A new study provides unique insights into the management of soil and water in the Páramo in south Ecuador – with implications for other peat-dominated ecosystems.Páramo soils store high amounts of organic carbon. However, the effects of climate change and changes in land cover and use (LC/LU) in this high‐elevation tropical ecosystem may cause a decrease in their carbon storage capacity. Therefore, better understanding of the factors influencing the Páramo soils' carbon storage and export is urgently needed. To fill this knowledge gap, researchers investigated the differences in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content in the soil water of four LC/LU types (tussock grass, natural forest, pine plantations, and pasture) and the factors controlling its variability in the Quinuas Ecohydrological Observatory in south Ecuador.
READ THE ARTICLE IN FULL: Pesántez, J., Mosquera, G. M., Crespo, P., Breuer, L, and Windhorst, D. 'Effect of land cover and hydro‐meteorological controls on soil water DOC concentrations in a high‐elevation tropical environment' in Hydrological Processes (2018): https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13224
