Physicochemical soil properties were derived from each soil core(N = 60) of 5 times replicated 12 Kilimanjaro ecosystems. Soil pH was measured from 10 g air-dried soil samples dissolved in 25 ml 0.01 molar CaCl2 solution with a SenTix 61 electronic pH-meter (WTW GmbH, Weilheim, Germany). Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (Ntot) contents were determined using an elemental analyzer(Elementar Analysensysteme, Hanau, Germany; measured by University of Hohenheim) according to DIN ISO 13878, 10694, and 15178. Soil texture (2 mm.
Where se are provided one mean value per site was calculated. Samples are from 0 - 10 cm mineral soil from sampled soil cores.
