frangi, J. J. Ferrando, and J. F. Goya. 2004. Descomposición del mantillo y liberación foliar neta de nutrientes de Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Pic. Serm. et Bizzarri en El Bolsón, Río Negro. Ecol Austral 14:99-112.
Berg B. 1986. Nutrient release from litter and humus in coniferous forest soils - a mini review. Scand J Forest Res 1:359-369.
Berg, B. 2000. Initial rates and limit values for decomposition of Scots pine and Norway spruce needle litter: a synthesis for N-fertilized forest stands. Can J For Res 30:122-135. doi: 10.1139/x99-194
Berg, B., G. Ekbohm, M. B. Johansson, C. McClaugherty, F. Rutigliano, and A. Virzo de Santo. 1996. Maximum decomposition limits of forest litter types: a synthesis. Can J Bot 74:659-672. doi:10.1139/b96-084
Billoni, S. 2015. Evaluación de un sistema de manejo de arbustales de mata negra (Mulguraea tridens) de Patagonia Sur. Master thesis presented in the Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, Argentina. Pp. 123.
Briske, D. D., J. D. Derener, J. R. Brown, S. D. Fuhlendorf, W. R. Teague, K. M. Havstad, R. L. Gillen, A. J. Ash, and W. D. Willms. 2008. Rotational grazing on rangelands: Reconciliation of perception and experimental evidence. Rangeland Ecol Management 61:3-17. doi: 10.2111/06-159R.1
Canadell, J. G., C. Le Quere, M. R. Raupach, C. B. Field, E. T. Buitenhuis, P. Ciais, et al. 2007. Contributions to accelerating atmospheric CO2 growth from economic activity, carbon intensity, and efficiency of natural sinks. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:18866-18870.
Chapin, F. S., P. A. Matson, and H. A. Mooney. 2002. Principles of terrestrial ecosystem ecology. Springer-Verlag, New York, USA.
Decker, K. L., and R. E. J. Boerner. 2006. Mass loss and nutrient release from decomposing evergreen and deciduodus Nothofagus litters from Chilean Andes. Austral Ecol 31:1005-1015. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2006.01670.x
Ferrante, D. 2011. Distribución del agua en el suelo y su relación con la estructura radical y producción de biomasa de tres tipos funcionales, en un pastizal de la Estepa Magallánica seca, Santa Cruz. Master thesis, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pp. 119.
Gómez Sanz, V. 2004. Cubiertas forestales y respuesta microclimática. Investigación Agraria: Sistemas y Recursos Forestales. http://www.inia.es/gcontrec/pub/084-100-(04)-Cubiertas_1162210233484.pdf.
Grossi Gallegos, H. 2005. Distribución espacial de la radiación fotosintéticamente activa en Argentina. Meteorológica 29:27-36.
Hernández, J., A. del Pino, L. Salvo, and G. Arrarte. 2009. Nutrient export and harvest residue decomposition patterns of a Eucalyptus dunnii Maiden plantation in temperate climate of Uruguay. For Ecol Manage 258:92-99.
Hijmans, R. J., S. E. Cameron, and J. L. Parra. 2005. Very high resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas. Int J Climatol 25:1965-1978.
Houba, V. J. G., J. J. Van Der Lee, I. Novozamsky, and I. Walinga. 1988. Soil analysis procedures. In: Soil and plant analysis, 1st edn. Wageningen Agricultural University, Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Wageningen. Pp 1-56
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2000. Land use, land-use change and forestry - special report. R. T. Watson, I. R. Noble, B. Bolin, N. H. Ravindranath, D. J. Verardo, and D. J. Dokken (eds.). IPCC, Meteorological Office. Bracknell, United Kingdom. Pp. 377.
Kyvsgaard, P., P. Sorensen, E. Moller, and J. Magid. 2000. Nitrogen mineralization from sheep faeces can be predicted from the apparent digestibility of the feed. Nutr Cycl Agroecosys 57:207-214. doi: 10.1023/A:1009874500769
Lambers, H., F. S. Chapin III, and T. L. Pons. 2008. Role in Ecosystems and global processes. Pp. 545-569 in: Plant Physiological Ecology. Springer, New York.
Laskowski, R., M. Niklinska, and M. Maryanski. 1995. The dynamics of chemical elements in forest litter. Ecology 76:1393-1406.
Oliva, G., L. González, P. Rial, and E. Livraghi. 2001. El ambiente en la Patagonia Austral. Cap. 2. Pp. 19-82 in: P. Borrelli and G. Oliva (eds.). Ganadería Ovina Sustentable en la Patagonia Austral. INTA Reg. Pat. Sur.
