Soil phosphorus (P) forms have been practically defined as chemically fractionated pools. A knowledge of the abundance and diversity of P forms in soil, and the factors affecting them, will lead to better soil management. However, little is known about the differences in P forms among soils with different geological properties in tropical Africa. The aim of this study was to investigate the P forms in soils with different physicochemical properties formed under different geological conditions in southern Tanzania and to identify the factors affecting the P forms in these soils. In total, 37 surface soil samples were collected from three geological groups; the plutonic (mainly granite) rock (PL) group, the sedimentary and metamorphic rock (SM) group, and the volcanic ash (V) group. Soil P was sequentially extracted by NH₄Cl, NH₄F, NaHCO₃, NaOH + NaCl, and HCl, and inorganic (P_i) and organic P (P_o) in each fraction were determined. The lowest total P was in the PL group (average, 360 mg P kg^-1) because of the high sand content. Iron (Fe)-P (NaOH-P_i) was the major form in this group, accounting for 8.4% of total P. In the SM group (average total P, 860 mg P kg^-1), Fe-P was the major form in most, accounting for 7.8% of total P. Soils in the SM group occasionally had high calcium (Ca)-P due to application of chemical fertilizer at the collection site. The V group had the highest total P (average, 1600 mg P kg^-1) and its major P form was Ca-P, which was possibly derived from primary minerals (i.e., apatite), accounting for 14% of total P. In addition, the high oxalate-extractable Al possibly caused the accumulation of Al-P in the V group. Oxalate-extractable Fe generally increased with increasing Fe-P_i, while oxalate-extractable Al increased with increasing organic P and Al-P_i in soils in all three geological groups. These results demonstrate that the soil P forms differ greatly among sites in southern Tanzania with different geological conditions and associated soil properties.

The forest-savanna transition zone, which evolves as a result of past climate change, is widely distributed in central Africa. Because nutrient-poor soils (Oxisols) are widely distributed in this area, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of soil nutrients in relation to the vegetation. We collected 52 soil samples from five pits each for two different vegetation types (forest and savanna) in this area and evaluated the effect of vegetation type on soil physicochemical properties [pH, soil texture, cation-exchange capacity, bulk density, crystalline and non-crystalline aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe)] and nutrient status [carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and other soil minerals]. We also evaluated the fractionated P. Whereas most physicochemical properties were similar between the two vegetation types throughout the soil profile (0–80 cm depth), clay content, bulk density and soil pH clearly differed between the vegetations at the surface layer (0–10 cm). At 80 cm soil depth, soil C, N and P were 87.9, 7.7 and 3.7 Mg ha⁻¹, respectively, in forest, and 98.6, 7.1 and 3.1 Mg ha⁻¹, respectively, in savanna. Although there was no clear difference between the amounts of soil C, N and P, the upper-soil (0–40 cm) C:N ratio was clearly lower in forest (11.0–12.0) compared with savanna (13.0–15.7), because the main plant species in the forest can fix N effectively. We also found a smaller ratio of sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-extractable inorganic P to total soil P in forest compared with savanna. Because the content of crystalline and non-crystalline Al and Fe in forest soil was similar to that of savanna, the different soil C:N ratio would cause different availability of P between the vegetation types, although the mechanism is unclear. These results indicate that savanna vegetation is N-limited and forest vegetation is N-saturated (and possibly P-limited) in this zone. We also found that, at 20 cm soil depth, total soil potassium (K) in forest was 1590 kg ha⁻¹, which was 930 kg ha⁻¹ less than that in savanna (2520 kg ha⁻¹; P < 0.05), although a similar difference was not measured for Na, Ca, and magnesium (Mg). Because we observed lower soil pH in forest, not only plant K uptake but also K leaching loss would contribute to lower soil K in forest.