Soil attributes and spatial variability of soil organic carbon stock under the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

This study aimed to explore the physical and chemical attributes of the soil and to spatialize the soil organic carbon stock in a stretch of Atlantic Forest by evaluating four soil layers and the interrelationships of physical and chemical attributes as well as the spatialization of soil organic carbon stock by applying cokriging interpolation. Thus, 12 soil samples were collected in a soil layer, and the nutrient content, soil density, texture, soil organic carbon content and the soil carbon stock were determined. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) grouped the most similar plots in terms of physical and chemical characteristics. Based on the spatial autocorrelation of the soil attributes, the digital elevation model data (altitude and slope) for the studied site were combined to explore the coordinate relationship between the terrain parameters and the soil organic carbon stock. We verified an increase in the soil fertility parallel to the increase in the organic matter content in the soil, helping to understand the differences and similarities of the identified sites in the field. There is a spatial difference in the soil organic carbon stock, with the largest being observed in areas of lower slope and altitude. The physical and chemical attributes of the soil in the Atlantic Forest varied according to the sampled points, being strongly related to the relief. The spatial variability altered soil organic carbon stocks in the forest under study.