Abstract The geochemical behavior of the major, minor, trace and rare earths elements (REEs) in soil profiles from ultramafic volcanoclastic rocks of the Vulcão do Paredão and Morro Vermelho Formation from Trindade Island (TI) was analyzed in this study. Losses and gains of chemical elements were calculated through the mass balance for two profiles along the slope: one located at higher altitude (460 m) and the other at lower altitude (258 m). In all profiles, Al, Fe and Ti accumulate due to their low mobility, whereas Ca, Na, K and Mg are the most intensely leached. Soils located at lower altitude show higher K and Mg values in the surface due to the contribution of saline sprays. Leaching of the REEs from higher to the lower slope led to the enrichment of these elements, especially the light REEs, in the soil at the lowest altitude (258 m). The high altitude profile showed Ce positive anomaly due to longer exposure to weathering. The geochemical balance shows a relative enrichment of Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Cr, Ni, V, Zr, S related to the loss of mobile elements during the soil formation process, despite the youthful nature of these volcanic rocks.

ABSTRACT Leaf-cutting ants are the most important herbivore in the neotropics, represent active agents of pedobioturbation, and are regarded as ecosystem engineers. These ants have a wide variety of ecological functions, such as pollination, seed dispersal, and tree-growing control. Despite this importance, little is known on their distribution in relation to possible soil and environmental conditions that affect Atta ants occurrence. This study aimed to spatialize the main occurrences of Atta species in the Brazilian territory and evaluate the main environmental conditions driving ants species in the Brazilian tropical landscapes, at a preliminary basis. We compiled data of occurrence for 12 Atta species from Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) databases, and scientific literature (up to 2019) for each Atta species. To each point, we obtained the respective geoenvironmental data as soil properties, biome, geology, vegetation land use, and climate variables. From these data, possible zonalities of occurrence of 9/10 Atta species were discussed. We applied the principal components analysis (PCA) and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) to identify the environmental gradient and investigate the possible interplay between variables and species. Soil, vegetation, and land use attributes are the main drivers on the distribution of Atta at local scale where their evolutionary physiological and foraging adaptations allow them to nest and maintain the fungi culture. At broader scales, climatic attributes are key drivers of Atta distribution across Brazil, and also influence pedogenic processes. Our study demonstrates that species of Atta ants are not randomly dispersed in Brazil and are strongly associated with complex and diverse Brazilian landscapes. We remark that further studies on the distribution of leaf-cutting ants of the Atta genus in Brazil, as well as their evolutionary phylogenetics, are needed, based on larger database.

resumo A partir de meados do século XX, cresceu significativamente o interesse em se compreender a dinâmica das vegetações em respostas às mudanças climáticas do Último Máximo Glacial - UMG (18 mil anos atrás). Nesse contexto, uma paisagem pode ser fruto de mudanças recentes ambientais ou relíquias de condições ainda mais remotas. Isso pode determinar, inclusive, o grau de complexidade e diversificação da paisagem. Diversos pesquisadores têm proposto modelos para explicar a cobertura da vegetação brasileira sob as condições do UMG desde a década de 1960, porém, o recente avanço dos modelos climáticos globais tem proporcionado novas perspectivas para uma reconstrução mais fiel das condições pretéritas. Nesse sentido, aqui discutimos sobre teorias biogeográficas formuladas e modificadas ao longo dos últimos 60 anos de estudos sobre a reconstrução das vegetações do Brasil para o UMG.

abstract From the mid-20th century onwards, there has been significant growing interest in understanding the dynamics of vegetation in response to the climatic changes of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 18 thousand years ago). In this context, landscapes may be the result of recent environmental changes or relics from even more remote times, and this may even determine the degree of their complexity and diversification. Since the 1960s, several researchers have proposed models to explain the coverage of Brazil’s vegetation under the LGM, but the recent advance of global climate models has provided new perspectives for a more faithful reconstruction of the past conditions. We also discuss biogeographic theories formulated and modified over the last 60 years of studies on the reconstruction of Brazilian vegetation of the LGM.

