Soil carbon stocks and their rates of accumulation and loss in a boreal forest landscape

Boreal forests and wetlands are thought to be significant carbon sinks, and they could become net C sources as the Earth warms. Most of the C of boreal forest ecosystems is stored in the moss layer and in the soil. The objective of this study was to estimate soil C stocks (including moss layers) and rates of accumulation and loss for a 733 km(2) area of the BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study site in northern Manitoba, using data from smaller-scale intensive field studies. A simple process-based model developed from measurements of soil C inventories and radiocarbon was used to relate soil C storage and dynamics to soil drainage and forest stand age. Soil C stocks covary with soil drainage class, with the largest C stocks occurring in poorly drained sites. Estimated rates of soil C accumulation or loss are sensitive to the estimated decomposition constants for the large pool of deep soil C, and improved understanding of deep soil C decomposition is needed. While the upper moss layers regrow and accumulate C after fires, the deep C dynamics vary across the landscape, from a small net sink to a significant source. Estimated net soil C accumulation, averaged for the entire 733 km(2) area, was 20 g C m(-2) yr(-1) (28 g C m(-2) yr(-1) accumulation in surface mosses offset by 8 g C m(-2) yr(-1) lost from deep C pools) in a year with no fire. Most of the C accumulated in poorly and very poorly drained soils (peatlands and wetlands). Burning of the moss layer in only 1% of uplands would offset the C stored in the remaining 99% of the area. Significant interannual variability in C storage is expected because of the irregular occurrence of fire in space and time. The effects of climate change and management on fire frequency and on decomposition of immense deep soil C stocks are key to understanding future C budgets in boreal forests

Mapping drainage patterns and carbon stocks of boreal forest soils in northern Manitoba

Boreal. forests are postulated to be large net carbon sinks and probably play an important role in global carbon budgets. Most of the carbon of boreal forest ecosystems is stored in the soil, including the moss layer. Using a geographic information system (GIS) we are mapping drainage patterns and carbon stocks at the BOREAS(3) study area in northern Manitoba. Our method accounts for spatial variations within soil map units by calculating are-a-weighted total carbon stocks and drainage scores for each soil series. We stratified the area by drainage class, which, along with incidence of fire, is a major controller of annual rates of soil carbon accumulation. Our results indicate that soil carbon stocks covary with soil drainage class. The largest carbon stocks occur in the wettest and more poorly drained sites

BOREAS TGB-12 Soil Carbon and Flux Data of NSA-MSA in Raster Format

The BOREAS TGB-12 team made measurements of soil carbon inventories, carbon concentration in soil gases, and rates of soil respiration at several sites. This data set provides: (1) estimates of soil carbon stocks by horizon based on soil survey data and analyses of data from individual soil profiles; (2) estimates of soil carbon fluxes based on stocks, fire history, drain-age, and soil carbon inputs and decomposition constants based on field work using radiocarbon analyses; (3) fire history data estimating age ranges of time since last fire; and (4) a raster image and an associated soils table file from which area-weighted maps of soil carbon and fluxes and fire history may be generated. This data set was created from raster files, soil polygon data files, and detailed lab analysis of soils data that were received from Dr. Hugo Veldhuis, who did the original mapping in the field during 1994. Also used were soils data from Susan Trumbore and Jennifer Harden (BOREAS TGB-12). The binary raster file covers a 733-km 2 area within the NSA-MSA

Decomposition of peat from upland boreal forest: Temperature dependence and sources of respired carbon

