Fluxo de CO2 em solos de ecossistemas naturais e agroflorestais da província de Manabí, Equador

Abstract

Edaphic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, fundamental in the global carbon cycle, were evaluated in two Tropical Dry Forests (TDF1 and TDF2) and one agroforestry system (AF1) to identify differences between them and to analyze the influence of edaphic and meteorological factors. Edaphic CO₂ measurements were carried out in two blocks for each system, together with parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, soil moisture, temperature, and atmospheric pressure. The results showed that TDF1 had the highest emissions (0.711–0.806 g CO₂ m⁻² h⁻¹), followed by TDF2 (0.482–0.505 g CO₂ m⁻² h⁻¹), while AF1 presented the lowest values (0.309–0.361 g CO₂ m⁻² h⁻¹), with no significant differences between blocks within each system. Correlations indicated that edaphic CO₂ is positively related to soil moisture (r = 0.50) and electrical conductivity (r = 0.43), and negatively related to atmospheric pressure (r = −0.76) and pH (r = −0.61). This suggests that higher emissions in TDF1 are associated with greater biological activity and decomposition, while lower values in AF1 reflect the mitigating effect of agroforestry systems. These findings highlight the combined influence of edaphic and meteorological characteristics on CO₂ emissions in different ecological systems.