ABSTRACT The northwestern part of the Acre State (Brazil) possesses singular soils in Brazilian Amazonia, but have been very little studied. This study aimed to discuss the genesis and some micropedological aspects of the soils from Serra do Divisor and adjacent floodplain soils of the Moa river, to enhance the knowledge on their formation. A toposequence of soils ranging from the uppermost part of sub-Andean Serra do Divisor to the Alluvial soils of Moa river floodplain was studied, regarding chemical, physical, mineralogical, and micromorphological attributes. The parent material of the Serra do Divisor is basically quartzose sandstone, and the soils along the toposequence were classified as Typic Haplorthods (P1), Spodic Quartzipsamment (P2), Lithic Quartzipsamment (P3), and Lithic Quartzipsamment (P4). Along the Moa river floodplain, we also identified and collected, Typic Udifluvent (P5), Typic Kandiudult (P6), Typic Kandiudalf (P7), and Arenic Plinthic Kandiudult (P8). The Serra do Divisor soils have very low fertility, high acidity, and low cation exchange capacities, presenting a coarse sandy texture, even shallow pedons. The X-ray diffraction analysis of these soils indicates the predominance of kaolinite, with traces of quartz and gibbsite. The shallow mountain Podzols on sandstone have an expressive accumulation of organic material in surface horizons, with evidence of ferrihydrite and imogolite in the subsurface. At the Moa river floodplain, all soils are originated from recent sediments (Cenozoic), which have a geological source upstream. Varying sedimentary layers are key aspects influencing soil genesis. Those soils have evidence of 2:1 clays with hydroxyl-Al interlayers in subsurface horizons. The Serra do Divisor steep landforms and the coarse texture of the soils promote good drainage and favor leaching and chemical impoverishment. Kaolinite and gibbsite were formed by severe leaching and there are evidences of in situ neoformation of gibbsite by extreme Si losses. All studied soils have some peculiarities such as high accumulation of organic material or 2:1 clay minerals. Most investigated soils were affected by colluvial, reworking, mass movements or a strong variation on sedimentation.

ABSTRACT The pedological studies carried out so far in Trindade Island (TI) have obtained patchy evidences of allophane, without detailed mineralogical and micromorphological studies to confirm the occurrence of Andosols in TI. Therefore, in this study, the mineralogical, micromorphological, physical and chemical characterization of four soil profiles from Vulcão do Paredão (P1) and Morro Vermelho formations (P2, P3, and P4) were carried on the latest volcanic events in Brazil from Trindade Island (TI) with the aim of to evaluate the presence of Andosols in this oceanic island. Profiles P1 and P2 are developed on pyroclastic bombs, and show, respectively, A-Bi- C and decapitated A-C horizons, whereas P3 and P4 are developed on lapillitic and bomb pyroclasts, show A-C horizons. The soil profiles have a reddish and brownish clayey matrix, are highly friable and show a plastic consistency. Their microstructures are granular, single grain and intergrain microaggregate, in which aggregates display an undifferentiated b-fabric. The mineralogical constituents of the bulk fraction are biotite, hematite, magnetite, ilmenite, pyroxene, olivine, halloysite, goethite, anatase, and rutile. The clay fraction is marked by the presence of halloysite, ferrihydrite, and little amounts of allophane. All soils presented andic properties and can be classified as non-allophanic Andosols. In addition, micromorphological features closely resemble those reported in Andosols from other volcanic islands from elsewhere. The predominance of halloysite in the clay fraction formed by alteration of sideromelane, suggests that allophane would be an intermediate phase of this rapid transformation favored by the wet climate conditions of the highest parts of TI.

ABSTRACT The micromorphology of deeply weathered soils (Ferralsols/ Latossolos ) from the Central Plateau of Brazil remains little studied, and its affiliation to different parent materials, poorly known. To clarify the processes of soil formation of these acric, gibbsitic, Fe-oxide rich Ferralsols, three lithotoposequences on local ultrabasic to basic intrusive rocks were studied. The influences of mixing and pedobioturbation are evident in all soils, and Ferralsols of the Central Plateau of Brazil are polygenetic, based on the coarse mineral composition, with ultrabasic and metapelitic rock contributions. The typical oxic microstructure with stable microaggregates encompasses a gibbsite/Fe rich micromass with random inclusions of charcoal, allochthonous quartz, Ti-magnetite, and perovskite grains. Shallow Cambisols ( Cambissolos ) on tuffites also display a similar “oxic” microstructure, but a much lower degree of weathering. These Cambisols possesses apatite, and mafic and pelitic minerals as residuals minerals grains, indicating the polygenetic colluvia mixture of different substrates. The common occurrence of perovskite (CaTiO3) as a residual grain in deep-weathered, acric Ferralsols on ultrabasic rocks, not yet reported in the literature, shows an unusual resistant Ca reserve in oxic soils, though nothing is known about its implications to soil fertility.

