Description:    Agroforestry systems are widely practiced in tropical forests to recover degraded and deforested areas and also to balance the global carbon budget. However, our understanding of difference in soil respiration rates between agroforestry and natural forest systems is very limited. This study compared the seasonal variations in soil respiration rates in relation to fine root biomass, microbial biomass, and soil organic carbon between a secondary forest and two agroforestry systems dominated by Gmelina arborea and Dipterocarps in the Philippines during the dry and the wet seasons. The secondary forest had significantly higher ( p  〈 0.05) soil respiration rate, fine root biomass and soil organic matter than the agroforestry systems in the dry season. However, in the wet season, soil respiration and soil organic matter in the G. arborea dominated agroforestry system were as high as in the secondary forest. Whereas soil respiration was generally higher in the wet than in the dry season, there were no differences in fine root biomass, microbial biomass and soil organic matter between the two seasons. Soil respiration rate correlated positively and significantly with fine root biomass, microbial biomass, and soil organic C in all three sites. The results of this study indicate, to some degree, that different land use management practices have different effects on fine root biomass, microbial biomass and soil organic C which may affect soil respiration as well. Therefore, when introducing agroforestry system, a proper choice of species and management techniques which are similar to natural forest is recommended. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s10457-012-9530-8 Authors Kikang Bae, Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Don Koo Lee, Department of Forest Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742 Korea Timothy J. Fahey, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA Soo Young Woo, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Seoul, Seoul, 130-743 Republic of Korea Amos K. Quaye, Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Yong-Kwon Lee, Korea Forest Service, Government Complex-Daejeon, Bldg 1, 189 Cheongsa-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon, 302-701 Republic of Korea Journal Agroforestry Systems Online ISSN 1572-9680 Print ISSN 0167-4366

Description:    Participatory research methods have helped scientists to understand how farmers experiment and to seek partnerships with farmers in developing technologies with enhanced relevance and adoption. This paper reports on the development of a participatory methodology to systematize long-term experimentation with agroforestry systems carried out in a hotspot of biodiversity by non-governmental organizations and local farmers. A methodological guide for systematization and techniques used for Participatory Rural Appraisal formed the basis of our work. We propose an analytical framework that recognizes systems of reflexive and learning interactions, in order to make the learned lessons explicit. At the process level, the main lessons and recommendations are as follows. It is important to establish partnerships to conduct innovative and complex experimentation with agroforest. Participatory systematization allows us to improve the methodological aspects of design, implementation and management of on-farm participatory experimentation. It also serves to synthesize the main findings and to extract lessons from agroforestry systems experiments. It fosters the technical improvement of agroforestry systems. It creates possibilities for reflection on agroforestry systems by farmers, extensionists and researchers, as well as their learning with respect to management of such systems. The findings are placed in the context of current theory on participatory experimentation in agriculture. Extractive and interactive approaches help to produce rich insights of mutual interest through collaboration by identifying local, regional and global convergences, complementarities, and conflicts of interest; which affect the advance of new eco-friendly technologies, to both improve the livelihoods and to reverse biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-16 DOI 10.1007/s10457-012-9498-4 Authors Helton Nonato de Souza, Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands Irene Maria Cardoso, Soil Science Department, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil Eduardo de Sá Mendonça, Plant Production Department, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Alegre, ES 29500-000, Brazil Anôr Fiorini Carvalho, Soil Science Department, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil Gustavo Bediaga de Oliveira, Centre of Alternative Technologies of Zona da Mata (CTA-ZM), Sitio Alfa Violeira, Zona Rural, Caixa Postal 128, Cep, Viçosa, MG 36570 000, Brazil Davi Feital Gjorup, Centre of Alternative Technologies of Zona da Mata (CTA-ZM), Sitio Alfa Violeira, Zona Rural, Caixa Postal 128, Cep, Viçosa, MG 36570 000, Brazil Verônica Rocha Bonfim, Centre of Alternative Technologies of Zona da Mata (CTA-ZM), Sitio Alfa Violeira, Zona Rural, Caixa Postal 128, Cep, Viçosa, MG 36570 000, Brazil Journal Agroforestry Systems Online ISSN 1572-9680 Print ISSN 0167-4366

Description:    In the last decades, due to climate changes, soil deterioration, and Land Use/Land Cover Changes (LULCCs), land degradation risk has become one of the most important ecological issues at the global level. Land degradation involves two interlocking systems: the natural ecosystem and the socio-economic system. The complexity of land degradation processes should be addressed using a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, the aim of this work is to assess diachronically land degradation dynamics under changing land covers. This paper analyzes LULCCs and the parallel increase in the level of land sensitivity to degradation along the coastal belt of Sardinia (Italy), a typical Mediterranean region where human pressure affects the landscape characteristics through fires, intensive agricultural practices, land abandonment, urban sprawl, and tourism concentration. Results reveal that two factors mainly affect the level of land sensitivity to degradation in the study area: (i) land abandonment and (ii) unsustainable use of rural and peri-urban areas. Taken together, these factors represent the primary cause of the LULCCs observed in coastal Sardinia. By linking the structural features of the Mediterranean landscape with its functional land degradation dynamics over time, these results contribute to orienting policies for sustainable land management in Mediterranean coastal areas. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00267-012-9831-8 Authors S. Bajocco, Unit for Climatology and Meteorology in Agriculture (CRA-CMA), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via del Caravita 7a, 00186 Rome, RM, Italy A. De Angelis, Unit for Climatology and Meteorology in Agriculture (CRA-CMA), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via del Caravita 7a, 00186 Rome, RM, Italy L. Perini, Unit for Climatology and Meteorology in Agriculture (CRA-CMA), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via del Caravita 7a, 00186 Rome, RM, Italy A. Ferrara, Department of Crop Science, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano, Potenza, PZ, Italy L. Salvati, Centre for Soil-Plant Relationships (CRA-RPS), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via della Navicella 2-4, 00184 Rome, RM, Italy Journal Environmental Management Online ISSN 1432-1009 Print ISSN 0364-152X

Description:    Recent studies have demonstrated the geomorphic complexity and wide range of hydrologic regimes found in alpine headwater channels that provide complex habitats for aquatic taxa. These geohydrologic elements are fundamental to better understand patterns in species assemblages and indicator taxa and are necessary to aquatic monitoring protocols that aim to track changes in physical conditions. Complex physical variables shape many biological and ecological traits, including life history strategies, but these mechanisms can only be understood if critical physical variables are adequately represented within the sampling framework. To better align sampling design protocols with current geohydrologic knowledge, we present a conceptual framework that incorporates regional-scale conditions, basin-scale longitudinal profiles, valley-scale glacial macroform structure, valley segment-scale (i.e., colluvial, alluvial, and bedrock), and reach-scale channel types. At the valley segment- and reach-scales, these hierarchical levels are associated with differences in streamflow and sediment regime, water source contribution and water temperature. Examples of linked physical-ecological hypotheses placed in a landscape context and a case study using the proposed framework are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of this approach for monitoring complex temporal and spatial patterns and processes in glaciated basins. This approach is meant to aid in comparisons between mountain regions on a global scale and to improve management of potentially endangered alpine species affected by climate change and other stressors. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-16 DOI 10.1007/s00267-012-9957-8 Authors Anne A. Weekes, Natural Systems Design, Seattle, WA, USA Christian E. Torgersen, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA David R. Montgomery, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Andrea Woodward, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Seattle, WA, USA Susan M. Bolton, School of Environmental and Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Journal Environmental Management Online ISSN 1432-1009 Print ISSN 0364-152X