摘要：Wetlands play an important role in carbon cycling. Perturbation of these ecosystems by human activities causes changes in the soil carbon storage and carbon gaseous emissions. These changes might have important repercussions for global warming. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the conversion of freshwater forested wetlands (FW) to flooded grasslands (FGL) has affected soil carbon cycling. Soil carbon pools and soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions (water-soluble carbon (WSC), hot-water-soluble carbon (HWSC), and HCl/HF soluble carbon (HCl/HF-SC)) were compared between FW and FGL. Additionally, the seasonal dynamic of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes were monitored in both ecosystems located in the coastal plain of Veracruz State Mexico. In FW, soil organic matter (SOM) concentrations were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher than FGL. Soil bulk density (BD) was slightly higher in FGL than FW but it was not significantly different (P ≥ 0.05). The average of WSC and HWSC in FW were not significantly (P ≤ 0.05) different. Total carbon pools (44 cm deep) were not significantly different (P = 0.735). During the dry season, CO2 fluxes (26.38 ± 4.45 g m−2 d−1) in FGL were significantly higher (P = 0.023) than in FW (14.36 ± 5.77 g m−2 d−1). During the rainy and windy seasons, both CH4 and CO2 fluxes were significantly higher (P = 0.000 and P = 0.001) in FGL compared with FW. It was concluded that converting FW to FGL causes loss of SOC and increases carbon gaseous fluxes.