RESUMO A região do Quadrilátero Ferrífero (QF) em Minas Gerais apresenta notável geobiodiversidade, a despeito de uma longa história de pressões antrópicas (mineração, urbanização), mas ainda carece de estudos detalhados sobre a distribuição das formações vegetais nos diferentes substratos. No presente estudo, utilizou-se imagens Aster, levantamentos gamaespectométricos (Gama), mapeamentos geológicos existentes e trabalhos de campo, para a discriminação e quantificação dos remanescentes da vegetação sobre substratos ferruginosos e outros no QF. Utilizou-se o algoritmo da Máxima Verossimilhança (MaxVer) para a classificação das tipologias de vegetação associadas aos substratos predominantes (canga-ferruginosos, filitos e quartzitos), assim denominados: Campo Rupestre Aberto, Campo Rupestre Arbustivo, Capão Florestal, Cerrado Stricto Sensu, Campo Cerrado, Florestas Estacionais, Pastagens e Reflorestamentos, sendo os três últimos não discretizados quanto ao substrato. A utilização das imagens Aster apenas não permitiu uma separação confiável de substratos ferruginosos dos não ferruginosos, sendo necessária a utilização de produtos de processamento de dados Gama e de geologia. A integração entre as bases de informação (Aster-MaxVer + Gama + geologia) permitiu o mapeamento da vegetação associada a três tipos de substratos: ferruginoso, potencialmente ferruginoso e não-ferruginoso. O mapeamento revelou que a vegetação sobre substrato ferruginoso e potencialmente ferruginoso recobrem, respectivamente, 8,7% e 6,9% no QF. Estes dados preliminares inéditos permitem análises mais detalhadas do padrão de distribuição e fragmentação das fitofisionomias sobre substratos ferruginosos, com grande importância para as estratégias de conservação da geobiodiversidade do QF, e necessitam de checagens de campo e reconhecimento da vegetação, por meio de técnicas inovadoras.

ABSTRACT The Iron Quadrangle (IQ) region in Minas Gerais is remarkably geobiodiverse, despite a long history of anthropogenic pressures such as mining and urbanization, but still lacks detailed studies on the distribution of its remaining native vegetation in different substrates. In this study, we utilized Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) images, besides Gamma-spectrometry (Gamma) survey data associated with existing geological mapping (GM) and extensive fieldwork, to discriminate and quantify remnants of vegetation on ferruginous substrates in the IQ. The Maximum Likelihood (ML) algorithm was used to classify the vegetation types, thus named: open Rupestrian Field, shrubby Rupestrian Field, Capão Forest, Cerrado stricto sensu, Cerrado Field, Seasonal Forests, Pastures and Reforestation (the latter three regardless of substrate type) associated with the predominant substrates (ferruginous ironstone, phyllites, and quartzite). The use of ASTER images alone did not allow a reliable separation of ferruginous and non-ferruginous substrates, but the integration of all different data (ASTER-ML + Gamma + GM) allowed the provisional mapping of the vegetation associated with ferruginous substrates, potentially ferruginous and non-ferruginous substrates. The resulting map shows that the vegetation on ferruginous and potentially ferruginous substrates cover 8.7% and 6.9% of the IQ, respectively. The detailed analysis of the distribution and fragmentation of phytophysiognomies on ferruginous substrates is of great importance for developing strategies to conserve the geobiodiversity of the IQ, and need to be further refined by checking and field mapping by novel approaches.

ABSTRACT: Currently, the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado) represents the main agricultural area of the country, comprising a great variety of landscapes and soils, geological formations and vegetation patterns, as well as the major watershed. We studied the hydropedology and morphometry of a representative catchment (Frutal river), on a high tableland (Chapada) in the Triângulo Mineiro region, Brazil, describing the soil-water-landscape relationships to understand land use and water resources. To this end, we applied physical, chemical, micromorphological, and morphometric methods. When dry, compaction was observed in well-structured Ferralsols (Latossolos) with medium texture under intensive agriculture, reducing the water recharge capacity. The soil carbon stock was highest in hydromorphic savannas (veredas), reaching an organic matter content of 316.8 g kg-1 in the studied Umbric Gleysols, representing poorly drained lowlands. Physical and micromorphological properties were relevant parameters to understand the water recharge in soil; in agricultural fields, bulk density tended to increase and hydraulic conductivity to decrease, particularly under long-term sugarcane; morphometric parameters in the Frutal catchment indicated a low flooding risk and high flow capacity. This reinforces the need for soil conservation strategies to enhance water infiltration and groundwater recharge, with a view to maintain the water longer in the catchment. For surface water dynamics, slope morphology is an important property, affecting soil erosion, water retention and crop productivity.

