Changes in ecosystem carbon stocks following grassland afforestation of semiarid sandy soil in the southeastern Keerqin Sandy Lands, China |
| |
| Authors: | YL Hu DH Zeng ZP Fan GS Chen Q Zhao D Pepper |
| |
| Institution: | aDaqinggou Ecological Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, Liaoning110016, China;bGraduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China;cSchool of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, AL 36830, USA;dSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia |
| |
| Abstract: | The ecological consequences of grassland afforestation in arid/semiarid sandy regions are not well known with respect to tree species and stand age. The present study quantifies the changes in above- and belowground carbon (C) stocks following afforestation in the southeastern Keerqin Sandy Lands with species of Mongolian pine and poplar. We studied 15-, 24-, and 30-year-old Mongolian pine plantations, 7-, 11-, and 15-year-old poplar plantations, and adjacent grasslands. The results show that total ecosystem C stocks increased following grassland afforestation. Aboveground C stocks increased at a rate of 2.75 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in the poplar plantations, and 1.06 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in the Mongolian pine plantations. Mineral soil C stocks decreased during the early stage of forest establishment, but recovered with increasing stand age. Root C stock increased significantly in the Mongolian pine plantations, but the poplar plantations showed no such increase relative to the grassland. Our results indicate that afforestation of the grassland in the southeastern Keerqin Sandy Lands would sequester more C than would continuous grassland. Tree species selection and stand developmental age should be considered in planning future afforestation projects. |
| |
| Keywords: | Carbon sequestration Land-cover change Pinus sylvestris var mongolica Populus simonii |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
