Submitted by M?rden L?les (marden.inacio@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2016-07-22T19:01:32Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Samuel_ Ferreira_ da_ Fonseca.pdf: 8804827 bytes, checksum: 34fb407113470f09d15f17a427597e1a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2016-07-25T17:41:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Samuel_ Ferreira_ da_ Fonseca.pdf: 8804827 bytes, checksum: 34fb407113470f09d15f17a427597e1a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-25T17:41:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Samuel_ Ferreira_ da_ Fonseca.pdf: 8804827 bytes, checksum: 34fb407113470f09d15f17a427597e1a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / Turfeiras s?o produto da lenta decomposi??o de vegetais em ambientes saturados com ?gua. S?o ecossistemas particulares por acumularem grandes volumes de ?gua e mat?ria org?nica e atuam como registros cronol?gicos de mudan?as clim?ticas e ambientais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi: cartografar ?reas adjacentes ? turfeiras da Serra do Espinha?o Meridional ? SdEM cronologicamente (1964 ? 2014), para identificar e quantificar atividades antr?picas nos ?ltimos 50 anos, por meio de t?cnicas do geoprocessamento. Foram utilizadas fotografias a?reas de 1964 (1:60.000), e de 1979 (1:25.000). Tamb?m foram utilizadas imagens orbitais, dos sat?lites Landsat TM/5 dos anos 1984, 1995 e 2005, Landsat OLI/8 de 2014 e RapdEye de 2011. As cartas topogr?ficas do IBGE (1:100.000) formaram a base cartogr?fica. Todos os dados foram processados nas seguintes plataformas: Google earth? pro, ArcGIS? 9.3., ENVI? 4.5 e Quantum GIS? 2.10. O geoprocessamento ocorreu suportado pelas seguintes t?cnicas: georreferenciamento, mosaicagem, classifica??o supervisionada (MaxVer) e vetoriza??o. Os dados gerados foram utilizados para identifica??o dos tipos de atividades do uso da terra, como pastagem, eucalipto e outras culturas. A atividade agr?cola mais intensa nas ?reas adjacentes ?s turfeiras foi o cultivo de eucalipto, que n?o era cultivado em 1964, mas em 2014 ocupou 341,37 ha (2,07%). Outras culturas (milho, caf? e morango), que n?o eram cultivadas nas adjac?ncias das turfeiras em 1964, passaram a ocupar 312,46 ha (1,90%) em 2014. A ?rea ocupada com pastagens passou de 378,57 ha em 1964 para 1.176,40 ha em 2014, o que corresponde a um avan?o de 2,30 para 7,14% da ?rea adjacente total. As ?reas adjacentes ?s turfeiras n?o eram utilizadas de forma sistem?tica at? 1995. O avan?o das atividades antr?picas nas ?reas adjacentes ?s turfeiras nas ?ltimas d?cadas foi substancial. A decad?ncia da minera??o de diamante na regi?o de Diamantina coincide com a intensifica??o do uso da terra. Este cen?rio sinaliza a necessidade de cria??o de mecanismos legais para prote??o desses ecossistemas. Al?m disso, ? necess?rio estabelecer diretrizes para o planejamento da ocupa??o das ?reas no entorno das turfeiras da SdEM. / Disserta??o (Mestrado) ? Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Produ??o Vegetal, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2016. / ABSTRACT Peat bogs are outcome of slow plant decomposition in environments saturated by water. Theyare particular ecosystems that accumulate large amounts of water and organic matter and act as chronological records of climatic and environmental changes. This study aims to map peat bogs adjacent ?reas of the Southern Espinha?o - SdE chronologically (1964 - 2014), to identify and quantify anthropic activities over the past 50 years, through geoprocessing techniques. Aerial photographs from 1964 were used (1: 60,000) and 1979 (1: 25,000). Space-based images were also used Satellite Landsat TM/5 years 1984, 1995 and 2005, Landsat OLI/8 RapidEye 2014 and 2011. IBGE topographic maps (1:100,000) made up the cartographic base. All data were processed on platforms: Google earth ? pro, ArcGIS ? 