ABSTRACT: Ultisols are the most common soil order in the Brazilian Amazon. The Legal Amazon (LA) has an area of 5 × 106 km2, with few accessible areas, which restricts studies of soils at a detailed level. The pedological properties can be estimated more efficiently using statistical procedures and machine learning techniques, tools which are capable of recognizing patterns in a large soil database. We analyzed the main chemical and physical properties of the B horizons of the Ultisols of the Brazilian Amazon, as well as the spatial variability of the most explanatory properties of these horizons. Physical and chemical data of 1,068 profiles of the RadamBrasil Project were used. A principal component analysis (PCA) was applied and the most explanatory variables were separated by morphostructural units and climate zones. The technique of machine learning was used for spatialization of the explanatory variables based on predictive covariates. In general, the horizons are thick, clay, with a predominance of negative charges, and low levels of exchangeable cations. The variables retained in the PCA were: sum of bases (SB), Al3+, degree of flocculation (Floc), ∆pH, and organic carbon content (C). Areas of greater precipitation have low SB, with higher values in the basement complex (BC) and in areas under the Andean influence. Higher levels of Al3+ and degrees of flocculation were also associated with greater precipitation. However, the soils are predominantly electronegative, showing a kaolinitic mineralogy. The C contents in general were low, with an increase in more humid zones due to the process of mineralization and illuviation (podzolization), and in the BC due to the protection of C by the aggregation of clay. The use of multivariate analysis allowed a better understanding of the Ultisols’ main properties in different morphostructural and climatic domains, and its spatialization facilitated the interpretation of properties and their relationships with environmental characteristics in the Legal Amazon.

ABSTRACT: Increasingly, applications of machine learning techniques for digital soil mapping (DSM) are being used for different soil mapping purposes. Considering the variety of models available, it is important to know their performance in relation to soil data and environmental variables involved in soil mapping. This paper investigated the performance of eight machine learning algorithms for soil mapping in a tropical mountainous area of an official rural settlement in the Zona da Mata region in Brazil. Morphometric maps generated from a digital elevation model, together with Landsat-8 satellite imagery, and climatic maps, were among the set of covariates to be selected by the Recursive Feature Elimination algorithm to predict soil types using machine learning algorithms. Mapping performance was assessed using the confusion matrix, and the Z-test among the Kappa indexes of the matrices. In a conventional soil survey, the soils described and classified in the Brazilian System of Soil Classification [Argissolos Vermelho-Amarelos Distróficos – PVAd (Acrisols), Cambissolos Háplicos Tb Distróficos - CXbd (Cambisols), Gleissolos Háplicos Háplicos Tb Distróficos - GXbd (Gleysols), Latossolos Amarelos Distróficos - LAd (Xanthic Ferralsos), Latossolos Vermelho-Amarelos Distróficos - LVAd (Rhodic Ferralsols), and Neossolos Litólicos Distróficos - RLd (Neossols)] were grouped into composite mapping units (MU) using the conventional method. The eight algorithms showed similar performance without statistical difference (Kappa 0.42-0.48). The mapping of soils with varying slopes (LAd, LVAd, CXbd) showed lower accuracy, whereas soils on hydromorphic lowlands (GXbd) were classified more accurately. In map algebra, the result was rather satisfactory, with 63-67 % agreement between the conventional soil map and maps produced by machine learning. The areas with the largest disagreement in the DSM occurred in the LAd unit due to subtle color variation in the Latossolos mantle without a clear relation to any environmental variable, highlighting difficulties in DSM regarding hill slope landforms. Model performance was satisfactory, and good agreement with the conventional soil map demonstrates the importance of the DSM as a potential complementary tool for assisting soil mapping in mountainous areas in Brazil for the purpose of land use planning.

