Data supplement to: Chemistry and Microbiology of the Critical Zone along a steep climate and vegetation gradient in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera

Cite as:

Oeser, Ralf Andreas; Stroncik, Nicole; Moskwa, Lisa-Marie; Bernhard, Nadine; Schaller, Mirjam; Canessa, Rafaella; van den Brink, Liesbeth; Köster, Moritz; Brucker, Emanuel; Stock, Svenja; Fuentes, Juan Pablo; Godoy, Roberto; Matus, Francisco Javier; Oses Pedraza, Rómulo; Osses McIntyre, Pablo; Paulino, Leandro; Seguel, Oscar; Bader, Maaike Y.; Boy, Jens; Dippold, Michaela A.; Ehlers, Todd A.; Kühn, Peter; Kuzyakov, Yakov; Leinweber, Peter; Scholten, Thomas; Spielvogel, Sandra; Spohn, Marie; Übernickel, Kirstin; Tielbörger, Katja; Wagner, Dirk; von Blanckenburg, Friedhelm (2018): Data supplement to: Chemistry and Microbiology of the Critical Zone along a steep climate and vegetation gradient in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. GFZ Data Services. https://doi.org/10.5880/GFZ.3.3.2018.001

Status

I N R E V I E W : Oeser, Ralf Andreas; Stroncik, Nicole; Moskwa, Lisa-Marie; Bernhard, Nadine; Schaller, Mirjam; Canessa, Rafaella; van den Brink, Liesbeth; Köster, Moritz; Brucker, Emanuel; Stock, Svenja; Fuentes, Juan Pablo; Godoy, Roberto; Matus, Francisco Javier; Oses Pedraza, Rómulo; Osses McIntyre, Pablo; Paulino, Leandro; Seguel, Oscar; Bader, Maaike Y.; Boy, Jens; Dippold, Michaela A.; Ehlers, Todd A.; Kühn, Peter; Kuzyakov, Yakov; Leinweber, Peter; Scholten, Thomas; Spielvogel, Sandra; Spohn, Marie; Übernickel, Kirstin; Tielbörger, Katja; Wagner, Dirk; von Blanckenburg, Friedhelm (2018): Data supplement to: Chemistry and Microbiology of the Critical Zone along a steep climate and vegetation gradient in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. GFZ Data Services. https://doi.org/10.5880/GFZ.3.3.2018.001

Abstract

The Chilean Coastal Cordillera features a spectacular climate and vegetation gradient, ranging from arid and unvegetated areas in the north to humid and forested areas in the south. The DFG Priority Program "EarthShape" (Earth Surface Shaping by Biota) uses this natural gradient to investigate how climate and biological processes shape the Earth's surface. We explored the critical zone, the Earth's uppermost layer, in four key sites located in desert, semidesert, mediterranean, and temperate climate zones of the Coastal Cordillera, with the focus on weathering of granitic rock. Here, we present first results from four ~2m-deep regolith profiles to document: (1) architecture of weathering zone; (2) degree and rate of rock weathering, thus the release of mineral-derived nutrients to the terrestrial ecosystems; (3) denudation rates; and (4) microbial abundances of bacteria and archaea in the saprolite.

From north to south, denudation rates from cosmogenic nuclides are ~10 t km-2 yr-1 at the arid Pan de Azúcar site, ~20 t km-2 yr-1 at the semi-arid site of Santa Gracia, ~60 t km-2 yr-1 at the mediterranean climate site of La Campana, and ~30 t km-2 yr-1 at the humid site of Nahuelbuta. A and B horizons increase in thickness and elemental depletion or enrichment increases from north (~26 °S) to south (~38 °S) in these horizons. Differences in the degree of chemical weathering, quantified by the chemical depletion fraction (CDF), are significant only between the arid and sparsely vegetated site and the other three sites. Differences in the CDF between the sites, and elemental depletion within the sites are sometimes smaller than the variations induced by the bedrock heterogeneity. Microbial abundances (bacteria and archaea) in saprolite substantially increase from the arid to the semi-arid sites.

With this study, we provide a comprehensive dataset characterizing the Critical Zone geochemistry in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. This dataset confirms climatic controls on weathering and denudation rates and provides prerequisites to quantify the role of biota in future studies. The data are supplementary material to Oeser et al. (2018).

All samples are assigned with International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSN), a globally unique and persistent Identifier for physical samples. The IGSNs are provided in the data tables and link to a comprehensive sample description in the internet.