Oliva, G., D. Ferrante, S. Puig, and M. Williams. 2012. Sustainable sheep management using continuous grazing and variable stocking rates in Patagonia: a case study. The rangeland journal 34:285-295.
Ormaechea, S., and P. L. Peri. 2015. Landscape heterogeneity influences on sheep habits under extensive grazing management in Southern Patagonia. Livestock Research for Rural Development 27(6). http://lrrd.cipav.org.co/lrrd27/6/orma27105.html.
Osono, T., and H. Takeda. 2004. Potassium, calcium and magnesium dynamics during litter decomposition in a cool temperate forest. J For Res 9:23-31.
Paruelo, J. M., A. Beltrán, E. Jobbágy, O. E. Sala, and R. A. Golluscio. 1998. El clima de la Patagonia: patrones generales y controles sobre los procesos bióticos. Ecol Austral 8:85-101.
Peri, P. L. 2011. Carbon storage in cold temperate ecosystems in Southern Patagonia, Argentina. Pp. 213-226 in: Islam Atazadeh (ed.). Biomass and remoting sensing of biomass. ISBN 978-953-307-490-0, In Tech, Croatia.
Peri, P. L., and H. A. Bahamonde. 2012. Digestibilidad de gramíneas creciendo en bosques de ñire (Nothofagus antarctica) bajo uso silvopastoril. Pp. 264-269 in: Proceedings 2nd National Congress of Silvopastoral Systems, Santiago del Estero, Argentina. 7-9 May 2012.
Peri, P. L., H. Bahamonde, and R. Christiansen. 2015. Soil respiration in Patagonian semiarid grasslands under contrasting environmental and use conditions. J Arid Environ 119:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2015.03.008
Prescott, C. E. 2005. Decomposition and mineralization of nutrients from Litter and Humus. Pp. 15-41 in: H. BassiriRad (ed.). Nutrient Acquisition by Plants. An Ecological Perspective.
Russelle MP. 1992. Nitrogen cycling in pasture and range. J Prod Agric, 5: 13-23.
Savory, A. 1983. The Savory grazing method or holistic resource management. Rangelands 5:155-159.
Savory, A., and J. Butterfield. 1999. Holistic management: a new framework for decision making. 2nd edition. Island Press, Covelo, California. ISBN 1-55963-487-1. Pp. 617.
Semmartin, M. 2006. Dinámica de la descomposición y la mineralización neta del nitrógeno y del fósforo de heces de vacunos en pastoreo sobre un pastizal templado. Revista Argentina de Producción Animal 26:193-202.
Seneviratne, G. 2000. Litter quality and nitrogen release in tropical agriculture: a synthesis. Biol Fert Soils 31:384-391.
Shand, S. A., and G. Coutts. 2006. The effects of sheep faeces on soil solution composition. Plant Soil 285:135-148.
Smith, K. A., and J. P. Frost. 2000. Nitrogen excretion by farm livestock with respect to land spreading requirements end controlling nitrogen losses to ground and surface waters. Part 1: cattle and sheep. Bioresource Technol 71:173-181.
Sparks, D. L. 1996. Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 3. Chemical Methods and Processes. Am. Soc. Agron. Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Sturzenbaum, M. V. 2012. Los productores ganaderos ovino-extensivos y la adopción tecnológica en el sureste de la provincia de Santa Cruz. Specialization Thesis, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Pp. 83.
Swift, M. J., O. W. Heal, and J. M. Anderson. 1979. Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford. Pp. 372.
Theander, O., P. Aman, E. Westerlund, R. Andersson, and D. Pettersson. 1995. Total dietary fiber determined as neutral sugar residues, uronic acid residues and klason lignin (the Uppsala Method): collaborative study. J Assoc Off Anal Chem 78:1030-1044.
Vogt, K. A., C. C. Grier, and D. J. Vogt. 1986. Production, turnover, and nutrient dynamics of above- and belowground detritus of world forests. Adv Ecol Res 15:303-377.
Wieder, R. K., and G. E. Lang. 1982. A critique of the analytical methods used in examining decomposition data obtained from litter bags. Ecology 63:1636-1642.
Yavitt, J. B., and T. J. Fahey. 1986. Litter decay and leaching from the forest floor in Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine) ecosystems. J Ecol 74:525-545.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2017 Héctor A. Bahamonde, Verónica Gargaglione, Pablo L. Peri
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Authors retain their rights as follows: 1) by granting the journal the right to its first publication, and 2) by registering the published article with a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which allows authors and third parties to view and use it as long as they clearly mention its origin (citation or reference, including authorship and first publication in this journal). Authors can make other non-exclusive distribution agreements as long as they clearly indicate their origin and are encouraged to widely share and disseminate the published version of their work.