QUANTIFICATION OF CARBON STOCKS IN TWO ALTITUDINAL LEVELS OF FOREST AND GRASSLAND IN SOUTHERN ECUADOR

Abstract

The COs constituent represents a small part of the carbon cycle. Likewise, the different types of soils in nature contain different percentages of organic carbon, depending on their composition. Regarding the soils of the Machala and Chilla cantons, they are areas of great wealth within the equator, being essential for the growth and balance of the flora-fauna species, however. The objective of this work was to determine the percentage of carbon and the amount of COs in grasslands-forests. Pits were built to a certain extent, where soil samples were extracted at different depths (0-10 cm and 10-30 cm) to determine the physical-chemical properties. The results in the percentage of COs (≈2.24%) and the real density in forests (≈2.26 mg.m-3) and apparent density in grasslands (≈1.29 mg.m-3) in the Pueblo Viejo show a notable increase, unlike the Santa Inés farm, which gave ≈2.08% COs, ≈1.93 mg.m-3 real density and ≈1.45 mg.m-3 apparent density in grasslands. The carbon obtained in the biomass of COs stored by coverage and depth in the Machala and Chilla forests show a high variability, altering the physiological processes of plants in southern Ecuador.