Effect of plant Communities and Ecological Parameters on Soil Organic Carbon Stocks in the Mamora Forest, Morocco

Several studies on the assessment of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks have been carried out at the global level. However, reliable information on SOC stocks is not readily available at the regional level. In addition, very few studies have assessed the factors responsible for the variation of SOC stocks, in particular the effect of plant communities. For this purpose, the main objective was to analyze the effects of three plant communities and ecological parameters on the SOC stock in the Mamora forest. Specifically, the authors looked to examine the relationships between SOC stock and plant communities and to define the main parameters that directly influence SOC stock. Ten soil profiles with three replications were sampled at each plant community, from which SOC stock was determined. To assess the effect of plant communities on SOC stocks, phytosociological surveys were carried out according to the phytosociological stigma method developed by Braun-Blanquet. The results show that the SOC stocks in cork oak soils are characterized by high variability, with values ranging from 55 t•ha-1 to 95 t•ha-1. Indeed, the findings of this study showed that the SOC stocks fluctuated significantly with plant communities. In addition, SOC stocks were also affected by the interactions between plant communities, the amount of litter and the density of the cork oak stand. These outcomes of this study highlight the critical need to incorporate community-specific carbon values into future carbon sequestration modeling.