scholarly journals Nonlinear turnover rates of soil carbon following cultivation of native grasslands and subsequent afforestation of croplands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Hernandez-Ramirez ◽  
Thomas J. Sauer ◽  
Yury G. Chendev ◽  
Alexander N. Gennadiev
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Lag Phase ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Soil C Storage ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Abstract. Land use conversions can strongly impact soil organic matter (SOM) storage, which creates paramount opportunities for sequestering atmospheric carbon into the soil. It is known that land uses such as annual cropping and afforestation can decrease and increase SOM, respectively; however, the rates of these changes over time remain elusive. This study focused on extracting the kinetics (k) of turnover rates that describe these long-term changes in soil C storage and also quantifying the sources of soil C. We used topsoil organic carbon density and δ13C isotopic composition data from multiple chronosequences and paired sites in Russia and United States. Reconstruction of soil C storage trajectory over 250 years following conversion from native grassland to continual annual cropland revealed a C depletion rate of 0.010 years−1 (first-order k rate constant), which translates into a mean residence time (MRT) of 100 years (R2 ≥ 0.90). Conversely, soil C accretion was observed over 70 years following afforestation of annual croplands at a much faster k rate of 0.055 years−1. The corresponding MRT was only 18 years (R2 = 0.997) after a lag phase of 5 years. Over these 23 years of afforestation, trees contributed 14 Mg C Ha−1 to soil C accrual in the 0 to 15 cm depth increment. This tree-C contribution reached 22 Mg C Ha−1 at 70 years after tree planting. Over these 70 years of afforestation, the proportion of tree-C to whole soil C increased to reach a sizeable 79 %. Furthermore, assuming steady state of soil C in the adjacent croplands, we also estimated that 45 % of the prairie-C existent at time of tree planting was still present in the afforested soils 70 years later. As intrinsic of k modelling, the derived turnover rates that represent soil C changes over time are nonlinear. Soil C changes were much more dynamic during the first decades following a land use conversion than afterwards when the new land use system approached equilibrium. Collectively, results substantiated that C sequestration in afforested lands is a suitable means to proactively mitigate escalating climate change within a typical person's lifetime, as indicated by MRTs of few decades.

scholarly journals Nonlinear turnover rates of soil carbon following cultivation of native grasslands and subsequent afforestation of croplands

SOIL ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-431
Author(s):  
Guillermo Hernandez-Ramirez ◽  
Thomas J. Sauer ◽  
Yury G. Chendev ◽  
Alexander N. Gennadiev
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Intrinsic Property ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Lag Phase ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Soil C Storage ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Abstract. Land use conversions can strongly impact soil organic matter (SOM) storage, which creates paramount opportunities for sequestering atmospheric carbon into the soil. It is known that land uses such as annual cropping and afforestation can decrease and increase SOM, respectively; however, the rates of these changes over time remain elusive. This study focused on extracting the kinetics (k) of turnover rates that describe these long-term changes in soil C storage and also quantifying the sources of soil C. We used topsoil organic carbon density and δ13C isotopic composition data from multiple chronosequences and paired sites in Russia and United States. Reconstruction of soil C storage trajectory over 250 years following conversion from native grassland to continual annual cropland revealed a C depletion rate of 0.010 yr−1 (first-order k rate constant), which translates into a mean residence time (MRT) of 100 years (R2≥0.90). Conversely, soil C accretion was observed over 70 years following afforestation of annual croplands at a much faster k rate of 0.055 yr−1. The corresponding MRT was only 18 years (R2=0.997) after a lag phase of 5 years. Over these 23 years of afforestation, trees contributed 14 Mg C ha−1 to soil C accrual in the 0 to 15 cm depth increment. This tree-C contribution reached 22 Mg C ha−1 at 70 years after tree planting. Over these 70 years of afforestation, the proportion of tree C to whole-soil C increased to reach a sizable 79 %. Furthermore, assuming steady state of soil C in the adjacent croplands, we also estimated that 45 % of the prairie C existent at the time of tree planting was still present in the afforested soils 70 years later. As an intrinsic property of k modeling, the derived turnover rates that represent soil C changes over time are nonlinear. Soil C changes were much more dynamic during the first decades following a land use conversion than afterwards when the new land use system approached equilibrium. Collectively, results substantiated that C sequestration in afforested lands is a suitable means to proactively mitigate escalating climate change within a typical person's lifetime, as indicated by MRTs of a few decades.

scholarly journals Higher stand densities can promote soil carbon storage after conversion of temperate mixed natural forests to larch plantations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Na ◽  
Xiaoyang Sun ◽  
Yandong Zhang ◽  
Zhihu Sun ◽  
Johannes Rousk
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Tree Density ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Soil C Storage ◽  
Soil C Sequestration

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.

