Storage of Miscanthus-derived carbon in rhizomes, roots, and soil

2016 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 354-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bent T. Christensen ◽  
Poul Erik Lærke ◽  
Uffe Jørgensen ◽  
Tanka P. Kandel ◽  
Ingrid K. Thomsen

Compared with annual crops, dedicated perennial bioenergy crops are ascribed additional benefits in terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions; these benefits include increased carbon (C) storage in soil. We measured Miscanthus-derived C in rhizomes, roots, and 0–100 cm soil beneath three 16-yr-old stands established on sandy soils at two experimental sites in Denmark. Miscanthus C in soil was estimated from changes in the natural abundance of 13C. In the 0–20 cm depth, soil C derived from Miscanthus made up to 15–18% of the soil total C. In the 20–50 cm and 50–100 cm depth, Miscanthus C accounted for less than 7% and 5% of the soil total C, respectively. After 16 yr, the total quantity of Miscanthus C in 0–20 cm ranged from 11.9 to 18.2 Mg C ha−1, of which 23–34% was in rhizomes and roots, substantiating their crucial contribution to soil C storage. Future studies should prioritize the seasonal and annual dynamics of C stored in rhizomes and roots, and the fate of these C pools following termination of Miscanthus stands.

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 297
Author(s):  
Yanjiang Cai ◽  
Scott X Chang

Forests cover around 30% of the global land area and forest ecosystems can store over 70% of total soil organic carbon (SOC) of all terrestrial ecosystems, but SOC stocks and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may be affected by both natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Even though the changes in forest soil C pool can have a significant effect on climate change, there are some contradictory results regarding the role of forest disturbance on SOC sequestration, GHG emissions, and the mitigation of global changes. Therefore, there is a need to better understand the impact of different disturbance regimes on forest soil C storage and GHG emissions. A Special Issue was therefore organized for discussing the responses of soil C storage and GHG emissions to various types of disturbances in forest ecosystems and a total of 15 studies were accepted for this special issue to assess these responses. This Special Issue includes the effects of storms and beetle outbreaks, Karstification, rock desertification, warming, nitrogen addition, land-use change, field tillage, and biochar application on soil C dynamics and/or GHG emissions.


Author(s):  
Meng Na ◽  
Xiaoyang Sun ◽  
Yandong Zhang ◽  
Zhihu Sun ◽  
Johannes Rousk

AbstractSoil carbon (C) reservoirs held in forests play a significant role in the global C cycle. However, harvesting natural forests tend to lead to soil C loss, which can be countered by the establishment of plantations after clear cutting. Therefore, there is a need to determine how forest management can affect soil C sequestration. The management of stand density could provide an effective tool to control soil C sequestration, yet how stand density influences soil C remains an open question. To address this question, we investigated soil C storage in 8-year pure hybrid larch (Larix spp.) plantations with three densities (2000 trees ha−1, 3300 trees ha−1 and 4400 trees ha−1), established following the harvesting of secondary mixed natural forest. We found that soil C storage increased with higher tree density, which mainly correlated with increases of dissolved organic C as well as litter and root C input. In addition, soil respiration decreased with higher tree density during the most productive periods of warm and moist conditions. The reduced SOM decomposition suggested by lowered respiration was also corroborated with reduced levels of plant litter decomposition. The stimulated inputs and reduced exports of C from the forest floor resulted in a 40% higher soil C stock in high- compared to low-density forests within 8 years after plantation, providing effective advice for forest management to promote soil C sequestration in ecosystems.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea L. Petrenko ◽  
Julia Bradley-Cook ◽  
Emily M. Lacroix ◽  
Andrew J. Friedland ◽  
Ross A. Virginia

Shrub species are expanding across the Arctic in response to climate change and biotic interactions. Changes in belowground carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage are of global importance because Arctic soils store approximately half of global soil C. We collected 10 (60 cm) soil cores each from graminoid- and shrub-dominated soils in western Greenland and determined soil texture, pH, C and N pools, and C:N ratios by depth for the mineral soil. To investigate the relative chemical stability of soil C between vegetation types, we employed a novel sequential extraction method for measuring organo-mineral C pools of increasing bond strength. We found that (i) mineral soil C and N storage was significantly greater under graminoids than shrubs (29.0 ± 1.8 versus 22.5 ± 3.0 kg·C·m−2 and 1.9 ± .12 versus 1.4 ± 1.9 kg·N·m−2), (ii) chemical mechanisms of C storage in the organo-mineral soil fraction did not differ between graminoid and shrub soils, and (iii) weak adsorption to mineral surfaces accounted for 40%–60% of C storage in organo-mineral fractions — a pool that is relatively sensitive to environmental disturbance. Differences in these C pools suggest that rates of C accumulation and retention differ by vegetation type, which could have implications for predicting future soil C pool storage.


