Potential indicators of soil quality in temperate forest ecosystems: a case study in the Basque Country

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Table II

Soil chemical properties at 0–5 cm and 5–15 cm in the soil profile of semi-natural oak and beech stands, and cultivated 40-year-old, 16-year-old and 3-year-old pine stands.

	Oak	Beech	40 y Pine	16 y Pine	3 y Pine
0–5 cm
pH	5.0 (0.2)^a	4.0 (0.1)^b	4.1 (0.1)^b	4.3 (0)^b	4.2 (0)^b
Al Sat (%)	29.3 (19.5)^a	81.7 (1)^b	83 (3.9)^b	71.7 (3.5)^b	78.3 (1)^b
C (mg kg^-1)	54.5 (0.9)^a	53 (9.4)^a	53.8 (1.2)^a	56.8 (6.2)^a	26.8 (1.6)^b
N (mg kg^-1)	3.7 (0.2)^a	3.1 (0.6)^a	3.1 (0.2)^a	2.9 (0.2)^a	1.8 (0)^b
C/N	14.9 (0.6)^a	17 (0.3)^a^b	17.5 (1.4)^a^b	19.1 (0.8)^b	15.1 (0.8)^a
S (mg kg^-1)	0.5 (0.1)^a	0.6 (0.1)^a	0.7 (0)^a	0.5 (0)^a	0.4 (0)^a
P (mg kg^-1)	3.1 (0.4)^a	3.3 (0.7)^a	0.9 (0.3)^b	2.9 (0.6)^a	0.3 (0.1)^b
Ca (mg kg^-1)	739 (393)^a	71 (6)^a^b	171 (48)^a^b	179 (39)^a^b	44 (8)^b
Mg (mg kg^-1)	113 (33)^a	18 (2)^b	50 (10)^b	34 (7)^b	11 (3)^b
Na (mg kg^-1)	38 (2)^a	31 (2)^a	38 (2)^a	37 (3)^a	20 (2)^b
K (mg kg^-1)	208 (17)^a	110 (8)^b	104 (10)^b	120 (16)^b	52 (7)^c
CEC (cmol^c kg^-1)	21.1 (1.2)^a	19.2 (1.9)^a	25.8 (1.3)^b	18 (0.7)^a	11.3 (0.2)^c
5–15 cm
pH	4.9 (0.1)^a	4.6 (0)^a^b	4.5 (0.1)^b	4.5 (0.1)^b	4.5 (0)^b
Al Sat (%)	44.7 (17.1)^a	91.7 (1.1)^b	90.3 (1.4)^b	87.3 (1.4)^b	84.3 (2.3)^b
C (mg kg^-1)	22.1 (1.6)^a	19 (1.7)^a	25.7 (2)^a	19.5 (2.5)^a	20.3 (0.3)^a
N (mg kg^-1)	1.7 (0.1)^a	1.2 (0.1)^b	1.6 (0)^a	1.2 (0.2)^b	1.3 (0.1)^b
C/N	13.3 (0.9)^a	15.9 (0.6)^a	16.2 (1.4)^a	16.7 (1.1)^a	15.6 (0.6)^a
S (mg kg^-1)	0.3 (0)^a	0.3 (0)^a^b	0.3 (0)^a	0.2 (0)^b	0.3 (0)^a
P (mg kg^-1)	0.1 (0)^a	0.6 (0.2)^a^b	0.4 (0.2)^a	1.2 (0.3)^b	0 (0)^a
Ca (mg kg^-1)	876 (361)^a	27 (3)^b	78 (17)^b	69 (14)^b	21 (1)^b
Mg (mg kg^-1)	83 (29)^a	8 (0)^b	26 (2)^b	16 (3)^b	6 (1)^b
Na (mg kg^-1)	28 (3)^a	22 (1)^b	31 (1)^a	20 (1)^b	17 (1)^b
K (mg kg^-1)	101 (3)^a	61 (4)^c	74 (10)^a^b^c	77 (14)^ac	41 (4)^b^c
CEC (cmol^c kg^-1)	17.7 (1.1)^a	12.5 (0.3)^b	19.2 (1.2)^a	11.6 (0.8)^b	11.3 (0.5)^b

Values are the means of three replicates, with standard errors in parentheses. Different letters in the same row indicate significant differences at P < 0.05.