The response of large stores of carbon in boreal forest soils to global warming is a major uncertainty in predicting the future carbon budget. We measured the temperature dependence of decomposition for upland boreal peat under black spruce forest with sphagnum and feather moss understory using incubation experiments. CO2 efflux rates clearly responded to temperature, which ranged from −10° to +8°C by ∼2°C increments. At temperatures below 0°C, significant decomposition was observed in feather moss peat but not in wetter sphagnum peat. Above 0°C, decomposition was exponentially related to temperature, corresponding to a Q(10) (the ratio of the rate of CO2 evolution at one temperature divided by that at a temperature 10°C cooler) of 4.4 for feather moss and 3.1 for sphagnum peat. The greatest change in CO2 evolution rate with temperature occurred between −2° and 0°C, which coincided with the phase transition of soil water. We saw no large change in the rate of CO2 evolution between incubation experiments separated by a 6 month storage period for feather moss peat. Stable C isotope measurements of evolved CO2 and the rate of change of CO2 evolution with time suggest different substrates are used to sustain heterotrophic respiration above and below freezing. Radiocarbon signatures of CO2 respired from both types of peat reflected significant contributions from C fixed in the last 35 years (“bomb” 14C) as well as C fixed prior to 1950. We observed no change in the Δ14C of respired CO2 with temperature. Isotopic signatures of peat components showed that a combination of substrates must contribute to the CO2 evolved in our incubations. Decomposition of fine roots (which made up less than 7% of the total peat C) accounted for ∼50% of respired CO2 in feather moss peat and for ∼30% of respired CO2 in sphagnum peat. Fine-grained (<1 mm), more humified material that makes up 60–70% of the bulk peat organic carbon contributed significantly to heterotrophic respiration (∼30% in feather moss and ∼50% in sphagnum moss peat), despite slow decomposition rates. Increased temperatures caused enhanced decomposition from all pools without changing their relative contributions. Because the contribution of peat decomposition is a small portion of total soil respiration at the study site, increased respiration rates would be difficult to measure as increased fluxes in the field. Nonetheless, sustained warming could lead to significant loss of C from these peat layers

Temperature-controlled organic carbon mineralization in lake sediments

Peatlands, soils and the ocean floor are well-recognized as sites of organic carbonaccumulation andrepresentimportant global carbon sinks(1,2). Although the annual burial of organic carbon in lakes and reservoirs exceeds that of ocean sediments(3), these inland waters are components of the global carbon cycle that receive only limited attention(4-6). Of the organic carbon that is being deposited onto the sediments, a certain proportion will be mineralized and the remainder will be buried over geological timescales. Here we assess the relationship between sediment organic carbon mineralization and temperature in a cross-system survey of boreal lakes in Sweden, and with input froma compilation of published data from awide range of lakes that differ with respect to climate, productivity and organic carbon source. We find that the mineralization of organic carbon in lake sediments exhibits a strongly positive relationship with temperature, which suggests that warmer water temperatures lead to more mineralization and less organic carbon burial. Assuming that future organic carbon delivery to the lake sediments will be similar to that under present-day conditions, we estimate that temperature increases following the latest scenarios presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(7) could result in a 4-27 per cent (0.9-6.4 Tg Cyr(-1)) decrease in annual organic carbon burial in boreal lakes.Correction in Nature, vol. 466, issue 7310, doi 10.1038/nature09383</p

Impacts of Environmental Heterogeneity on Moss Diversity and Distribution of Didymodon (Pottiaceae) in Tibet, China

Tibet makes up the majority of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, often referred to as the roof of the world. Its complex landforms, physiognomy, and climate create a special heterogeneous environment for mosses. Each moss species inhabits its own habitat and ecological niche. This, in combination with its sensitivity to environmental change, makes moss species distribution a useful indicator of vegetation alteration and climate change. This study aimed to characterize the diversity and distribution of Didymodon (Pottiaceae) in Tibet, and model the potential distribution of its species. A total of 221 sample plots, each with a size of 10 × 10 m and located at different altitudes, were investigated across all vegetation types. Of these, the 181 plots in which Didymodon species were found were used to conduct analyses and modeling. Three noteworthy results were obtained. First, a total of 22 species of Didymodon were identified. Among these, Didymodon rigidulus var. subulatus had not previously been recorded in China, and Didymodon constrictus var. constrictus was the dominant species. Second, analysis of the relationships between species distributions and environmental factors using canonical correspondence analysis revealed that vegetation cover and altitude were the main factors affecting the distribution of Didymodon in Tibet. Third, based on the environmental factors of bioclimate, topography and vegetation, the distribution of Didymodon was predicted throughout Tibet at a spatial resolution of 1 km, using the presence-only MaxEnt model. Climatic variables were the key factors in the model. We conclude that the environment plays a significant role in moss diversity and distribution. Based on our research findings, we recommend that future studies should focus on the impacts of climate change on the distribution and conservation of Didymodon