Soil type, land-use and -management as drivers of root-C inputs and soil C storage in the semiarid pampa region, Argentina

2019 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 134-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ileana Frasier ◽  
Alberto Quiroga ◽  
Romina Fernández ◽  
Cristian Álvarez ◽  
Florencia Gómez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Pampa Region ◽  
Soil C Storage ◽  
Land Use And Management

scholarly journals Effects of different planting configurations and clones on biomass and carbon storage of a 12-year-old poplar ecosystem in southern China

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Zhuangzhuang Qian ◽  
Xiaomin Ge ◽  
Yunxia Bai ◽  
Ye Tian ◽  
Shunyao Zhuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern China ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Tree Biomass ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Poplar Trees ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Soil C Storage ◽  
Square Configuration

The main objective of this study was to compare the effects of two densities (278 stems·ha−1 with two spacings of 6 m × 6 m or 4.5 m × 8 m, 400 stems·ha−1 with two spacings of 5 m × 5 m or 3 m × 8 m) and three poplar clones (NL95, NL895, and NL797) on productivity and carbon (C) sequestration of poplar ecosystems. The results showed that planting density significantly affected the biomass of a single tree. The mean tree biomass of clone NL95 was higher in all spacings than that of the other clones, with a significant difference for the 6 m × 6 m spacing. The biomass of poplar trees ranged from 78.9 to 110.3 Mg·ha−1, with the highest tree biomass observed in the square configuration. Soil C concentration (0–100 cm) increased after 12 years of management. Soil C storage ranged from 138.1 to 164.3 Mg C·ha−1, and the highest soil C storage was in the NL797 poplar plantation with 6 m × 6 m spacing. Our results suggested that clones NL95 and NL797 should be chosen for planting, with a planting density of 278 stems·ha−1 and spacing of 6 m × 6 m.

scholarly journals Root biomass responses to elevated CO<sub>2</sub> limit soil C sequestration in managed grasslands

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 357-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. M. A. Sillen ◽  
W. I. J. Dieleman
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Co2 ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilization ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Co2 Concentrations ◽  
Soil C Storage ◽  
Co2 Elevation

Abstract. Elevated atmospheric CO2 levels and increasing nitrogen deposition both stimulate plant production in terrestrial ecosystems. Moreover, nitrogen deposition could alleviate an increasing nitrogen limitation experienced by plants exposed to elevated CO2 concentrations. However, an increased rate of C flux through the soil compartment as a consequence of elevated CO2 concentrations has been suggested to limit C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems, questioning the potential for terrestrial C uptake to mitigate the increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Our study used data from 69 published studies to investigate whether CO2 elevation and/or nitrogen fertilization could induce an increased carbon storage in grasslands, and considered the influence of management practices involving biomass removal or irrigation on the elevated CO2 effects. Our results confirmed a positive effect of elevated CO2 levels and nitrogen fertilization on plant growth, but revealed that N availability is essential for the increased C influx under elevated CO2 to propagate into belowground C pools. However, moderate nutrient additions also promoted decomposition processes in elevated CO2, reducing the potential for increased soil C storage. An important role in the soil carbon response to elevated CO2 was attributed to the root response, since there was a lower potential for increases in soil C content when root biomass was more responsive to CO2 elevation. Future elevated CO2 concentrations and increasing N deposition might thus increase C storage in plant biomass, but the potential for increased soil C storage is limited.

scholarly journals Microbial Mechanisms Mediating Increased Soil C Storage under Elevated Atmospheric N Deposition

2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 1191-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah D. Eisenlord ◽  
Zachary Freedman ◽  
Donald R. Zak ◽  
Kai Xue ◽  
Zhili He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
Functional Genes ◽  
Atmospheric N Deposition ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Soil C Storage

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.

