Ecosystem carbon in relation to woody plant encroachment and control: Juniper systems in Oregon, USA

Abdallah, Mohamed A. B.; Mata-González, Ricardo; Noller, Jay S.; Ochoa, Carlos G.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2019.106762

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In a study at paired watershed in central Oregon where western juniper trees were cut in one watershed considered as treated, and were left intact in another as untreated (Abdallah et al,2020). Thirteen years after control, soil carbon stocks at both 0−25 cm and 25−50 cm depth were not affected by juniper control.…”

Section: No Change In Carbon Sequestrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Encroachment is an ecological phenomenon in which density, cover and biomass of native woody or shrubby plants is increased in various grasslands, predominantly arid and semiarid grasslands (Van Auken, 2000) and is global in occurrence (Abdallah et al,2020). Woody plant encroachment has been described over the past 150 years in several ecosystems of the world (Archer et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Changes in Soil Carbon Sequestration during Woody Plant Encroachment in Arid Ecosystems

Naikwade¹

2021

Pla. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Carbon sequestration is one of the most important and highly recommended measures for mitigating climate change. Soil organic carbon (SOC) has potential to sequester the largest amount of carbon (C) for the longest time period in the midst of the organic C sinks in terrestrial ecosystems of the earth. In recent years, apprehension of the role of soils as sink for carbon on a wide-ranging scale has become dynamic. From last 150 years, encroachment of trees and shrubs into grasslands and the ‘thicketization’ of savannas have been reported and is a global phenomenon. One possibly beneficial effect could be that the shrub and tree-dominated ecosystems will sequester more carbon and will be a buffer for elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. The question of what is impact of woody encroachment on soil carbon balance of an ecosystem has proved difficult to answer, and the results remain debatable. The magnitude and pattern of changes in the SOC with woody encroachment are exceedingly abstruse and varies from significant increases, to significant decreases to no net change in SOC. Impact of wood plant encroachment on carbon sequestration is discussed in this paper considering various studies with different results so it will lead to better understanding of the complex phenomenon. SOC sequestration is effective greenhouse gas mitigation strategy and a vital ecosystem service. Increasing SOC may helpful to mitigate negative effects of growing concentration of CO2 in atmosphere and may be advantageous in decelerating or reversal in global climate change rate.

show abstract

Section: No Change In Carbon Sequestrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Soil Carbon Sequestration during Woody Plant Encroachment in Arid Ecosystems

Naikwade¹

2021

Pla. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To assess land cover effects on SOC down to 1 m depth, species richness and herbaceous biomass, we applied general linear models with land cover type as fixed effect, followed by Tukey`s HSD Post-hoc test. Estimates of SOC stocks per unit area (t C ha -1 ) were computed using the formula: SOC t ha -1 = %SOC x BD (g cm -3 ) x d (cm), where %SOC = carbon concentration of the sample, BD = bulk density in g cm -3 , and d = height of the depth increment (cm) 98,104 . Total carbon stocks down to 1 m depth were then obtained by summing up the…”

Section: Field Sampling and Laboratory Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of degraded grasslands, but not invasion by Prosopis juliflora, avoids trade-offs between climate change mitigation and other ecosystem services

Mbaabu

Olago

Gichaba

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Grassland degradation and the concomitant loss of soil organic carbon is widespread in tropical arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Afforestation of degraded grassland, sometimes by using invasive alien trees, has been put forward as a legitimate climate change mitigation strategy. However, even in cases where tree encroachment of degraded grasslands leads to increased soil organic carbon, it may come at a high cost since the restoration of grassland-characteristic biodiversity and ecosystem services will be blocked. We assessed how invasion by Prosopis juliflora and restoration of degraded grasslands in a semi-arid region in Baringo, Kenya affected soil organic carbon, biodiversity and fodder availability. Thirty years of grassland restoration replenished soil organic carbon to 1 m depth at a rate of 1.4% per year and restored herbaceous biomass to levels of pristine grasslands, while plant biodiversity remained low. Invasion of degraded grasslands by P. juliflora increased soil organic carbon primarily in the upper 30 cm and suppressed herbaceous vegetation. We argue that, in contrast to encroachment by invasive alien trees, restoration of grasslands in tropical semi-arid regions can both serve as a measure for climate change mitigation and help restore key ecosystem services important for pastoralists and agro-pastoralist communities.

show abstract

“…Juniper woodlands provide ecosystem services such as biodiversity, aesthetic beauty, wildlife habitat [15][16][17], and products such as firewood, fencing posts, and commercial energy production [12]. Juniper plays an important role in carbon sequestration in aboveground biomass [18]. Western juniper dominance in sagebrush steppe has several negative consequences, including reductions in herbaceous production and diversity [19,20], deterioration of wildlife habitat [21], and higher erosion and runoff potential [12,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies attempting to quantify these effects have described the potential negative effects of juniper expansion [24][25][26][27][28][29][30] with others finding negligible effects of juniper on water yield [31][32][33]. Western juniper cutting has resulted in no net change in ecosystem carbon pools when comparing cut versus uncut areas [18]. Several studies indicate western juniper control could have positive results on hydrologic processes such as increased soil moisture and reduced evapotranspiration losses [29,30,34,35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Use and Soil Moisture Relationships on Western Juniper Trees at Different Growth Stages

Abdallah

Durfee

Mata-González

et al. 2020

Water

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An enhanced understanding of plant water uptake is critical for making better-informed management decisions involving vegetative manipulation practices aimed to improve site productivity. This is particularly true in arid and semiarid locations where water is a scarce, yet precious commodity. In this project, we evaluated the interannual and seasonal variability of soil moisture and transpiration in sapling, juvenile, and mature western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) trees in a semiarid rangeland ecosystem of central Oregon, USA. Transpiration levels were greatest in mature juniper trees in an untreated juniper watershed (Jensen WS), while the lowest transpiration levels were observed in juniper saplings in a treated watershed (Mays WS) where most mature juniper trees were removed in 2005. Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in leaf water potential levels observed between predawn and midday readings for all juniper growth stages indicated water is lost over the course of the day. Results showed seasonal precipitation was highly variable over the course of the study (2017 through 2019) and this was reflected in soil water available for tree uptake. This resulted in considerable intra- and inter-annual variation in transpiration. In years with greater winter precipitation amounts (2017 and 2019), juniper transpiration rates were highest during the summer, followed by spring, autumn, and winter. On average, transpiration rates during the summer in the wettest (329 mm) year 2017 were 115 and 2.76 L day−1 for mature and sapling trees, respectively. No data were collected for juvenile trees in 2017. In the drier (245 mm) year 2018, higher transpiration rates were observed in the spring. On average, spring transpiration rates were 72.7, 1.61, and 1.00 L day−1 for mature, juvenile, and sapling trees, respectively. Study results highlight the sensitivity of western juniper woodlands to variations in seasonal precipitation and soil moisture availability.

show abstract

Ecosystem carbon in relation to woody plant encroachment and control: Juniper systems in Oregon, USA

Cited by 15 publications

References 54 publications

Changes in Soil Carbon Sequestration during Woody Plant Encroachment in Arid Ecosystems

Changes in Soil Carbon Sequestration during Woody Plant Encroachment in Arid Ecosystems

Restoration of degraded grasslands, but not invasion by Prosopis juliflora, avoids trade-offs between climate change mitigation and other ecosystem services

Water Use and Soil Moisture Relationships on Western Juniper Trees at Different Growth Stages

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About