9.3, 4.5 and ENVI ? Quantum GIS? 2.10. Geoprocessing was supported by these techniques: georeferencing, mosaicing, supervised classification (MaxVer) and vectorization. Data generated were used to identify types of land use activities such as grazing, eucalyptus and other crops. The most intense agricultural activity in adjacent ?reas to peat bogs was eucalyptus cultivation, which was not cultivated in 1964, but in 2014, it held 341.37 ha (2.07%). Other crops (corn, coffee and strawberry), which were not cultivated in peat lands vicinity in 1964, came to occupy 312.46 ha (1.90%) in 2014. The ?rea occupied by pastures increased from 378.57 ha in 1964 to 1176.40 ha in 2014, which corresponds to an advance of 2.30 to 7.14% of the total adjacent ?rea. Adjacent ?reas to peat bogs were not used systematically until 1995. Human activities advance in adjacent ?reas to peat bogs in recent decades has been extensive. Diamond mining decay in Diamantina region coincides with the intensification of land use. This scenario shows the necessity to establish legal mechanisms to protect these ecosystems. Moreover, it is necessary to establish guidelines for planning o ?reas occupation surrounding the Southern Espinha?o peat bogs.

An efficient management of organic fertilizers (here animal manure and digestate) is of large concern in today´s agriculture. When evaluating the efficiency of alternative management systems, differences in nutrient losses (emissions) must be taken into consideration. Those can be rather specific for e.g. a geographical region and agricultural system. This literature study aimed at identifying emission factors and uncertainty ranges, that are relevant to use in comparative system studies of different organic fertilizer management systems in South Swedish climate. Emissions from manure and digestate storage, application and field losses were considered. For carbon, the sequestration of organic carbon in the soil was considered instead of the carbon dioxide emissions from manure/digestate decomposition in soils. The values were very variable, and the median value was used as the selected emission factor. From storage of liquid cow manure, the ammonia emission for storage with cover was 3 % of the ammonium content, and 10 % without cover. It was about the same for both liquid pig manure (8 %) and solid cattle manure (10 %). The methane emissions during storage were 10 % of the maximum methane potential. Ammonia emissions during application ranged from 10-20 % of ammonium-nitrogen. Two studies of manure carbon sequestration were found that was applicable for the Swedish climate. They indicated that about 8-11 % of the carbon applied as solid manure was sequestered, compared to about 4 % for liquid manure.

The contribution of energy from biomass sources is projected to increase in Britain to assist in meeting renewable energy targets and reducing anthropogenic CO2 emissions. With increasing concerns over the sustainability of food crop-based biofuels, purpose-grown lignocellulosic biomass crops such as Miscanthus and short rotation coppice (SRC) willow have been promoted as more sustainable feedstocks for the production of heat and electricity as well as for the future production of liquid biofuels. With the introduction of the Energy Crops Scheme, land-use change (LUC) for lignocellulosic biomass crop production has become increasingly common in Britain in recent decades. However, there is limited understanding of the impact this has on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and limited predictability concerning the overall trajectory, magnitude and rate of SOC changes under a range of different conditions. Using a chronosequence of 93 biomass crop plantations in England and Wales, mainly of 1 to 14 years age, empirical models were developed to determine the short term trajectory of SOC stocks following LUC from arable and grassland to SRC willow and Miscanthus production. SOC stocks were calculated for each site using a fixed sampling depth of 30 cm and estimated changes were inferred by comparing with typical pre-change SOC stocks. These results indicate that only LUC from arable crops to SRC willow demonstrated an overall increase in SOC stocks, by an estimated 15.3 ± 2.2 t C ha-1 (± 95% confidence intervals) after 14 years and 68.8 ± 49.4 t C ha-1 after 22 years. LUC from arable crops to Miscanthus and from both arable crops and grassland to SRC willow and Miscanthus demonstrated no overall net effect on SOC stocks. Soil texture and climate data were measured for each site and multivariable models were created to assess the influence of different environmental conditions on SOC trajectory. In most cases the addition of these explanatory variables improved the model