Carbon budgets in fertile silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) chronosequence stands

Varik, Mats; Kukumägi, Mai; Aosaar, Jürgen; Becker, Hardo; Ostonen, Ivika; Lõhmus, Krista

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2015.01.041

Cited by 43 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 119 publications

(199 reference statements)

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“…We could conclude that highly productive forests under sub-humid Mediterranean conditions can act as potential larger carbon sinks than standard drier forests as a consequence of their enhanced aboveground carbon storage in the woody component. However an increased litterfall feeding the soil carbon pool, mild temperatures, and wet conditions induced a high respiration rate so that the soil pool could not benefit from this high carbon assimilation, a similar conclusion as stated for fertile temperate forests by Varik et al [37]. The expected benefits to soil carbon storage under such favorable conditions for these Mediterranean forest ecosystems should therefore be tempered as they are considerably reduced, and the increased carbon sequestration under this productive environment is mostly related to the increased carbon stock in the long-lived woody component.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Few, if any, forest soil respiration studies have been conducted on fertile warm and humid conditions within the Mediterranean, as these favorable environments are mostly used for agriculture, so the range of study cases hardly cover the full panel of climatic/edaphic conditions. These fertile sites, however, may provide some key understandings of ecosystem carbon cycle under optimal conditions hardly ever met, and may allow reassessing hypotheses formulated under more constrained environments [37]. Northern Tunisia, located on the southern bound of the Mediterranean basin in North Africa has long been called the "granary of Rome" during the Roman empire due to fertile soils and a mild and wet climate on the Mediterranean coast.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Warm and Fertile Sub-Humid Conditions Enhance Litterfall to Sustain High Soil Respiration Fluxes in a Mediterranean Cork Oak Forest

Zribi

Mouillot

Gharbi

et al. 2015

Forests

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Soil respiration is a major component of the global carbon budget and Mediterranean ecosystems have usually been studied in locations with shallow soils, mild temperatures, and a prolonged dry season. This study investigates seasonal soil respiration rates and underlying mechanisms under wetter, warmer, and more fertile conditions in a Mediterranean cork oak forest of Northern Tunisia (Africa), acknowledged as one of the most productive forests in the Mediterranean basin. We applied a soil respiration model based on soil temperature and relative water content and investigated how ecosystem functioning under these favorable conditions affected soil carbon storage through carbon inputs to the soil litter. Annual soil respiration rates varied between 1774 gC m −2 year −1 and 2227 gC m −2 year −1 , which is on the highest range of observations under Mediterranean climate conditions. We attributed this high soil carbon flux as a response to favorable temperatures and soil water content, but this could be sustained only by a small carbon allocation to roots (root/shoot ratio = 0.31-0.41) leading to a large allocation to leaves OPEN ACCESSForests 2015, 6 2919 with a multiannual leaf production, enhanced annual twig elongation (11.5-28.5 cm) with a reduced leaf life span (<1 year) maintaining a low LAI (1.68-1.88) and generating a high litterfall (386-636 gC m −2 year −1 ). Thus, the favorable climatic and edaphic conditions experienced by these Mediterranean cork oak forests drove high soil respiration fluxes which balanced the high carbon assimilation leading to a relatively small overall contribution (10.96-14.79 kgC m −2 ) to soil carbon storage.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Warm and Fertile Sub-Humid Conditions Enhance Litterfall to Sustain High Soil Respiration Fluxes in a Mediterranean Cork Oak Forest

Zribi

Mouillot

Gharbi

et al. 2015

Forests

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“…In the present study the soil C/N ratio for the upper 0-10 cm layer in the birch and spruce stands was 15.3 and 12.3, respectively (Table 2). These figures are of the same magnitude as those found for fertile forest site types on mineral soils (Cools et al 2014;Uri et al 2014Uri et al , 2015Varik et al 2015;Becker et al 2015Becker et al , 2016. In Estonian birch stands, aged 13 to 45 years and growing on fertile mineral soils, the soil C/N ratio for the A-horizon has been evaluated to range between 13.6 and 15.8 (Varik et al 2015).…”

Section: Birch and Spruce Standssupporting

confidence: 53%

Annual net nitrogen mineralization and litter flux in well-drained downy birch, Norway spruce and Scots pine forest ecosystems

Becker¹,

Aosaar²,

Varik³

et al. 2018

Silva Fenn.

