@article{NeillJankowskiBrandoetal.2017, author = {Neill, Christopher and Jankowski, KathiJo and Brando, Paulo M. and Coe, Michael T. and Deegan, Linda A. and Macedo, Marcia N. and Riskin, Shelby H. and Porder, Stephen and Elsenbeer, Helmut and Krusche, Alex V.}, title = {Surprisingly Modest Water Quality Impacts From Expansion and Intensification of Large-Sscale Commercial Agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon-Cerrado Region}, series = {Tropical conservation science}, volume = {10}, journal = {Tropical conservation science}, publisher = {Sage Publ.}, address = {Thousand Oaks}, issn = {1940-0829}, doi = {10.1177/1940082917720669}, pages = {5}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Large-scale commercial cropping of soybeans expanded in the tropical Amazon and Cerrado biomes of Brazil after 1990. More recently, cropping intensified from single-cropping of soybeans to double-cropping of soybeans with corn or cotton. Cropland expansion and intensification, and the accompanying use of mineral fertilizers, raise concerns about whether nutrient runoff and impacts to surface waters will be similar to those experienced in commercial cropland regions at temperate latitudes. We quantified water infiltration through soils, water yield, and streamwater chemistry in watersheds draining native tropical forest and single-and double-cropped areas on the level, deep, highly weathered soils where cropland expansion and intensification typically occurs. Although water yield increased four-fold from croplands, streamwater chemistry remained largely unchanged. Soil characteristics exerted important control over the movement of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) into streams. High soil infiltration rates prevented surface erosion and movement of particulate P, while P fixation in surface soils restricted P movement to deeper soil layers. Nitrogen retention in deep soils, likely by anion exchange, also appeared to limit N leaching and export in streamwater from both single-and double-cropped watersheds that received nitrogen fertilizer. These mechanisms led to lower streamwater P and N concentrations and lower watershed N and P export than would be expected, based on studies from temperate croplands with similar cropping and fertilizer application practices.}, language = {en} } @article{NeillChavesBiggsetal.2011, author = {Neill, Christopher and Chaves, Joaqu{\´i}n E. and Biggs, Trent and Deegan, Linda A. and Elsenbeer, Helmut and Figueiredo, Ricardo O. and Germer, Sonja and Johnson, Mark S. and Lehmann, Johannes and Markewitz, Daniel and Piccolo, Marisa C.}, title = {Runoff sources and land cover change in the Amazon an end-member mixing analysis from small watersheds}, series = {Biogeochemistry}, volume = {105}, journal = {Biogeochemistry}, number = {1-3}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0168-2563}, doi = {10.1007/s10533-011-9597-8}, pages = {7 -- 18}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The flowpaths by which water moves from watersheds to streams has important consequences for the runoff dynamics and biogeochemistry of surface waters in the Amazon Basin. The clearing of Amazon forest to cattle pasture has the potential to change runoff sources to streams by shifting runoff to more surficial flow pathways. We applied end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) to 10 small watersheds throughout the Amazon in which solute composition of streamwater and groundwater, overland flow, soil solution, throughfall and rainwater were measured, largely as part of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia. We found a range in the extent to which streamwater samples fell within the mixing space determined by potential flowpath end-members, suggesting that some water sources to streams were not sampled. The contribution of overland flow as a source of stream flow was greater in pasture watersheds than in forest watersheds of comparable size. Increases in overland flow contribution to pasture streams ranged in some cases from 0\% in forest to 27-28\% in pasture and were broadly consistent with results from hydrometric sampling of Amazon forest and pasture watersheds that indicate 17- to 18-fold increase in the overland flow contribution to stream flow in pastures. In forest, overland flow was an important contribution to stream flow (45-57\%) in ephemeral streams where flows were dominated by stormflow. Overland flow contribution to stream flow decreased in importance with increasing watershed area, from 21 to 57\% in forest and 60-89\% in pasture watersheds of less than 10 ha to 0\% in forest and 27-28\% in pastures in watersheds greater than 100 ha. Soil solution contributions to stream flow were similar across watershed area and groundwater inputs generally increased in proportion to decreases in overland flow. Application of EMMA across multiple watersheds indicated patterns across gradients of stream size and land cover that were consistent with patterns determined by detailed hydrometric sampling.}, language = {en} } @article{NeillCoeRiskinetal.2013, author = {Neill, Christopher and Coe, Michael T. and Riskin, Shelby H. and Krusche, Alex V. and Elsenbeer, Helmut and Macedo, Marcia N. and McHorney, Richard and Lefebvre, Paul and Davidson, Eric A. and Scheffler, Raphael and Figueira, Adelaine Michela e Silva and Porder, Stephen and Deegan, Linda A.}, title = {Watershed responses to Amazon soya bean cropland expansion and intensification}, series = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London : B, Biological sciences}, volume = {368}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London : B, Biological sciences}, number = {1619}, publisher = {Royal Society}, address = {London}, issn = {0962-8436}, doi = {10.1098/rstb.2012.0425}, pages = {7}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The expansion and intensification of soya bean agriculture in southeastern Amazonia can alter watershed hydrology and biogeochemistry by changing the land cover, water balance and nutrient inputs. Several new insights on the responses of watershed hydrology and biogeochemistry to deforestation in Mato Grosso have emerged from recent intensive field campaigns in this region. Because of reduced evapotranspiration, total water export increases threefold to fourfold in soya bean watersheds compared with forest. However, the deep and highly permeable soils on the broad plateaus on which much of the soya bean cultivation has expanded buffer small soya bean watersheds against increased stormflows. Concentrations of nitrate and phosphate do not differ between forest or soya bean watersheds because fixation of phosphorus fertilizer by iron and aluminium oxides and anion exchange of nitrate in deep soils restrict nutrient movement. Despite resistance to biogeochemical change, streams in soya bean watersheds have higher temperatures caused by impoundments and reduction of bordering riparian forest. In larger rivers, increased water flow, current velocities and sediment flux following deforestation can reshape stream morphology, suggesting that cumulative impacts of deforestation in small watersheds will occur at larger scales.}, language = {en} }