fit, and the models provide some preliminary estimates of more region-specific changes in SOC following LUC. Since LUC to biomass crops often causes a loss of SOC, at least in the short term, the potential for pyrogenic carbon (PyC) to ameliorate this effect was investigated. Studies indicate that PyC can interact with and stabilise native SOC, a process termed negative priming, although the potential for PyC to reduce LUC-induced losses of SOC by negative priming has not yet been assessed. Although negative priming has been observed in many studies, most of these are long term incubation experiments which do not account for the impact of environmental weathering of PyC on interactions with native SOC. Here the aim was to assess the impact of environmentally weathered PyC on native SOC mineralisation at different points in LUC from arable crops to SRC willow. Soil was sampled to a 5 cm depth from multiple recently established SRC willow plantations approximately 2 years after amendment with PyC. Cumulative CO2 flux was measured weekly from incubated soil and soil-surface CO2 flux was also measured in the field. The results demonstrate a PyC-induced increase in CO2 flux for the surface 5 cm of soil. However, no net effect on soil-surface CO2 flux was observed in the field. Although the mechanisms for these contrasting effects remain unclear, they do not suggest that PyC can reduce LUC-induced SOC losses through negative priming.

abstract: Growth of the Phoenix metropolitan area led to exposures of the internal bedrock structure of surrounding semi-arid mountain ranges as housing platforms or road cuts. Such exposures in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts reveal the presence of sedimentary calcium carbonate infilling the pre-existing fracture matrix of the bedrock. Field surveys of bedrock fractures filled with carbonate (BFFC) reveal an average of 0.079 +/- 0.024 mT C/m2 stored in the upper 2 m of analyzed bedrock exposures. Back-scattered electron microscopy images indicate the presence of carbonate at the micron scale, not included in this estimation. Analysis of the spatial extent of bedrock landforms in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide suggests that ~1485 GtC could potentially be stored in the upper 2 m horizon of BFFCs. Radiocarbon dating obtained at one of the sites indicates it is likely that some of the carbonate was flushed into the bedrock system during glacial wet pulses, and is stored on Pleistocene timescales or longer. Strontium isotope analysis at the same site suggest the potential for a substantial cation contribution from weathering of the local bedrock, indicating the potential exists for sequestration of atmospheric carbon in BFFCs. Rates of carbon release from BFFCs are tied to rates of erosion of bedrock ranges in desert climates. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Geography 2013

No description available.

Orientadores: Marcos Silveira Buckeridge, Marilia Gaspar / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T03:07:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Souza_AmandaPereirade_M.pdf: 752519 bytes, checksum: 0abdf68fd1d19b70a0af931741ccf052 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Desde o início da Revolução Industrial as concentrações de CO2 atmosférico aumentaram em cerca de 30% e estimativas apontam que esta concentração poderá atingir aproximadamente 720 ppm até a metade deste século. Estudos sobre o efeito do alto CO2 no desenvolvimento de diversas espécies vegetais já foram realizados, porém poucos com espécies de gramíneas tropicais do tipo C4, como é o caso da cana-de-açúcar. Considerando a importância econômica da cana e seu potencial na obtenção de biocombustíveis é importante saber como esta cultura irá responder ao aumento previsto na concentração de CO2 atmosférico. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o efeito do aumento do CO2 atmosférico sobre o crescimento, desenvolvimento e metabolismo de carboidratos da cana-de-açúcar visando avaliar o potencial de seqüestro de carbono e o impacto das mudanças climáticas sobre a produtividade. Parâmetros fisiológicos, bioquímicos e moleculares foram analisados em plantas cultivadas em câmaras de topo aberto durante 50 semanas com atmosfera de CO2 ambiente (~370 ppm) e elevada (~720 ppm). Os principais resultados obtidos indicam incremento em altura, na taxa fotossintética e em biomassa de colmo e folhas das plantas cultivadas sob elevado CO2. Ao final das 50 semanas foi detectado no colmo das plantas crescidas em tais condições, um aumento no teor de sacarose, de fibras e no conteúdo de celulose. A análise do perfil de transcritos de folhas após 9 e 22 semanas de cultivo usando microarranjos revelou expressão diferencial de 37 genes, sendo que 14 foram reprimidos e 23 foram induzidos e correspondem principalmente a genes de fotossíntese e desenvolvimento. Nossos resultados indicam que a cultura da cana-de-açúcar tem capacidade para seqüestro de carbono e potencial para aumento na produtividade em condições de alta concentração de CO2 / Abstract: Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere increased about 30% and the current forecasts point out that this concentration will reach approximately 720 ppm until the middle of this century. Studies about the effect of CO2 on the development of several plant species have been performed. However, few studies have been performed with tropical grass species having photosynthesis C4, as is the case of sugar cane. Due to the economic importance of sugar cane and its high potential to obtain biofuel, it is important to known how this crop will respond to the forecasted increase in the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Therefore, the goal of this work was to study the effects of increased CO2 concentration on growth, development and carbohydrate metabolism of sugar cane aiming the evaluation of the potential of this specie for carbon sequestration and the impact of the global climatic change on its productivity. Physiological, biochemical and molecular features of these plants have been analyzed during 50 weeks of growth in Open-Top-Chambers (OTCs) with ambient (~370 ppm) and elevated (~720 ppm) CO2 concentrations. After 50 weeks of growth under these conditions, we observed an increase of sucrose content, fiber an also in cellulose contents in stems of plants grown under elevated CO2. The microarray analysis of the transcriptome of leaves was obtained after 9 and 22 weeks and revealed differential expression of 37 genes. Fourteen genes were repressed and 23 induced by elevated CO2. The latter correspond mainly to the processes of photosynthesis and development. Our results indicate that the sugar cane crop has a high potential for carbon sequestration and increase of productivity under elevated CO2 concentrations / Mestrado / Biologia Celular / Mestre em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

Compreender os ciclos de nutrientes e a dinâmica da matéria orgânica no ecossistema da Amazônia é essencial para o domínio do manejo eficiente da floresta e do solo. O desaparecimento de florestas tropicais, acompanhada de acelerados processos de perda de solo e de matéria orgânica, pelo desmatamento, queimadas e avanço da fronteira agrícola despertam preocupações. As características das substâncias húmicas remetem aos processos de gênese da matéria orgânica, à capacidade de sustentabilidade para os usos múltiplos em cultivos e aparece como indicador da qualidade do solo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi relacionar as características das substâncias húmicas do solo com o seqüestro de carbono em sítios de floresta em clímax, em área moderadamente e intensamente antropizada, ambientes de influência da Rodovia BR-163 - Cuiabá-Santarém, região que experimenta um incremento das ações antrópicas em função do anúncio da pavimentação desta rodovia. Foram determinadas as características das substâncias húmicas pelas técnicas de espectroscopia no infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR), análise elementar, espectroscopia de fluorescência de luz no UV/Visível, espectroscopia de absorção de luz no UV/Visível, espectroscopia de ressonância magnética nuclear (RMN) e espectroscopia de ressonância paramagnética eletrônica nuclear (EPR). Os resultados de infravermelho das substâncias húmicas do solo do sítio de floresta em clímax, indicam alta complexidade no arranjo conformacional, denotando-se a presença de elevada humificação do material orgânico, o que é corroborado pelos resultados de fluorescência, onde as características das substâncias húmicas deste ambiente