Distribution and altitudinal patterns of carbon and nitrogen storage in various forest ecosystems in the central Yunnan Plateau, China

Abstract

The carbon (C) pool in forest ecosystems plays a long-term and sustained role in mitigating the impacts of global warming, and the sequestration of C is closely linked to the nitrogen (N) cycle. Accurate estimates C and N storage (SC, SN) of forest can improve our understanding of C and N cycles and help develop sustainable forest management policies in the content of climate change. In this study, the SC and SN of various forest ecosystems dominated respectively by Castanopsis carlesii and Lithocarpus mairei (EB), Pinus yunnanensis (PY), Pinus armandii (PA), Keteleeria evelyniana (KE), and Quercus semecarpifolia (QS) in the central Yunnan Plateau of China, were estimated on the basis of a field inventory to determine the distribution and altitudinal patterns of SC and SN among various forest ecosystems. The results showed that (1) the forest SC ranged from 179.58 ± 20.57 t hm−1 in QS to 365.89 ± 35.03 t hm−1 in EB. Soil, living biomass and litter contributed an average of 64.73%, 31.72% and 2.86% to forest SC, respectively; (2) the forest SN ranged from 4.47 ± 0.94 t ha−1 in PY to 8.91 ± 1.83 t ha−1 in PA. Soil, plants and litter contributed an average of 86.88%, 10.27% and 2.85% to forest SN, respectively; (3) the forest SC and SN decreased apparently with increasing altitude. The result demonstrates that changes in forest types can strongly affect the forest SC and SN. This study provides baseline information for forestland managers regarding forest resource utilization and C management.

Species Diversity, Growing Stock Variables and Carbon Mitigation Potential in the Phytocoenosis of Monotheca buxifolia Forests along Altitudinal Gradient across Pakistan

“…Wani et al [13] recorded a positive but weak relationship (R 2 = 0.02) between aboveground biomass carbon and elevation (m, asl). In a similar study, Li et al [19] found a strong positive relation (R 2 = 0.57) of biomass carbon with elevation. Moreover, Liu and Nan [4] also reported the direct dependency of carbon stock and altitude across three forests of Loess Plateau (China).…”

“…Sun et al [72] reported a strong positive relation (R 2 = 0.67) of ABG biomass with elevation in the central highland, Vietnam. Furthermore, the findings of Li et al [19] exposes no significant interaction of altitude with vegetation carbon stock in Chitteri reserve forest.…”

“…Moreover, Liu and Nan [4] also reported the direct dependency of carbon stock and altitude across three forests of Loess Plateau (China). The possible reasons for such relations are the variation in temperature along the altitudinal gradient [13,19]. However, in contrast, lower biomass at high elevation ranges was also documented by several workers [69][70][71].…”

“…The woody nature of the forest ecosystem gives a leading role to forests, as it can store and sink 20 to 50 times more carbon in comparison to other lands [18]. Forests can store carbon in living biomass, soil, and litter, of which, the living biomass exhibits greater ability to sequester more carbon and counts as a major carbon pool [19]. Likewise, soil of the forest ecosystem is the subsequent category after living biomass storing high amount of carbon [20].…”

Great Facilitation of Thirty Years of Reforestation with Mixed Species to Ecosystem Nitrogen Accumulation in Dry-Hot Valley in the Jinsha River

“…Li et al, 2021 also found that nitrogen storage in various forest ecosystems in the central Yunnan Plateau ranged from 4.47 ± 0.94 t ha −1 in Pinus yunnanensis to 8.91 ± 1.83 t ha −1 in Pinus armandii [20]. Soil, plants and litter contributed an average of 86.88%, 10.27% and 2.85% to forest nitrogen storage, respectively [20].…”