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The main aim of the current study was to estimate the annual net nitrogen mineralization (NNM) flux in stands of different tree species growing on drained peatlands, as well as to clarify the effect of tree species, soil properties and litter on annual NNM dynamics. Three study sites were set up in May 2014: a downy birch ( Ehrh.) stand and a Norway spruce ( (L.) Karst.) stand in full-drained swamp (ODS) and a Scots pine ( L.) stand in full-drained swamp (MDS). The NNM flux was estimated using the method with incubated polyethylene bags. The highest value of NNM was found in stands that were growing on fertile ODS: 127.5 kg N ha yr and 87.7 kg N ha yr, in the downy birch stand and in the Norway spruce stand, respectively. A significantly lower annual NNM flux (11.8 kg N ha yr) occurred in the Scots pine stand growing in MDS. Nitrification was highest at fertile ODS sites and ammonification was the highest at the low fertility MDS site. For all study sites, positive correlation was found between soil temperature and NNM intensity. The difference in annual NNM between the downy birch stand and the Norway spruce stand growing on similar drained fertile peatlands was due to litter quality. The annual N input into the soil through leaf litter was the highest at the downy birch site where also the C/N ratio of litter was the lowest. The second highest N input into the soil was found in the spruce stand and the lowest in the pine stand.Betula pubescensPicea abiesOxalisPinus sylvestrisMyrtillusin situâ1â1â1â1â1â1

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“…By 2014 the C concentration had decreased, although insignificantly. The long-term SOC content will probably remain stable: in studies by Uri et al (2012) and Varik et al (2015) soil C stock remained stable in silver birch stands chronosequence, due to rapid litter decomposition and intense soil respiration. In our studied stand, soil C input and output were equal .…”

Section: Soil Nitrogen and Carbon Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fine root (d < 2 mm) biomass was estimated on the basis of ingrowth core data as the average of live root biomass during the sampling time interval as presented by Varik et al (2015). The fine root production (FRP) was estimated on the basis of in-growth core samples installed in 2005.…”

Section: Biomass and Production Of The Standmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomass production and nitrogen balance of naturally afforested silver birch (<i>Betula pendula</i> Roth.) stand in Estonia

Aosaar¹,

Mander²,

Varik³

et al. 2016

Silva Fenn.

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Highlights• Leafless aboveground biomass of the 17-year-old natural silver birch stand growing in abandoned agricultural land reached 94 Mg ha -1 .• The largest fluxes in N budget were net nitrogen mineralization and gaseous N 2 -N emission.• Nitrogen leaching was low.• Soil N content increased with the stand age, soil C content remained stable.• N 2 O and N 2 fluxes in boreal deciduous forest were analysed. AbstractSilver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) is one of the main pioneer tree species occupying large areas of abandoned agricultural lands under natural succession in Estonia. We estimated aboveground biomass (AGB) dynamics during 17 growing seasons, and analysed soil nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) dynamics for 10 year period in a silver birch stand growing on former arable land. Main N fluxes were estimated and nitrogen budget for 10-year-old stand was compiled. The leafless AGB and stem mass of the stand at the age of 17-years were 94 and 76 Mg ha -1 respectively. The current annual increment (CAI) of stemwood fluctuated, peaking at 10 Mg ha -1 yr -1 at the age of 15 years; the mean annual increment (MAI) fluctuated at around 4-5 Mg ha -1 . The annual leaf mass of the stand stabilised at around 3 Mg ha -1 yr -1 . The stand density decreased from 11600 to 2700 trees ha -1 in the 8-and 17-year-old stand, respectively. The largest fluxes in N budget were net nitrogen mineralization and gaseous N 2 -N emission. The estimated fluxes of N 2 O and N 2 were 0.12 and 83 kg ha -1 yr -1 , respectively; N leaching was negligible. Nitrogen retranslocation from senescing leaves was approximately 45 kg ha -1 , N was mainly retranslocated into stembark. The N content in the upper 0-10 cm soil layer increased significantly (145 kg ha -1 ) from 2004 to 2014; soil C content remained stable. Both the woody biomass dynamics and the N cycling of the stand witness the potential for bioenergetics of such ecosystems.

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Carbon budgets in fertile silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) chronosequence stands

Cited by 43 publications

References 119 publications

Warm and Fertile Sub-Humid Conditions Enhance Litterfall to Sustain High Soil Respiration Fluxes in a Mediterranean Cork Oak Forest

Warm and Fertile Sub-Humid Conditions Enhance Litterfall to Sustain High Soil Respiration Fluxes in a Mediterranean Cork Oak Forest

Annual net nitrogen mineralization and litter flux in well-drained downy birch, Norway spruce and Scots pine forest ecosystems

Biomass production and nitrogen balance of naturally afforested silver birch (<i>Betula pendula</i> Roth.) stand in Estonia

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