Articles | Volume 7, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-639-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-639-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
01 Oct 2021
Original research article |
| 01 Oct 2021
| 01 Oct 2021
Heterotrophic soil respiration and carbon cycling in geochemically distinct African tropical forest soils
Benjamin Bukombe
Institute of Geography, University of Augsburg, Augsburg 86159, Germany
Peter Fiener
Institute of Geography, University of Augsburg, Augsburg 86159, Germany
Alison M. Hoyt
Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena 07745, Germany
Laurent K. Kidinda
Institute of Soil Science and Site Ecology, Technische Universtität Dresden, Tharandt 01737, Germany
Sebastian Doetterl
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8092, Switzerland
Institute of Geography, University of Augsburg, Augsburg 86159, Germany
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Cited
15 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Various responses of global heterotrophic respiration to variations in soil moisture and temperature enhance the positive feedback on atmospheric warming J. Zeng et al. 10.1038/s43247-025-02423-w
- Extracellular polymeric substances are closely related to land cover, microbial communities, and enzyme activity in tropical soils L. Kidinda et al. 10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109221
- Impacts of land use change on carbon storage in termite mounds of South Africa T. Nel et al. 10.1016/j.catena.2025.109141
- Low but highly variable soil organic carbon stocks across deeply weathered eroding and depositional tropical landforms M. Reichenbach et al. 10.1016/j.catena.2025.108971
- Vertical Distribution and Mineralization Dynamics of Organic Carbon in Soil and Its Aggregates in the Chinese Loess Plateau Driven by Precipitation C. Gao et al. 10.3390/app14093852
- Unravelling the effects of climate change on the soil-plant-atmosphere interactions: A critical review M. Oishy et al. 10.1016/j.seh.2025.100130
- Dominant control of temperature on (sub-)tropical soil carbon turnover V. Meyer et al. 10.1038/s41467-025-59013-9
- Effects on soil organic carbon accumulation and mineralization of long-term vegetation restoration in Southwest China karst X. He et al. 10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109622
- Relationships between geochemical properties and microbial nutrient acquisition in tropical forest and cropland soils L. Kidinda et al. 10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104653
- Microbial properties in tropical montane forest soils developed from contrasting parent material—An incubation experiment L. Kidinda et al. 10.1002/jpln.202100274
- Dry-season autotrophic and heterotrophic soil respiration in contrasting agroecological settings G. Fekadu et al. 10.1080/09064710.2023.2189613
- Effect of Various Meliorants on Respiration Intensity and Organic Carbon Content in the Soils of the Rostov Zoo A. Fedorenko et al. 10.31857/S0002188123020084
- Soil geochemistry – and not topography – as a major driver of carbon allocation, stocks, and dynamics in forests and soils of African tropical montane ecosystems B. Bukombe et al. 10.1111/nph.18469
- The role of geochemistry in organic carbon stabilization against microbial decomposition in tropical rainforest soils M. Reichenbach et al. 10.5194/soil-7-453-2021
- Organic matter cycling along geochemical, geomorphic, and disturbance gradients in forest and cropland of the African Tropics – project TropSOC database version 1.0 S. Doetterl et al. 10.5194/essd-13-4133-2021
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Various responses of global heterotrophic respiration to variations in soil moisture and temperature enhance the positive feedback on atmospheric warming J. Zeng et al. 10.1038/s43247-025-02423-w
- Extracellular polymeric substances are closely related to land cover, microbial communities, and enzyme activity in tropical soils L. Kidinda et al. 10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109221
- Impacts of land use change on carbon storage in termite mounds of South Africa T. Nel et al. 10.1016/j.catena.2025.109141
- Low but highly variable soil organic carbon stocks across deeply weathered eroding and depositional tropical landforms M. Reichenbach et al. 10.1016/j.catena.2025.108971
- Vertical Distribution and Mineralization Dynamics of Organic Carbon in Soil and Its Aggregates in the Chinese Loess Plateau Driven by Precipitation C. Gao et al. 10.3390/app14093852
- Unravelling the effects of climate change on the soil-plant-atmosphere interactions: A critical review M. Oishy et al. 10.1016/j.seh.2025.100130
- Dominant control of temperature on (sub-)tropical soil carbon turnover V. Meyer et al. 10.1038/s41467-025-59013-9
- Effects on soil organic carbon accumulation and mineralization of long-term vegetation restoration in Southwest China karst X. He et al. 10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109622
- Relationships between geochemical properties and microbial nutrient acquisition in tropical forest and cropland soils L. Kidinda et al. 10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104653
- Microbial properties in tropical montane forest soils developed from contrasting parent material—An incubation experiment L. Kidinda et al. 10.1002/jpln.202100274
- Dry-season autotrophic and heterotrophic soil respiration in contrasting agroecological settings G. Fekadu et al. 10.1080/09064710.2023.2189613
- Effect of Various Meliorants on Respiration Intensity and Organic Carbon Content in the Soils of the Rostov Zoo A. Fedorenko et al. 10.31857/S0002188123020084
- Soil geochemistry – and not topography – as a major driver of carbon allocation, stocks, and dynamics in forests and soils of African tropical montane ecosystems B. Bukombe et al. 10.1111/nph.18469
2 citations as recorded by crossref.
- The role of geochemistry in organic carbon stabilization against microbial decomposition in tropical rainforest soils M. Reichenbach et al. 10.5194/soil-7-453-2021
- Organic matter cycling along geochemical, geomorphic, and disturbance gradients in forest and cropland of the African Tropics – project TropSOC database version 1.0 S. Doetterl et al. 10.5194/essd-13-4133-2021
Latest update: 29 Jul 2025
Short summary
Through a laboratory incubation experiment, we investigated the spatial patterns of specific maximum heterotrophic respiration in tropical African mountain forest soils developed from contrasting parent material along slope gradients. We found distinct differences in soil respiration between soil depths and geochemical regions related to soil fertility and the chemistry of the soil solution. The topographic origin of our samples was not a major determinant of the observed rates of respiration.
Through a laboratory incubation experiment, we investigated the spatial patterns of specific...
