Collaborative Research: Soil Organic Matter in the Tropics: Determinants and Consequences

北卡罗来纳州立大学的热带土壤研究计划和科罗拉多州立大学的自然资源生态实验室继续研究潮湿热带地区土壤有机质(SOM)的决定因素和后果。主要工作包括：1)确定土壤质地和粘土矿物学对土壤有机质总量的相对影响；2)估算不同土壤有机质功能库的大小；3)将土壤质地和矿物学与其供氮供磷能力联系起来；4)确定物理保护、化学阻力和养分有效性对土壤有机质库的相对重要性。5)量化不同土地利用方式对土壤有机质池的影响。世纪模式将进行修改，以便在热带条件下使用。研究结果将加深对可变电荷土壤中有机质动态的理解，这将为提高腐殖型热带农业的可持续性和更真实地估计森林砍伐后向大气排放的二氧化碳奠定基础。这是一支出色的研究团队，开创了世纪模型的开发和校准。该模型已广泛应用于土壤发育研究。这项研究可用的设施是一流的。

North Carolina State University's Tropical Soils Research Program and Colorado State University's Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory continue to investigate the determinants and consequences of soil organic matter (SOM) in the humid tropics. Main activities consist of 1) determining the relative effects of soil texture and clay mineralogy on total SOM content, 2) estimating the size of different SOM functional pools, 3) relating their N and P supplying capacity to texture and mineralogy, 4) determining the relative importance of physical protection, chemical recalcitrance and nutrient availability on the SOM pools, and 5) quantifying the effects of different land use practices on SOM pools. The CENTURY model will be modified for use in tropical conditions. The results will provide a deeper understanding of organic matter dynamics in soils with variable charge which will serve as a base for improved agricultural sustainability in the humic tropics and more realistic estimates of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere upon deforestation. This is an excellent research team that pioneered the development and calibration of the CENTURY model. The model has been used extensively for studying soil development. The facilities available for this research are excellent.