ABSTRACT Although the physical environment of the Atlantic Forest realm is well known, studies on the soil-landform relationships are fundamental to improve the management of soil resources to facilitate sustainable development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a representative topossequence on the “Mares de Morros” landscape of deeply weathered regolith on leucocratic granite rocks and demi-orange convex slopes. The soils varied along the topossequence according to drainage and were classified as Acrudox, Pseudogleysol, and Epiaquent. The clay fraction was composed by kaolinite, in association with gibbsite, goethite, hematite, and traces of vermiculite and hydroxy-Al interlayered vermiculite (HIV). The kaolinite crystallinity index obtained by different methods showed high structural disorder throughout the sequence, indicating that long-term pre-weathering has produced a homogenous regolith with little differences in terms of mineralogy, despite the changes in drainage. On the other hand, micromorphological features showed a complete change from the typical, well-developed microaggregate structure of upland, well-drained soils, to a massive, poorly developed structure downslope, consistent with the morphological description. Changes in microstructure development and micropedological features occurred both vertically and laterally along the topossequence and indicate that mineralogy alone cannot account for the microaggregate structure of kaolinitic Latossolos (Oxisols) well-drained with low Fe contents. Soils from the “Mares de Morros” landscape of the Alegre river basin on leucocratic granitic rocks highlight an inheritance of a deep pre-weathered regolith, showing subtle chemical and mineralogical changes, but marked morphological and physical differences along the topossequence, basically controlled by soil drainage in the past or present.

RESUMO Objetivou-se determinar a capacidade máxima de adsorção de As(V) na forma de HAsO42- (CMAAs) pela fração argila de solos em diferentes ambientes nas Penínsulas Keller e Barton, Ilha Rei George, Antártica Marítima. Foram realizadas análises química e granulométrica na terra fina seca ao ar, e na fração argila quantificou-se o material amorfo e a CMAAs. Os dados das análises químicas, granulometrica e da fração argila foram correlacionados com a CMAAs. A CMAAs foi baixa (3.554 mg kg-1), sendo o perfil com influência ornitogênica de pinguins o que apresentou os maiores valores. O pH básico das soluções de saturação não favoreceu a adsorção da espécie desprotonada HAsO42-. A quantidade de argila dos solos foi menos importante que a composição mineralógica na dinâmica de retenção de HAsO42-, sendo que os óxidos de Al e Fe amorfos foram os principais responsáveis pela adsorção desse poluente.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine the maximum capacity for the adsorption of As(V) in the form of HAsO42- (MACAs) by the clay fraction of soils in different environments of the Keller and Barton Peninsulas, King George Island, Maritime Antarctic. Chemical and particle size analyses were carried out on air-dried fine earth. The amorphous material and MACAs in the clay fraction were quantified. Data from the chemical analysis, particle size analysis and clay fraction were correlated with the MACAs. The MACAs was low (3,554 mg kg-1), with the profile under the ornithological influence of penguins displaying the highest values. The basic pH of the saturated solutions did not favour the adsorption of the deprotonated HAsO42- species. The amount of clay in the soil was less important than the mineralogical composition in the dynamics of HAsO42- retention, with the amorphous oxides of Al and Fe being mainly responsible for the adsorption of the pollutant.

ABSTRACT Quilombolas are Afro-brazilian rural peasants who descended from escaped slaves who tried to carve out territories of autonomy (called Quilombos) by collective organization and resistance. Despite many anthropological and ethnopedological studies, little research has been carried out to identify the agricultural practices and the knowledge of people who live in the Quilombos (Quilombolas). Peasant communities who live from land resources have wide empirical knowledge related to local soils and landscapes. In this respect, ethnopedology focuses on their relationship with local practices, needs, and values. We carried out an ethnopedological evaluation of the soils, landscape and land suitability of the Malhada Grande Quilombola Territory, aiming to examine the local criteria involved in land-use decision making, and evaluate the legitimacy of local knowledge. For this purpose, participatory workshops allowed environmental stratification of the Quilombolas into landscape units, recognition of soil types, and evaluation of land-use criteria. This approach was combined with conventional soil sampling, description, and analysis. The Brazilian System of Soil Classification and its approximations to the WRB/FAO system and the SAAT land evaluation system were compared with the local classificatory systems, showing several convergences. The Quilombolas stratified the local environment into eight landscape units (based on soil, topography, and vegetation) and identified eight soil types with distinct morphological, chemical, and physical attributes. The conventional soil survey identified thirteen soil classes, in the same eight landscape units, organized as soil associations. The apparent contradictions between local knowledge and Pedology were relative since the classification systems were established based on different criteria, goals, and sampling references. Most soils are only suitable for pasture, with restricted agricultural use, due to water or oxygen deficiencies. The current land use was only inconsistent with the technical recommendations when socioecological constraints such as the semiarid climate, land availability, and economic conditions for land management led to overuse of the land. Local knowledge demonstrated its legitimacy and allowed a useful and fruitful exchange of information with the academic view of soil-landscape interplays. Although mostly unknown by the scientific community, local knowledge proved capable of achieving social welfare and food security. In addition, a participatory survey proved to be a core factor for more grounded and detailed data collection on how Quilombolas decide land use on a local scale.

