Fluctuations in the properties of forest soils in the Central European highlands (Czech Republic)

Abstract

Fluctuations in forest soil properties were described using a time series analysis of the clay content, the chemical (CaO, MgO, C_org, and N_tot) and physicochemical (pH and base saturation (BS)) soil parameters from 1953 to 2008. The analysis involved the dominant acidic, nutrient-rich, and waterlogged forest ecosystems on the territory of the Bohemian Massif and the Outer Western Carpathians (Czech Republic). Trends in the development of the time series of soil properties were optimized by Gauss-Newton’s transformation of the exponential combination of the cyclometric function and Euler’s number. Identical functions of regression equations on the fluctuations of nutrients, pH, BS, and C_org indicated parallel trends of soil development in different forest ecosystems. Equations representing identical, predictable patterns in C_org fluctuation indicated the stability of the trend. Differences in temporal patterns of nutrients, pH, and BS in different forest ecosystems indicated the susceptibility of developmental trends to external factors. Different regression equations of fluctuations of soil clay and N_tot indicated the occurrence of permanent differences during the soil development. During the period of 1953–2008, soil pH, BS, and CaO concentration decreased but the content of C_org and N_tot increased. Regression functions indicate that pH and BS of forest soils in the Czech Republic have temporarily increased and the content of C_org and N_tot have decreased during the period 2009–2014. Continuous increase in BS is only sustainable if concurrent with an increase in C_org.