Effect of alterations in forest litter inputs on soil C and N storage distribution in Pinus yunnanensis forest in central Yunnan Plateau

The importance of labile soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soil biogeochemical processes is now well recognized. However, the quantification of labile soil C and N in soils and the assessment of their contribution to ecosystem C and N budgets is often constrained by limited information on spatial variability. To address this, we examined spatial variability in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved total nitrogen (DTN) in a Sitka spruce forest in central Ireland. The results showed moderate variations in the concentrations of DOC and DTN based on the mean, minimum, and maximum, as well as the coefficients of variation. Residual values of DOC and DTN were shown to have moderate spatial autocorrelations, and the nugget sill ratios were 0.09% and 0.10%, respectively. Distribution maps revealed that both DOC and DTN concentrations in the study area decreased from the southeast. The variability of both DOC and DTN increased as the sampling area expanded and could be well parameterized as a power function of the sampling area. The cokriging technique performed better than the ordinary kriging for predictions of DOC and DTN, which are highly correlated. This study provides a statistically based assessment of spatial variations in DOC and DTN and identifies the sampling effort required for their accurate quantification, leading to improved assessments of forest ecosystem C and N budgets.

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

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-85710-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jianqiang Li ◽

Qibo Chen ◽

Zhuang Li ◽

Bangxiao Peng ◽

Jianlong Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Pinus Yunnanensis ◽

Yunnan Plateau ◽

Baseline Information ◽

C And N ◽

Quercus Semecarpifolia ◽

Management Policies

AbstractThe 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.

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Impacts of irrigation on soil C and N stocks in grazed grasslands depends on aridity and irrigation duration

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115109 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 399 ◽

pp. 115109

Author(s):

Paul L. Mudge ◽

Jamie Millar ◽

Jack Pronger ◽

Alesha Roulston ◽

Veronica Penny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil C ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N

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C and N urban soil budget and its spatial differentiation in comparison with natural areas in the Wroclaw region of Poland

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/20184500085 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 00085

Author(s):

Izabela Sówka ◽

Yaroslav Bezyk ◽

Maxim Dorodnikov

Keyword(s):

Urban Soil ◽

Spatial Differentiation ◽

Clay Content ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Microbial Biomass C ◽

Natural Areas ◽

Soil C ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N ◽

Natural Grassland

An assessment of C and N balance in urban soil compared to the natural environment was carried out to evaluate the influence of biological processes along with human-induced forcing. Soil C and N stocks were quantified on the samples (n=18) collected at 5 - 10 cm depth from dominated green areas and arable lands in the city of Wroclaw (Poland) and the relatively natural grassland located ca. 36 km south-west. Higher soil carbon and nitrogen levels (C/N ratio = 11.8) and greater microbial biomass C and N values (MBC = 95.3, MBN = 14.4 mg N kg-1) were measured in natural grassland compared with the citywide lawn sites (C/N ratio = 15.17, MBC = 84.3 mg C kg-1, MBN = 11.9 mg N kg-1), respectively. In contrast to the natural areas, the higher C and N concentration was measured in urban grass dominated soils (C = 2.7 % and N = 0.18 % of dry mass), which can be explained mainly due to the high soil bulk density and water holding capacity (13.8 % clay content). The limited availability of soil C and N content was seen under the arable soil (C = 1.23 %, N = 0.13 %) than in the studied grasslands. In fact, the significantly increased C/N ratios in urban grasslands are largely associated with land conversion and demonstrate that urban soils have the potential to be an important reservoir of C.

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