Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Linking Soil Moisture And Carbon-Cycle Processes In Two Understudied Terrestrial Ecosystems: Ecuadorian Páramo Grasslands And Constructed Agricultural Wetlands, Julie Yvette Mcknight

Doctoral Dissertations

A better understanding of soil-water interactions and associated feedbacks in carbon-cycle processes is necessary for addressing knowledge gaps in the global carbon budget. This doctoral dissertation research investigated soil carbon-cycle processes in two ecosystems, Ecuadorian páramos and constructed agricultural wetlands, which are understudied in terrestrial carbon research. These sites represent ecosystems where land-use induced changes in soil moisture were expected to play an important role in soil carbon processes.

Soil carbon dioxide (CO₂) flux and extracellular enzyme (EE) activities were measured to assess changes in soil carbon processes in soil from four types of land use in Ecuadorian …