Assessing the biomass of shrubs typical of Mediterranean pre-forest communities

Abstract

One of the most outstanding issues of current environmental research is the need of reliable assessments of carbon stock (i.e. above-ground (a.g.) and below-ground biomass, deadwood, litter, and organic soil matter) within forest ecosystems. Although shrub vegetation plays an important role in accumulating carbon in many Mediterranean environments, there is still very little knowledge on the carbon they store. In this article, we analyze the a.g. carbon stock of several Mediterranean shrubby communities in Sicily (Italy), dominated by Pistacia lentiscus, Chamaerops humilis, Euphorbia dendroides and Spartium junceum. Plant samples for each species were selected, and morphometric attributes (height, crown diameter, diameter at breast height, etc.) were measured to establish models for estimating a.g. biomass. Dendrometric data were also used to support the assessment of shrub biomass at community level by coupling them with the coverage of the considered woody species estimated from several hundreds of phytosociological relevés carried out on pre-forest Sicilian communities. Although the results of such an approach have to be considered as rough assessments, the trial proves interesting, given the lack of information on stand biomass of pre-forest vegetation within the Mediterraean region.

Forest management and carbon sequestration in the Mediterranean region: A review

“…An increasing amount of research in recent years has been focused on estimating the carbon stocks in Mediterranean shrublands, mainly through the development of estimation tools (e.g., Navarro & Blanco, 2006;Corona et al, 2012;Ruiz-Peinado et al, 2013b;Botequim et al, 2014;Pasalodos-Tato et al, 2015). The importance of shrub layer will depend on the ecosystem considered, the shrub species and tree density among other factors.…”

Methods for biomass stock estimation in Mediterranean maquis systems

“…The destructive sampling method is accurate but time consuming and not always applicable (e.g., in protected areas - Gratani et al 1980). Most used methods are based on allometric equations relating AGB to its proxies, such as the shrub height (Gratani et al 1980, Sternberg & Shoshany 2001, Bianchi et al 2002, Coomes et al 2002, Scarton et al 2002, Corona et al 2011b or the crown diameter (Gratani et al 1980, Lledò et al 1992, Quideau et al 1998, Sternberg & Shoshany 2001, Coomes et al 2002, Ogaya et al 2003, De Luis et al 2004, Saglam et al 2008, Corona et al 2011a). Gratani et al (1980) estimated the apparent volume (AV) from the crown diameter and height measurements, while Catarino et al (1982) used plant height and stem diameter measurements.…”

Patterns of carbon allocation in a chronosequence of Caragana intermedia plantations in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

“…Revegetation is one of the most effective methods for combating desertification and preventing soil C loss in arid and semi-arid regions (Yang & Wu 2010, Amiraslani & Dragovich 2011, Corona et al 2012, D'Odorico et al 2013. Shrub species are usually selected for revegetation, and they are therefore the dominant vegetation in such regions (Lufafa et al 2009, Zhang et al 2009, Conti et al 2013.…”

“…Shrub species are usually selected for revegetation, and they are therefore the dominant vegetation in such regions (Lufafa et al 2009, Zhang et al 2009, Conti et al 2013. Many studies on the C stock and allocation in shrub ecosystem of arid and semi-arid regions have been conducted on the Mediterranean coast, in Africa, and in Latin America (Farage et al 2007, Trumper et al 2008, Corona et al 2012, RuizPeinado et al 2013. Nevertheless, studies on this topic are scarce in China.…”

“…Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations may cause the temperature of arid regions to increase sharply (Schlesinger et al 1990, Maestre & Cortina 2004. Areas affected by desertification have lost twothirds of their C, mainly through the loss of vegetation and soil organic matter (IPCC 1996).Revegetation is one of the most effective methods for combating desertification and preventing soil C loss in arid and semi-arid regions (Yang & Wu 2010, Amiraslani & Dragovich 2011, Corona et al 2012, D'Odorico et al 2013. Shrub species are usually selected for revegetation, and they are therefore the dominant vegetation in such regions (Lufafa et al 2009, Zhang et al 2009, Conti et al 2013.…”