apresentaram maior policondensação e grau de humificação. Utilizando-se a espectroscopia de absorção de luz no UV/Visível, constatou-se que a razão E4/E6 é de 2,27 para solo do ambiente de floresta em clímax. Esse é o menor valor das três frações, o que demonstra que as substâncias húmicas deste sítio estão em estágio elevado de policondensação e apresentam maior quantidade de estruturas aromáticas. Os resultados de RMN indicam que a maior percentagem de carbono aromático está exatamente nas substâncias húmicas do solo do sítio de floresta em clímax. Os resultados de EPR demonstram também que as substâncias húmicas dos solos dos sítios em clímax apresentam maiores números de radicais livres do tipo semiquinona (7,52) dos três ambientes estudados. As substâncias húmicas provenientes dos solos dos sítios com intensa atividade antrópica indicam a presença de menor grau de humificação, pelo número de radicais livres do tipo semiquinona (4,68), menor valor dos três ambientes estudados. Desta forma, as características das substâncias húmicas do solo de ambientes em clímax, pela elevada aromaticidade, policondensação e grau de humificação, proporcionam aumento da biodiversidade, incremento da produtividade, melhoria da estrutura deste solo, contribuindo junto à formação de fração húmica não lábil, bem como maior estabilidade dos complexos organominerais, condições favoráveis para o seqüestro de carbono e mitigação do aumento do efeito estufa. / Understanding the cycles of nutrients and organic matter dynamics in Amazons ecosystem is essential for the domain of efficient management of the forest and soil. The disappearance of tropical forests, accompanied by processes of accelerated loss of soil and organic matter, for the deforestation, forest fires and advancement of agricultural frontier arouse concerns. The characteristics of humic substances refer processes of genesis organic matter, capacity of sustainability for multiple uses in cultures appears as indicator the quality of the organic matter. The objective of this work was to relate the characteristics of humics substances in the soil, with the carbon sequestration in sites of forest in climax, in moderately and intensely area in humans use, environments in Influence of highway BR-163 - Cuiaba-Santarem, a region experiencing an increase in action of the human being according to the announcement of paving the road. There were certain characteristics of humic substances by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, elemental analysis, ultraviolet-visible fluorescence spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The results of infrared of humic substances in soil site of a climax forest, show high complexity in conformal arrangement, showing up the presence of high humification of organic material, which is corroborated by the results of fluorescence, where the characteristics of humic substances this environment polycondensation and had greater degree of humification. Using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, it was found that the reason E4/E6 is 2.27 for the environment of forest in climax. This is the lowest of the three fractions, which shows that the humic substances from this site are in high stage of polycondensation and the greatest amount of aromatic structures. The results of NMR indicate that the highest percentage of carbon aromatic is exactly humic substances in soil from site of forest in climax. The results of EPR also demonstrate that the soil humic substances in climax\'s sites show the highest numbers of free radicals semiquinonas type (7.52) in the three kinds of environments studied. The humic substances from the soil of sites with intense human activity indicate the lesser presence of degree humification, for the number of free radicals semiquinona\'s type (4.68), lower value of the three environments studied. Thus, the characteristics of humic substances in soil from environments in the climax for the high aromaticity, polycondensation and degree of humification, provide an increase of biodiversity, increasing productivity, improving the structure of the soil, contributing next to the formation of humic fraction not labile, greater stability of organic minerals complexes, favourable conditions for carbon sequestration and mitigation of increased greenhouse effect.

