Increased coniferous needle inputs accelerate decomposition of soil carbon in an old-growth forest

Crow, Susan E.; Lajtha, Kate; Bowden, Richard D.; Yano, Yuriko; Brant, Justin B.; Caldwell, Bruce A.; Sulzman, Elizabeth W.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.01.014

Cited by 131 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Compared with above-ground litterfall, root debris input forms a greater contribution to the formation of stable soil carbon pool [65][66][67][68][69]. Therefore, the root-to-shoot ratio of plant debris incorporated into the soil is an essential controlling factor for the formation and stabilization of soil organic matter [70]. The root-to-shoot ratios are related to vegetation types.…”

Section: Soc Turnover Timesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil aggregate fraction-based 14C analysis and its application in the study of soil organic carbon turnover under forests of different ages

2013

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There still exist uncertainties in the trend, magnitude and efficiency of carbon sequestration with regard to the changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) pools after afforestation. In this study, SOC turnover times of the meadow steppe and planted forests at Saihanba Forest Station of Hebei Province, China are estimated by means of the radiocarbon ( 14 C) method. Our results show that the SOC turnover times can be as long as from 70 to 250 years. After planting the Pinus sylvestri var. mongolica in the Leymus chinensis meadow steppe, the turnover times of organic carbon in both bulk samples and soil aggregate fractions of the topsoils are decreased with an increase of the stand age. Such a lowering of the turnover time would cause an increase in soil CO 2 flux, implying that afforestation of grassland may reduce the capacity of topsoil to sequestrate organic carbon. Combined stable isotope and 14 C analyses on soil aggregate fractions suggest that there are different responses to afforestation of grassland between young and old carbon pools in topsoils. In the young and middle-age planted forests, the proportion of CO 2 emission from the older soil carbon pool shows an increasing trend. But in the mature planted forest, its proportion tends to decline, indicating that the stand age may influence the soil carbon sequestration mechanism. The CO 2 emission from the topsoils estimated using the 14 C method is relatively low compared to those by other methods and may be caused by the partial isolation of the young carbon component from the soil aggregates. For more accurate estimation of CO 2 flux, future studies should therefore employ improved methodology for more effective separation of different soil carbon components before isotope analyses.14 C, soil organic carbon turnover, aggregate fractions, Saihanba, afforestation of grassland, stand age Citation:Tan W B, Zhou L P, Liu K X. Soil aggregate fraction-based 14 C analysis and its application in the study of soil organic carbon turnover under forests of different ages.

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Section: Soc Turnover Timesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil aggregate fraction-based 14C analysis and its application in the study of soil organic carbon turnover under forests of different ages

2013

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“…It is generally assumed that the decomposition process will be accelerated by warmer climate (Davidson andJanssens 2006, Karhu et al 2010). If increased decomposition exceeds plant derived carbon input to the soil, the carbon flows to the atmosphere will increase (Johnson and Curtis 2001, Ågren and Hyvönen 2003, Eriksson et al 2007, Crow et al 2009), which further increases the climatic impacts of energy biomass use. Management has substantial effects on the uptake and emissions of carbon and thus the appropriate choice of the management regime is among the key questions in mitigating the climate change in biomass production.…”

Section: Evaluation Of the Simulation Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of forest management and climate change on energy biomass and timber production with implications for carbon stocks and net CO2 exchange in boreal forest ecosystems

Alam¹

2011

Diss. For.

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Alam, A. 2010. Effects of forest management and climate change on energy biomass and timber production with implications for carbon stocks and net CO 2 exchange in boreal forest ecosystems. Dissertationes Forestales 117. 30 p. Available at: http://www.metla.fi/dissertationes/df117.htm ABSTRACTThe aim of this work was to investigate the effects of forest management and climate change on energy biomass (wood) and timber production with implications for carbon stocks and net CO 2 exchange in boreal forest ecosystems in Finland. First, the impacts of thinning on growth, timber production and carbon stocks under the current and changing climate were analysed by employing an ecosystem model for the whole of Finland over a 90-year period (Article I). Concurrently, the potential of energy biomass production with implications for timber production and carbon stocks under varying thinning and climate scenarios was studied (Article II). Thereafter, a life cycle assessment (LCA) tool for estimating net CO 2 exchange of forest production was developed (Article III), and it was applied in interaction with ecosystem model based simulations to study the impacts of different management regimes (initial stand density and thinning regimes) on energy biomass production and related CO 2 emissions at a stand level with a rotation length of 80 years (Articles III & IV).The results showed that the climate change increased the production potential of energy biomass and timber, and carbon sequestration and stocks over the whole of Finland, but, in a relative sense more in northern than southern Finland (Articles I & II). Decreasing basal area based thinning thresholds compared to the currently recommended ones, increased the harvesting of the annual average amount of timber compared to the annual average growth of stem wood, and reduced carbon stocks in the forest ecosystems (Article I). On the other hand, the use of increased basal area thinning thresholds concurrently increased energy biomass and timber production, and carbon stocks in the forest ecosystem regardless of climate applied (Article II). The development of the LCA tool made it also possible to estimate the net carbon exchange of the forest production (Article III). Based on the use of the LCA tool with the ecosystem model simulations, it was found that the impacts of management related emissions on net carbon exchange were small compared to the total ecosystem fluxes. It was also found that the increase in initial stand density compared to the conventional practice of 2000 seedlings ha -1 , not only increased the energy biomass production at energy biomass thinning, but also reduced management related CO 2 emissions of energy biomass production (Article IV).To conclude, the applied management substantially affects the net atmospheric impacts of production potential of forest ecosystems. The combined use of ecosystem model simulations and the LCA tool will together provide new insights for the analysis of ecologically sustainable energy biomass and timber production systems ...