2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1538-1542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Steltzer

Soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools were measured under the canopy of 29 white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) trees and in the surrounding tundra 3 and 6 m away from each tree at three sites of recent forest expansion along the Agashashok River in northwestern Alaska. The aim was to characterize the potential for forest expansion to lead to increased soil C pools across diverse tundra types. Soil C beneath the trees correlated positively with tree age, suggesting that tree establishment has led to C storage in the soils under their canopy at a rate of 18.5 ± 4.6 g C·m–2·year–1. Soil C in the surrounding tundra did not differ from those under the trees and showed no relationship to tree age. This characterization of the soil C pools at the 3-m scale strengthens the assertion that the pattern associated with the trees is an effect of the trees, because tree age cannot explain variation among tundra sampling locations at this scale. Potential mechanisms by which these white spruce trees could increase soil C pools include greater production and lower litter quality.


2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 1191-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah D. Eisenlord ◽  
Zachary Freedman ◽  
Donald R. Zak ◽  
Kai Xue ◽  
Zhili He ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTFuture rates of anthropogenic N deposition can slow the cycling and enhance the storage of C in forest ecosystems. In a northern hardwood forest ecosystem, experimental N deposition has decreased the extent of forest floor decay, leading to increased soil C storage. To better understand the microbial mechanisms mediating this response, we examined the functional genes derived from communities of actinobacteria and fungi present in the forest floor using GeoChip 4.0, a high-throughput functional-gene microarray. The compositions of functional genes derived from actinobacterial and fungal communities was significantly altered by experimental nitrogen deposition, with more heterogeneity detected in both groups. Experimental N deposition significantly decreased the richness and diversity of genes involved in the depolymerization of starch (∼12%), hemicellulose (∼16%), cellulose (∼16%), chitin (∼15%), and lignin (∼16%). The decrease in richness occurred across all taxonomic groupings detected by the microarray. The compositions of genes encoding oxidoreductases, which plausibly mediate lignin decay, were responsible for much of the observed dissimilarity between actinobacterial communities under ambient and experimental N deposition. This shift in composition and decrease in richness and diversity of genes encoding enzymes that mediate the decay process has occurred in parallel with a reduction in the extent of decay and accumulation of soil organic matter. Our observations indicate that compositional changes in actinobacterial and fungal communities elicited by experimental N deposition have functional implications for the cycling and storage of carbon in forest ecosystems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Arafat Rahman ◽  
MS Islam ◽  
Humyra B Murshed ◽  
MJ Uddin ◽  
ASM Mohiuddin ◽  
...  

An investigation was carried out in four designated wetlands to assess soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and evaluate soil nutrients of the northeastern Sylhet basin of Bangladesh. SOC storage was the highest in the Nikli wetland (4.1 Tg), followed by Hakaluki (4.0 Tg), Hail (2.8 Tg) and Balai wetland soils (2.6 Tg) at 100 cm depths. It is found that the total soil C storage across the medium low land (MLL) and low land (LL) sites covering the four wetlands of the Sylhet basin is about 13.5Tg. C storage across the MLL and LL sites at 100 cm depths was estimated about 5.1Tg and 8.4Tg respectively. It is found that SOC storage was higher in the low land sites in contrast to medium low land sites. The soil property varies depending on land types, soil depths and spatial distributions. Among the investigated wetland soils, Hakaluki wetland stored higher amount of SOC in the deeper soil layers whereas an inverse relationship between soil depth and SOC storage was noted for rest of the wetlands. It is apprehended that SOC storage thus gradually lessening in greater magnitude due to climate change and other anthropogenic reasons. An integrated management approach should be developed to restore the SOC sink. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 30(1): 115-124, 2021 (January)


2019 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 134-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ileana Frasier ◽  
Alberto Quiroga ◽  
Romina Fernández ◽  
Cristian Álvarez ◽  
Florencia Gómez ◽  
...  

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 928
Author(s):  
Laura Cumplido-Marin ◽  
Anil R. Graves ◽  
Paul J. Burgess ◽  
Christopher Morhart ◽  
Pierluigi Paris ◽  
...  

Current global temperature increases resulting from human activity threaten many ecosystems and societies, and have led to international and national policy commitments that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Bioenergy crops provide one means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy production and two novel crops that could be used for this purpose are Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby and Silphium perfoliatum L. This research examined the existing scientific literature available on both crops through a systematic review. The data were collated according to the agronomy, uses, and environmental benefits of each crop. Possible challenges were associated with high initial planting costs, low yields in low rainfall areas, and for Sida hermaphrodita, vulnerability to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. However, under appropriate environmental conditions, both crops were found to provide large yields over sustained periods of time with relatively low levels of management and could be used to produce large energy surpluses, either through direct combustion or biogas production. Other potential uses included fodder, fibre, and pharmaceutical uses. Environmental benefits included the potential for phytoremediation, and improvements to soil health, biodiversity, and pollination. The review also demonstrated that environmental benefits, such as pollination, soil health, and water quality benefits could be obtained from the use of Sida hermaphrodita and Silphium perfoliatum relative to existing bioenergy crops such as maize, whilst at the same time reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy production. Future research should examine the long-term implications of using Sida hermaphrodita and Silphium perfoliatum as well as improve knowledge on how to integrate them successfully within existing farming systems and supply chains.


2007 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Smith ◽  
J. M. Bell ◽  
H. Bolton ◽  
V. L. Bailey

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