A agricultura pode ser uma aliada importante para a mitigação da concentração de gás carbônico (CO2) na atmosfera. Pela fotossíntese pode-se converter o CO2 da atmosfera em massa vegetal, e, além disso, por meio de um manejo adequado desta massa pode-se reter parte do carbono (C) no solo, caracterizando um \"seqüestro de C\" da atmosfera pelo solo. Pesquisas têm se voltado para entender o papel da produção agrícola, como os sistemas conservacionistas de manejo, ou seja, o plantio direto (PD), e das pastagens de Brachiaria sobre a dinâmica do C no solo. Estudos sobre a dinâmica e a estabilidade da matéria orgânica do solo (MOS) são necessários, já que variáveis como estoques de carbono (EC) e graus de humificação podem ser avaliados, e sendo assim, obter parâmetros fundamentais para a mitigação de CO2 na atmosfera, tema que se insere num dos enfoques das Mudanças Climáticas Globais. Nesse contexto, espectroscopias, como por exemplo, a Ressonância Paramagnética Eletrônica (RPE), a Fluorescência de luz no ultravioleta-visível (UV-vis) e a Fluorescência Induzida por Laser (FIL) podem ser fundamentais na avaliação da estabilidade da MOS. Este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar o comportamento da MOS em áreas com potencial para seqüestro de C, por meio da avaliação dos estoques deste no solo, em diferentes sistemas de manejo e posterior caracterização por Espectroscopia. Além disso, e em função das dificuldades encontradas na seleção da melhor metodologia para a quantificação de C, foi também possível avaliar métodos de determinação de C, comparando-os entre si pelos coeficientes de variação e análise multivariada, e assim propondo uma melhor metodologia. Em área tropical de pastagens de Brachiaria decumbens, no Brasil, os resultados mostraram que a determinação dos EC foram maiores nesses sistemas, comparado com a vegetação nativa de cerradão, após 27 anos de experimento. Os maiores EC obtidos pelas pastagens foram favorecidos pela constante entrada de material vegetal na superfície do solo, também influenciado pela entrada do nitrogênio (N), além do sistema radicular da gramínea, considerando o tratamento de pastagem com adição anual de N e aplicação de 2 t ha-1 de calcário (com reforço de 1 t ha-1 anual), o melhor tratamento em função do acúmulo da MOS. Os resultados mostraram que essas pastagens bem manejadas podem possibilitar um seqüestro de 6,1 a 12,8 Mg CO2 ha-1 ano-1 da atmosfera. Com a avaliação qualitativa da MOS, também foi possível obter resultados promissores na determinação da estabilidade da MOS. A detecção do aumento do conteúdo de C no solo foi acompanhada pela redução do grau de humificação, por meio da FIL. Esta redução na humificação foi devido à entrada de material orgânico mais lábil, ou seja, menos transformado. Na Fluorescência convencional e RPE, com amostras de AH em solução, os maiores graus de humificação foram obtidos para os AH dos tratamentos de pastagem, principalmente os que tiveram adição de calagem. O Ca2+, além de aumentar a atividade microbiana, pode complexar com os AH, associado ao aumento da estabilidade da MO. No sistema de PD de soja com renovação de cana-de-açúcar, os maiores teores de C foram obtidos nas amostras referentes aos sistemas sob PD após 7 anos sob esse manejo, em comparação com áreas sob manejo convencional. O acúmulo de MOS foi devido principalmente à preservação da cobertura vegetal associada com o não revolvimento do solo, rotação de culturas e a não queimada da cana-de-açúcar. Nessa área experimental, foi possível constatar um seqüestro de 0,15 a 5,29 Mg CO2 ha-1 ano-1 da atmosfera. Com relação à estabilidade da MO avaliada por Espectroscopia de FIL, verificou-se que o sistema de PD apresentou menor grau de humificação, devido à maior entrada de material orgânico lábil. Os resultados obtidos em área experimental de PD com grãos, com até 22 anos de duração, estão provavelmente associados com o tipo de solo analisado. Nos Latossolos com alto conteúdo de argila pode haver proteção física da MO, provavelmente impedindo alterações estruturais desse material, mesmo após longo período sem o revolvimento do solo. Outro fato importante é que o estudo de seqüestro de C depende muito da área avaliada, ou seja, delineamento do experimento, histórico do