A Basin-Scale Estimation of Carbon Stocks of a Forest Ecosystem Characterized by Spatial Distribution and Contributive Features in the Liuxihe River Basin of Pearl River Delta

Abstract

Forest ecosystems make a greater contribution to carbon (C) stocks than any other terrestrial ecosystem. To understand the role of regional forest ecosystems in global climate change and carbon exchange, forest C stocks and their spatial distribution within the small (2300 km 2 ) Liuxihe River basin in China were analyzed to determine the different contributors to the C stocks. Forest C stocks were quantified by measuring the biomass of trees, understory vegetation, litter and roots, as well as soil organic C, using data from field samples and laboratory experiments. The results showed that forests stored 38.04 Tg·C in the entire basin, with secondary and planted forests accounting for 89.82% and 10.18%, respectively, of the stored C. Five types of forests, a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, a subtropical coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, a subtropical coniferous forest, a timber forest, and a non-wood forest, stored 257.55 ± 15.01, 218.92 ± 9.59, 195.24 ± 18.29, 177.42 ± 17.55, and 117.86 ± 6.04 Mg·C·ha −1 , respectively. In the forest ecosystem C stocks of the basin, soils on average contributed about 73.78%, not including root underground biomass. The results of this study, which provide baseline forest C stock data for ecosystem services and regional C flux research, are useful to support the basin-scale forest management and land use change.

Assessing Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Habitat Quality under Urbanization Stress in Guangdong Province: An inVEST-MGWR Analytical Approach

“…The quality of habitats in Guangdong is fundamentally influenced by natural environmental factors. Temperature negatively impacts habitat quality [6], with a diminishing effect from the northeast to the southwest, while slope significantly affects habitat quality, particularly in steeper areas like the Pearl River Delta [27,29]. Elevation's influence, although less pronounced, grows from west to east [30].…”

Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Changes in Watershed Landscape Pattern and Its Influencing Factors in Rapidly Urbanizing Areas Using Satellite Data

“…The annual precipitation rate over the LXH is 1750 mm and more than 80% of precipitation occurs from April to September. Its daily mean air temperature is about 20 • C and annual rate of evaporation is about 1200 mm [45]. The elevation of the LXH falls gradually from northeast to southwest, characterized by mountains in the upstream, hills in the midstream, and plains in the downstream, thus making the upstream more difficult to develop than the middle and lower watershed.…”

Soil Organic Carbon Content and Microbial Functional Diversity Were Lower in Monospecific Chinese Hickory Stands than in Natural Chinese Hickory–Broad-Leaved Mixed Forests

“…It is also one of the main indicators for evaluating soil fertility and sustainable land use, as it is associated with different soil physico-chemical and biological processes [3]. The quality, quantity, and distribution of soil organic carbon reflects the spatial distribution of surface plant communities [4,5]. Soil labile organic carbon is easily mineralized by microorganisms.…”

“…In forests, the amount of carbon in soil commonly exceeds that in the above-ground biomass [13]. Since the above-ground plant communities affect the soil organic carbon pool and microbiome [4,5,14,15], quantifying the differences in carbon storage between natural forests and plantations is essential to estimate the effects of stand conversion on carbon sequestration. Both soil organic matter formation and decomposition include processes driven by enzymes produced by soil microbes [16].…”