scholarly journals Reforestation can sequester two petagrams of carbon in US topsoils in a century

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (11) ◽  
pp. 2776-2781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas E. Nave ◽  
Grant M. Domke ◽  
Kathryn L. Hofmeister ◽  
Umakant Mishra ◽  
Charles H. Perry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
The Us ◽  
Land Use And Management

Soils are Earth’s largest terrestrial carbon (C) pool, and their responsiveness to land use and management make them appealing targets for strategies to enhance C sequestration. Numerous studies have identified practices that increase soil C, but their inferences are often based on limited data extrapolated over large areas. Here, we combine 15,000 observations from two national-level databases with remote sensing information to address the impacts of reforestation on the sequestration of C in topsoils (uppermost mineral soil horizons). We quantify C stocks in cultivated, reforesting, and natural forest topsoils; rates of C accumulation in reforesting topsoils; and their contribution to the US forest C sink. Our results indicate that reforestation increases topsoil C storage, and that reforesting lands, currently occupying >500,000 km2 in the United States, will sequester a cumulative 1.3–2.1 Pg C within a century (13–21 Tg C·y−1). Annually, these C gains constitute 10% of the US forest sector C sink and offset 1% of all US greenhouse gas emissions.

Assessment of soil carbon storage and nutrient contents in some wetlands soils of the northeastern region of Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Arafat Rahman ◽  
MS Islam ◽  
Humyra B Murshed ◽  
MJ Uddin ◽  
ASM Mohiuddin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Wetland Soils ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Nutrient Contents ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Soil C Storage ◽  
Land Types

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)

Decoupled Soil Labile Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics Triggered by Urban Vegetation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolin Dou ◽  
Meng Lu ◽  
Liding Chen
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Urban Ecosystems ◽  
Isotopic Analysis ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
N Dynamics ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Soil C And N ◽  
C And N

Abstract Purpose Studies about soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics with land use change are urgently needed for urban ecosystems. We used fractionation of soils combined with stable isotopic analysis to examine soil C and N cycles after decadal forest and lawn planting in the Pearl River Delta, China. Methods Soil samples from bare soil (CK) and four land use treatments (55 and 20 years of forest plantation, F-55 and F-20; 55 and 20 years of lawn plantation, L-55 and L-20) were split into different chemical fractions. Then we analyzed the C and N contents, C/N ratio, δ13C and δ15N, C and N recalcitrant indices (RIC, RIN), and a C pool management index (CPMI).Results Forest vegetation substantially enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) caused by the recalcitrant (RC) and labile C (LC) pools, while the larger soil organic nitrogen (SON) was ascribed to the increased recalcitrant N (RN). Enhanced LC but minor changes in labile N (LN) suggested a decoupled C and N in labile fractions of the forest soils. In contrast, the larger LN, and the enhanced decomposition of SOC, indicated that the lawns may have inhibited N mineralization of labile pools, also suggesting a decoupled C and N turnover and leading to low RIN values. Conclusions Urban forest and lawn plantations significantly changed the soil C and N dynamics, and emphasized the inconsistency between C and N processes, especially in labile pools, which would eventually lead to minor changes in N and limit the ecosystem C sequestration.

Quantifying total and labile pools of soil organic carbon in cultivated and uncultivated soils in eastern India

Soil Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumari Priyanka ◽  
Anshumali
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Sensitivity Index ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Pools ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Land Use Practices

Loss of labile carbon (C) fractions yields information about the impact of land-use changes on sources of C inputs, pathways of C losses and mechanisms of soil C sequestration. This study dealt with the total organic C (TOC) and labile C pools in 40 surface soil samples (0–15 cm) collected from four land-use practices: uncultivated sites and rice–wheat, maize–wheat and sugarcane agro-ecosystems. Uncultivated soils had a higher total C pool than croplands. The soil inorganic C concentrations were in the range of 0.7–1.4 g kg–1 under different land-use practices. Strong correlations were found between TOC and all organic C pools, except water-extractable organic C and mineralisable C. The sensitivity index indicated that soil organic C pools were susceptible to changes in land-use practices. Discriminant function analysis showed that the nine soil variables could distinguish the maize–wheat and rice–wheat systems from uncultivated and sugarcane systems. Finally, we recommend crop rotation practices whereby planting sugarcane replenishes TOC content in soils.

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