local, duração, condições climáticas, taxas de decomposição do C, produção de massa vegetal e aporte de resíduos. / Agriculture can play an important role in mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere. Through photosynthesis, it is possible to convert CO2 from atmosphere to plant biomass, and moreover, through an adequate agricultural system CO3 can be stored in soil, characterizing \"carbon sequestration\". Nowadays, many researches want to understand the role of agriculture production, as no-tillage, and Brachiaria pastures, in carbon dynamics in soil. Studies about organic matter dynamics and stability are necessary, since variables such as carbon stocks and degree of humification can be evaluated, and as a result, to obtain essential parameters to CO2 mitigation to the atmosphere. This topic is inserted in some Global Climate Change interests. In this context, spectroscopic methods, for example, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), UV-Vis light fluorescence and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) can be fundamental in the stability of soil organic matter (SOM) evaluation. The present study aims to examine the SOM behavior in areas with carbon sequestration potential, through evaluation of carbon stocks in soils, in different tillage systems followed by characterization by spectroscopy. Therefore, the knowledge of the organic matter (OM) quantity is important in soil management regarding to a sustainable agriculture. However, little consistent information is found to compare and recommend the most adequate method to obtain satisfactory results for each study. Consequently, it was possible to evaluate the OM quantity in Oxisols by different methods and compare them, using coefficient of variation and principal component analysis, to propose the best methodology. In the tropical regions of Brazil, in Brachiaria decumbens pastureland, the results showed that the greatest SOM content occurred under pastureland, against the native dense Cerrado vegetation, after 27 years of experiment. The highest carbon stocks obtained by pasture samples were favored by accumulations of plant biomass on the soil surface, nitrogen input, besides Brachiaria root systems. According to the results obtained, the annual input of adequate amounts of limestone (2 t ha-1 addition and 1 t ha-1 year-1 reinforcement) and N seemed to be the best treatment regarding different pastureland treatments, mainly due to its higher C accumulation. The results also showed that non-degraded pastures can enable an annual sequestration rate ranging from 6.1 to 12.8 Mg CO2 ha-1 year-1. Qualitative evaluation of SOM also obtained satisfactory results on the soil surface. Results showed that higher C amount was followed by lower degree of humification, obtained by LIF. This lower humification was due to labile organic material, or greater fresh input of crop residues. In conventional fluorescence and EPR, with humic acids, the greatest degree of humification was obtained in pastures treatments, especially in treatments with lime input. Ca2+, in addition to increasing the biological activity, can combine with humic acids, increasing OM stability. In the no-tillage system of soya and sugar cane renovation, higher C amounts were obtained in no-tillage samples, after 7 years of experiment. The maintenance of a permanent vegetal cover, without soil disturbing and without sugar cane burning was essential to SOM accumulation against conventional management. In the no-tillage system, in a period of 7 years, it was possible to verify a sequestration rate ranging from 0.15 to 5.29 Mg CO2 ha-1 year-1. In relation to SOM stability by LIF, no-tillage presented lower degree of humification, due to input labile OM. The results obtained under no-tillage cropping system after 22 years are probably associated with the kind of soil analyzed. In Latossols, with high amount of clay, there may be a physical protection of OM, probably preventing structural changes in this material, even after a long period without soil disturbing. Another important factor is that C sequestration studies depend on the evaluated area, such as experiment outline, historical area, time, climate conditions, C decomposition rates, vegetal biomass production and residue input.