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“…We observed that the leaf litter remained in the AD plot even at the end of the experiment. The enhanced soil respiration of more than additional carbon inputs as leaf litter has been reported as a "priming effect" Sulzman et al, 2005;Crow et al, 2009a;Prévost-Bouré et al, 2010;Wang et al, 2013a;Wang et al, 2013b . The mechanism of the priming effect is explainable by the enhancement of soil microbial activities caused by the supply of available substrates and nutrients from the litter layer into underlying soil through leaching and fragmentation Kuzyakov, 2010 .…”

Section: Datementioning

confidence: 99%

“…volatile organic compounds , leaching of dissolved carbon, or fragmented or digested carbon that is put into the soil to become soil organic carbon are not considered. Moreover, the altered litter quantity can affect soil biological properties, such as biomass and activity, that affect CO 2 emissions from the underneath the mineral soil Sulzman et al, 2005;Crow et al, 2009a;Prévost-Bouré et al, 2010;Wang et al, 2013a;Wang et al, 2013b . Both LB and C-LART have been used to determine leaf litter decomposition. It is therefore important for future studies to compare the two methods and assess the reliability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of litter-bag and chamber methods for measuring CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from leaf litter decomposition in a temperate forest

Sun

Teramoto

Liang

et al. 2017

J. Agric. Meteorol.

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Leaf litter decomposition strongly affects the global carbon cycle through carbon dioxide CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere. The litter bag method LB and chamber method with litter addition and removal treatments C-LART have been used to quantify the litter decomposition rate and its resultant CO 2 flux. The C-LART method measures soil CO 2 fluxes in control, litter addition, and litter removal plots, and thereby decomposition rates are calculated from differences of the fluxes. However, no report has described the applicability of C-LART in comparison with LB. This study measured the litter decomposition rate and its resultant CO 2 flux using C-LART and LB in a temperate evergreen forest in central Japan to assess the applicability of the two methods. Annual soil respiration in the control plot was 1572 gC m 2 yr 1 , which was approximately twice as high as the mean of temperate evergreen forests in the world. The litter decomposition rate was 0.42 g g 1 yr 1 in mass loss or 0.49 gC gC 1 yr 1 in carbon loss by LB, which are compatible with those reported from other temperature forests. In contrast, the decomposition rate of litter carbon ascertained using C-LART was greater than 1 1.96 -3.76 gC gC 1 yr 1 , meaning that carbon emissions increased more than applied, and that the carbon emissions were decreased more than those removed by litter treatments. The incredibly high decomposition was attributed to the enhanced or restricted microbial activities in the underlying mineral soil. Changes in microbial activity are probably caused by the alteration of material supply from the leaf litter layer to the soil by litter treatment the priming effect . In conclusion, C-LART is not applicable to evaluate CO 2 emissions through litter decomposition. Another approach must be used to compensate the priming effect for application of the chamber method.

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Increased coniferous needle inputs accelerate decomposition of soil carbon in an old-growth forest

Cited by 131 publications

References 52 publications

Soil aggregate fraction-based 14C analysis and its application in the study of soil organic carbon turnover under forests of different ages

Soil aggregate fraction-based 14C analysis and its application in the study of soil organic carbon turnover under forests of different ages

Effects of forest management and climate change on energy biomass and timber production with implications for carbon stocks and net CO2 exchange in boreal forest ecosystems

Comparison of litter-bag and chamber methods for measuring CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from leaf litter decomposition in a temperate forest

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