RESUMO A ciclagem biogeoquímica é fundamental para o estabelecimento e manutenção de comunidades vegetal e animal em áreas degradadas. A serapilheira é um dos principais compartimentos dessa ciclagem e a cinética de decomposição de folhas desse compartimento depende de sua composição química e de condições ambientais. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito da composição de material vegetal e de condições ambientais na decomposição de folhas de espécies arbóreas nativas da Mata Atlântica. Foram selecionadas as espécies Mabea fistulifera Mart., Bauhinia forficata Link., Aegiphila sellowiana Cham., Zeyheria tuberculosa (Vell), Luehea grandiflora Mart. et. Zucc., Croton floribundus Spreng., Trema micrantha (L) Blume, Cassia ferruginea (Schrad) Schrad ex DC, Senna macranthera (DC ex Collad.) H. S. Irwin e Barney e Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae). Para cada espécie foram preparados “litter bags” e colocados na superfície de vasos contendo solo superficial em casa de vegetação e diretamente sobre o mesmo solo no campo,. A cada 30 dias foi determinado o peso do material vegetal seco existente. Foi realizada também a medição da respiração basal do solo para os dois ambientes. A decomposição acumulada dos materiais foliares variou com a espécie, com o teor de nutrientes e com o ambiente. De maneira geral, a espécie que apresentou menor velocidade de decomposição foi a Aegiphila sellowiana e as espécies de maior velocidade foram Bauhinia forficata e Schinus terebinthifolius. Este comportamento foi semelhante tanto em condições controladas (casa de vegetação) como em condições de campo. Este agrupamento de espécies auxilia os trabalhos de recuperação ambiental, onde podem ser selecionadas as espécies adequadas para cada fase do processo de recuperação.

ABSTRACT Biogeochemical cycling is essential to establish and maintain plant and animal communities. Litter is one of main compartments of this cycle, and the kinetics of leaf decomposition in forest litter depend on the chemical composition and environmental conditions. This study evaluated the effect of leaf composition and environmental conditions on leaf decomposition of native Atlantic Forest trees. The following species were analyzed: Mabea fistulifera Mart., Bauhinia forficata Link., Aegiphila sellowiana Cham., Zeyheria tuberculosa (Vell), Luehea grandiflora Mart. et. Zucc., Croton floribundus Spreng., Trema micrantha (L) Blume, Cassia ferruginea (Schrad) Schrad ex DC, Senna macranthera (DC ex Collad.) H. S. Irwin and Barney and Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae). For each species, litter bags were distributed on and fixed to the soil surface of soil-filled pots (in a greenhouse), or directly to the surface of the same soil type in a natural forest (field). Every 30 days, the dry weight and soil basal respiration in both environments were determined. The cumulative decomposition of leaves varied according to the species, leaf nutrient content and environment. In general, the decomposition rate was lowest for Aegiphila sellowiana and fastest for Bauhinia forficate and Schinus terebinthifolius. This trend was similar under the controlled conditions of a greenhouse and in the field. The selection of species with a differentiated decomposition pattern, suited for different stages of the recovery process, can help improve soil restoration.

ABSTRACT: The pattern of variation in soil and landform properties in relation to environmental covariates are closely related to soil type distribution. The aim of this study was to apply digital soil mapping techniques to analysis of the pattern of soil property variation in relation to environmental covariates under periglacial conditions at Keller Peninsula, Maritime Antarctica. We considered the hypothesis that covariates normally used for environmental correlation elsewhere can be adequately employed in periglacial areas in Maritime Antarctica. For that purpose, 138 soil samples from 47 soil sites were collected for analysis of soil chemical and physical properties. We tested the correlation between soil properties (clay, potassium, sand, organic carbon, and pH) and environmental covariates. The environmental covariates selected were correlated with soil properties according to the terrain attributes of the digital elevation model (DEM). The models evaluated were linear regression, ordinary kriging, and regression kriging. The best performance was obtained using normalized height as a covariate, with an R2 of 0.59 for sand. In contrast, the lowest R2 of 0.15 was obtained for organic carbon, also using the regression kriging method. Overall, results indicate that, despite the predominant periglacial conditions, the environmental covariates normally used for digital terrain mapping of soil properties worldwide can be successfully employed for understanding the main variations in soil properties and soil-forming factors in this region.