Impacts and Feedbacks of Land Use and Land Cover Patterns in Landscape on Ecosystem Processes and Microclimate: Case of a Cacao-Based Agroforestry System
Journal Title: Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology - Year 2017, Vol 22, Issue 3
Abstract
Climate change is a major threat to human welfare, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Climate change calls for changes in management of land and water resources. The coupling of and feedback from land use and land cover patterns in landscapes with ecosystem processes (nutrient cycling, water use, evaporation, heat and heat islands) and microclimate is known. Although information is inadequate from tropical land use practices such as intercropping, land rotation fallowing and agroforestry systems. However, understanding of the interactions of land cover patterns with ecosystem processes from cacao-based agroforestry landscapes may be useful in the development of strategies to advance adaptation and resilience to extreme weather shocks. Year round measurements were made of soil carbon contents and respiration, microbial biomass C, soil moisture and temperature regimes, soil organic matter pool, species specific carbon stocks, stand biomass, microclimatic-gradients in an agriculturally cultivated field and cacao-based agroforestry system of different ages. Our findings showed that land cover patterns and other elements in cultivated agricultural field and cacao-based agroforestry landscape modulated land surface-atmosphere fluxes and stocks of carbon, other biogeochemical cycles and microclimatic conditions. The results indicated that the high potentials of net gains in carbon (sources and sinks) from cacao-based agroforestry system is a promising CO2 mitigation strategy. Cacao-based agroforestry ecosystem contributes to terrestrial carbon budget (carbon stocks and fluxes), ameliorated weather conditions in addition to other ecological benefits and ecosystem health while the resultant enhanced carbon sequestration will reduce global warming. This information can be incorporated into existing strategies for addressing ecosystem (vegetation and soil) degradation and for agricultural, and forest land use plans in support of climate change adaptation and for rainforest ecosystem conservation.
Authors and Affiliations
Agele Samuel, Adejobi Kayode, Charles Friday, Ogunleye Abel, Olayemi Lauretta
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP318897
- DOI 10.9734/CJAST/2017/31432
- Views 86
- Downloads 0
Indigenous Technical Knowledge Practices Followed by Pastoralists for the Treatment of Livestock Diseases in Hills of Jammu & Kashmir State in India
The study was conducted in the hilly regions of Jammu and Kashmir State for documentation of unique Indigenous technical knowledge practices used for the treatment of various animal diseases. The information presented he...
Effects of Different Rates of Plant Nutrients on Yield Attributes and Yield of Maize (Zea mays L.)
Aim: Experiment was conducted to study the effect of different rates of plant nutrients on yield attributes and yield of Maize (Zea mays L.). Study Design: A field experiment in randomized block design consists of 12 tre...
The Influence of Weather on Students’ Academic Performance in Kashim Ibrahim College of Education, Maiduguri, Nigeria
This study investigated the influence of ambient temperature on academic performance of a cohort of 259 students of Kashim Ibrahim College of Education, Maiduguri over a three year period i.e. from the year of their matr...
Interaction of 2, 4-Dinitrophenol (2, 4-DNP) and 2, 4, 6-Trinitrophenol (2, 4, 6-TNP) with Metal Hexacyanoferrate (II) Complexes
Antimony, cadmium and zirconium hexacyanoferrates (II) were synthesized and characterized by elemental and spectral studies. Interaction of 2, 4-dinitrophenol (2, 4-DNP) and 2, 4, 6-trinitrophenol (2, 4, 6-TNP) with ant...
Hybrid Panels of Wood Plies and Particles Pinus sp
The aim of this study was to develop a hybrid panel produced with wood plies and wood particles of Pinus sp. as an alternative to plywood. Tests were performed to determine mechanical properties in static bending: elasti...