Le rôle joué par les forêts tropicales dans le cycle du carbone à l'échelle planétaire est majeur. Tant par les énormes quantités stockées sous forme de bois, que par les flux de CO2 séquestrées annuellement dans les troncs et le sol. Plusieurs études mettent en évidence des changements structuraux au sein des forêts pantropicales durant les 20 dernières années, notamment une augmentation de la dynamique (recrutement et mortalité) (Lewis et al. 2004b; Phillips et al. 2004b) et de la biomasse aérienne ligneuse en forêt Amazonienne (Baker et al. 2004a). Ces changements de dynamique ont été mis en relation avec une disponibilité accrue en ressources auparavant limitantes (azote et CO2) et donc liés aux changements climatiques globaux. Cependant, les processus de régénération après perturbation dans un peuplement forestier génèrent, eux aussi, une réelle accumulation de biomasse. Des perturbations endogènes (chablis, glissements de terrains) ou exogènes (sécheresses, tempêtes ou actions anthropiques) pourraient être à l'origine de ces fluctuations de dynamique forestière. Sans une connaissance approfondie de l'état initial des forêts étudiées, il semble difficile de distinguer, localement, une accumulation de biomasse liée à un effet de régénération de celle liée à un forge climatique. La présente thèse cherche à investiguer s'il existe des stades de régénération au sein d'un même massif forestier, qui illustreraient différentes perturbations asynchrones. Ces stades sont déterminés sur la base de la structure forestière (densité, diamètre quadratique moyen) et au travers de l'architecture des arbres. Après avoir estimé les flux, stocks et bilans de biomasse sur le site d'étude, ceux-ci sont mis en relation avec des stades de régénération, pour montrer que les parcelles sont formées d'une majorité de stades en croissance et que cela engendre une accumulation nette de carbone durant la période de suivi (1991-2009). / As living trees constitute one of the major stocks of carbon in tropical forests, assessing the role of these ecosystems in the carbon cycle received an increasing scientific and political interest. A better understanding of variations in the dynamics and structure of tropical forests is necessary to predict the potential of these ecosystems to lose or store carbon, and to understand how they recover from disturbances. Recent findings showed an increase of the turn-over in pantropical forests (Phillips et al. 2004a) and an increase of above-ground biomass in neotropical forests (Baker et al. 2004a). These results were attributed to an increasing availability of abiotic ressources (CO2, nitrogen) enhancing forest dynamics. Nevertheless, these findings were controversial and some scientists pointed out statistical and methodological errors (Lewis et al. 2006a; Wright 2006).The present project is based on a very different point-of-view and makes a nother interpretation of these results. The main hypothesis of this study is that the observed changes in forest dynamics around the Amazonian basin and in French Guyana are the consequence of natural endogenous processes. Tropical forests are facing recurring disturbances of various intensities and scales, ranging from tree fall (several square meters) to major drought linked to El Niño events (thousands of hectares). Thus forests would never reach equilibrium, but would rather fluctuate between short periods of disturbance and long periods of regeneration. The main findings of this study are that forests at our site can be seen as a mosaic of areas at different structural and dynamical stages, most of them increasing in mean stem diameter and accumulating biomass. The overall biomass balance is a net biomass increase that might mainly be related to endogenous forest dynamic.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Charles W. Rice / Soil C sequestration in agricultural ecosystems is an immediate and significant option to mitigate the increase in the atmospheric CO2 concentration. The objectives of this study were to determine 1) the influence of crop and soil management practices applicable to Kansas (i.e., tillage, N fertilization, and crop rotations) on soil C and N, C sequestration rates, soil aggregation and aggregate-associated C and N; and 2) the influence of long-term tillage practices on SOC and total N, soil aggregation and aggregate-associated C and N in three soil types: an Oxisol (Brazil), a Vertisol (Argentina), and a Mollisol (Kansas, USA). The Kansas experiments included: tillage (conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT) and no-tillage (NT)) and native prairie; nitrogen (N) fertilization rates; and crop rotations comprising various combinations of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), and soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill). The presence of a fallow period negatively affected C sequestration rates even under NT systems. Nitrogen fertilization generally increased C sequestration rates. Rotations that contained wheat or sorghum had the greatest C sequestration rates while continuous soybean had the lowest rates. Cultivation decreased the amount of macroaggregates with a concomitment increased in the amount of microaggregates. Wheat and sorghum increased total C in the macroaggregate fraction (>250 mm) under NT while soybean had the lowest C concentration. Cultivation reduced microbial biomass C and N and potentially mineralizable C and N. The combination of conservation tillage and rotations that produced a greater amount of residue had greater C sequestration rates. In the Oxisol, NT had greater amounts of large macroaggregates (>2000 mm) than CT, however no differences between tillage practices were detected in the Vertisol and Mollisol. Cultivation of native grassland reduced the amount of macroaggregates and the associated C and N concentration; however NT tended to be more similar to the native grassland. Overall, our results indicated that the use of conservation tillage could be an important strategy to sequester C in these agroecosystems. The adoption of management practices that enhance C sequestration would be important for reducing GHGs emissions and maintaining the sustainability of agricultural systems.