The content of the eight data tables is:

Table S1: Catena properties of the four primary EarthShape study areas.
Table S2: Major and selected trace element concentration for bedrock samples.
Table S3 Normative modal abundance of rock-forming minerals.
Table S4: Major and selected trace element concentration for regolith samples and dithionite and oxalate soluble pedogenic oxides.
Table S5: Weathering indices CDF and CIA, and the mass transfer coefficients (τ) for major and trace elements along with volumetric strain (ɛ).
Table S6: Chemical weathering and physical erosion rates
Table S7: Relative microbial abundances in saprolite of the four study areas.
Table S8: Uncorrected major and trace element concentration.

The data tables are provided as one Excel file with eight spreadsheets, as individual tables in .csv format in a zipped archive and as printable PDF versions in a zipped archive.

Additional Information

The DFG Priority Program 1803 "EarthShape - Earth Surface Shaping by Biota" (2016-2022) bridges between scientific disciplines and includes geoscientists and biologists to study from different viewpoints the complex question how microorganisms, animals, and plants influence the shape and development of the Earth’s surface over time scales from the present-day to the distant geologic past. All study sites are located in the north-to-south trending Coastal Cordillera mountains of Chile, South America. These sites span from the Atacama Desert in the north to the Araucaria forests approximately 1300 km to the south. The site selection contains a large ecological and climate gradient ranging from very dry to humid climate conditions.

Authors

Oeser, Ralf Andreas;GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Stroncik, Nicole;GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Moskwa, Lisa-Marie;GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Bernhard, Nadine;University of Tübingen; Soil Science and Geomorphology, Tübingen, Germany
Schaller, Mirjam;University of Tübingen, Department of Geosciences, Tübingen, Germany
Canessa, Rafaella;Philipps-University Marburg; Ecological Plant Geography, Marburg, Germany
van den Brink, Liesbeth;University of Tübingen; Plant Ecology, Tübingen, Germany
Köster, Moritz;Georg-August-University Göttingen; Biogeochemistry of Agroecosystems, Göttingen, Germany
Brucker, Emanuel;University of Bayreuth, Institute of Soil Ecology, Bayreuth, Germany
Stock, Svenja;Georg-August-University Göttingen; Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Göttingen, Germany
Fuentes, Juan Pablo;Universidad de Chile; Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Santiago de Chile, Chile
Godoy, Roberto;Universidad Austral de Chile; Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Valdivia, Chile
Matus, Francisco Javier;Universidad de La Frontera, Departamento de Ciencias Químicas y Recursos Naturales, Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus (BIOREN-UFRO), Temuco, Chile
Oses Pedraza, Rómulo;Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas (CEAZA), La Serena, Chile
Osses McIntyre, Pablo;Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Instituto de Geografía, Santiago de Chile, Chile
Paulino, Leandro;Universidad de Concepción; Departamento de Suelos y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Agronomía, Concepción, Chile
Seguel, Oscar;Universidad de Chile; Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Santiago de Chile, Chile
Bader, Maaike Y.;Philipps-University Marburg; Ecological Plant Geography, Marburg, Germany
Boy, Jens;Leibniz University Hannover; Institute of Soil Science, Hannover, Germany
Dippold, Michaela A.;Georg-August-University Göttingen; Biogeochemistry of Agroecosystems, Göttingen, Germany
Ehlers, Todd A.;University of Tübingen, Department of Geosciences, Tübingen, Germany
Kühn, Peter;University of Tübingen; Soil Science and Geomorphology, Tübingen, Germany
Kuzyakov, Yakov;Georg-August-University Göttingen; Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Göttingen, Germany
Leinweber, Peter;University of Rostock; Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Soil Science, Rostock, Germany
Scholten, Thomas;University of Tübingen; Soil Science and Geomorphology, Tübingen, Germany
Spielvogel, Sandra;Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Spohn, Marie;University of Bayreuth, Institute of Soil Ecology, Bayreuth, Germany
Übernickel, Kirstin;University of Tübingen, Department of Geosciences, Tübingen, Germany
Tielbörger, Katja;University of Tübingen; Plant Ecology, Tübingen, Germany
Wagner, Dirk;GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany;University of Potsdam, Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, Potsdam, Germany
von Blanckenburg, Friedhelm;GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany;Freie Universität Berlin; Institute of Geological Science, Berlin, Germany

Contact

Oeser, Ralf A. (Ph.D. student) ; GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences; Section 3.3 Earth Surface Geochemistry; ➦
von Blanckenburg, Friedhelm (Head of GFZ Section 3.3: „Earth Surface Geochemistry“; Professor of the Geochemistry of the Earth Surface, Freie Universität Berlin) ; GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences; Section 3.3 Earth Surface Geochemistry; Freie Universität Berlin; Institute of Geological Science; ➦

Contributors

Oeser, Ralf A.

Keywords

denudation, microbial abundance, Chile, climate, National Parc Pan de Azucar, Private Reserve Santa Gracia, National Parc La Campana, National Parc Nahuelbuta, Coastal Cordillera