Species composition and diversity, and carbon stock in a dune ecosystem in the Horqin Sandy Land of northern China

Abstract

In this study, we determined carbon allocation and carbon stocks in the plant-soil system of different dune ecosystems in northeastern China. We quantified the species composition, above-and below-ground biomasses, and carbon stocks of three dune types (i.e. active dunes, semi-stabilized dunes and stabilized dunes) and their corresponding inter-dune lowlands (i.e. interdune lowlands of active dunes, interdune lowlands of semi-stabilized dunes and interdune lowlands of stabilized dunes) in the Horqin Sandy Land. The results showed that the succession series on interdune lowlands of the Horqin Sandy Land confirmed differences in species composition of the various dune types. Aboveground carbon (AGC) on the interdune lowlands of semi-stabilized dunes (33.04 g C/m 2) was greater (P<0.05) than that on the interdune lowlands of active dunes (10.73 g C/m 2). At the same time, the different dune types did not show any significant differences (P>0.05) in belowground plant carbon (BGC). However, the percentage of plant BGC in interdune lowlands of active dunes (81.5%) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than that in the interdune lowlands of semi-stabilized dunes (58.9%). The predominant carbon pool in the study dune ecosystem was in the soil. It accounted for 95% to 99% of total carbon storage. Soil organic carbon (SOC) was at least 55% greater (P<0.05) in the interdunes than in the dunes. Stabilized dunes showed at least a 37% greater (P<0.05) SOC content than active dunes up to a 1-m soil depth. Meanwhile, SOC content of interdune lowlands of semi-stabilized dunes was greater (P<0.05) than that of interdune lowlands of active dunes only up to a 20-cm soil depth. The dune ecosystem showed a great potential to store carbon when interdune lowlands of active dunes were conversed to interdune lowlands of semi-stabilized dunes, which stored up to twice as much carbon per unit volume as interdune lowlands of active dunes.

Variation in soil carbon stock and nutrient content in sand dunes after afforestation by Prosopis juliflora in the Khuzestan province (Iran)

“…This is consistent with predictions for nitrogen fixing trees like P. juliflora (Resh et al 2002), and with the results of Hu et al (2015).…”

“…Soil potassium (K) and available phosphorus (P) were extracted using ammonium acetate (Morwin & Peach 1951) and Olsen et al (1954) method. The soil texture was defined using the hydrometric method (Houba et al 1995). Soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) in deionized water were measured using the method proposed by McLean (1982).…”

“…One method to fix sand dunes consists in afforestation (Li et al 2010). This action not only increased plant coverage and soil nitrogen (N), but also may sequester atmospheric carbon (C) dioxide (Hu et al 2015, Li et al 2013. Moreover, vegetation cover of sand dunes has been reported to increase soil moisture (Li et al 2007) and soil nutrients (Niu et al 2015) and to restore plant diversity (Bremer & Farley 2010).…”

Carbon stock and its responses to climate change inCentralAsia

“…The biomass of herbaceous plants was directly measured using harvesting methods. Plant samples (aboveground biomass and roots) were oven-dried (65°C) for 48 h to constant mass and converted to VEGC with the assumption that carbon accounted for~50% of the dry biomass (Hu et al, 2015). The VEGC of an individual shrub was estimated with the allometric models developed in previous studies (Zhao et al, 2004;Tao & Zhang, 2011, 2013Buras et al, 2012).…”

The role of Italian coastal dunes as carbon sinks and diversity sources. A multi-service perspective

“…The studied habitat types showed different characteristics in terms of plant richness and carbon storage potential. The embryo and mobile dunes have low organic carbon content and little differentiation between soil horizons due to harsh environmental conditions, while in the landward dunes (fixed and wooded dunes) increased protection from physical stresses allows the development of woody shrubs in the seaward slopes and trees and upland species in the landward portions (Bini et al, 2002;Carboni et al, 2011, Hu et al, 2015. Thus, inner dunes support more developed and more carbon rich soils than seaward dunes.…”