Show simple item record

Soil mineralogical and nutrient characteristics of forest islands and surrounding ecosystem types in West Africa suggest anthropogenic soil improvement

dc.contributor.authorMesele, S.A.
dc.contributor.authorMelenya, C.
dc.contributor.authorBougma, A.
dc.contributor.authorAzeez, J.
dc.contributor.authorAjiboye, G.A.
dc.contributor.authorDubbin, W.
dc.contributor.authorLogah, V.
dc.contributor.authorCompaore, H.
dc.contributor.authorVeenendaal, E.M.
dc.contributor.authorLloyd, J.
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-06T09:19:26Z
dc.date.available2023-06-06T09:19:26Z
dc.date.issued2023-05-12
dc.identifier.citationMesele, S.A., Melenya, C., Bougma, A., Azeez, J., Ajiboye, G.A., Dubbin, W., ... & Lloyd, J. (2023). Soil mineralogical and nutrient characteristics of forest islands and surrounding ecosystem types in west Africa suggest anthropogenic soil improvement. Plant and Soil, 1-19.
dc.identifier.issn0032-079X
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/8197
dc.description.abstractAims Ecosystem changes in the mesic savannas of West Africa are resulting in the formation of patches of ‘forest islands’ around local communities in an otherwise open savanna landscape. There have been conflicting reports on the origin of these forest islands with a very limited understanding of their biogeochemistry. This study evaluated the soil mineralogical and chemical characteristics of forest islands and their surrounding ecosystems comprising croplands and open savannas in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Nigeria to provide information on the processes leading to the formation of forest islands. Methods Soil mineralogy was determined using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) while the soil nutrients were analysed with ICP-OES and the other soil chemical properties were determined using standard conventional methodologies. Results Overall, we found that quartz, kaolinite with significant quantities of 2:1 silicate minerals dominated the soil matrix irrespective of land use type. The minerals identified in most of the locations were independent of land use type. This suggests that the forest island formation is not directly related to soil mineralogy. Forest islands showed differences in soil nutrient contents, being richer in exchangeable potassium and dibasic cations than their surrounding savannas and agricultural fields. This superior fertility status of the soils could contribute to the luxuriant growth of the vegetation leading to the development of forest island. The soil nutrient characteristics of the ecosystem types reflect the land use practices with the forest island having higher nutrient and organic carbon contents. Conclusions The study provided insight into how human-originated soil nutrient enhancement has induced forest island establishment in open savanna landscapes.
dc.description.sponsorshipRoyal Society-FCDO Africa Capacity Building Initiative
dc.format.extent1-19
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectSoils
dc.subjectSoil Fertility
dc.subjectEcosystems
dc.subjectSavannas
dc.subjectWest Africa
dc.titleSoil mineralogical and nutrient characteristics of forest islands and surrounding ecosystem types in West Africa suggest anthropogenic soil improvement
dc.typeJournal Article
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationFederal University of Agriculture Abeokuta
cg.contributor.affiliationKwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
cg.contributor.affiliationHungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences
cg.contributor.affiliationInstitut de L’Environnement Et de Recherches Agricoles, Burkina Faso
cg.contributor.affiliationNatural History Museum, UK
cg.contributor.affiliationWageningen University and Research Centre
cg.contributor.affiliationImperial College of Science and Technology, UK
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionWest Africa
cg.coverage.countryBurkina Faso (Upper Volta)
cg.coverage.countryGhana
cg.coverage.countryNigeria
cg.coverage.hubHeadquarters and Western Africa Hub
cg.identifier.bibtexciteidMESELE:2023
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.iitasubjectAgronomy
cg.iitasubjectFarming Systems
cg.iitasubjectForestry
cg.iitasubjectIntegrated Soil Fertility Management
cg.iitasubjectSoil Fertility
cg.iitasubjectSoil Information
cg.journalPlant and Soil
cg.notesPublished online: 12 May 2023
cg.accessibilitystatusLimited Access
cg.reviewstatusPeer Review
cg.usagerightslicenseCopyrighted; all rights reserved
cg.targetaudienceScientists
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06042-2
cg.futureupdate.requiredNo


Files in this item

Thumbnail
Name:
Soil mineralogical and nutrient ...
Size:
1.829Mb
Format:
PDF
Description:
Journal Article
View/Open

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record