The importance of slope aspect and stand age on the photosynthetic carbon fixation capacity of forest: a case study with black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) plantations on the Loess Plateau

Zheng, Yunpu; Zhong, Zhao; Zhou, Jingjing; Zhou, Hui; Liang, Zongsuo; Luo, Zhibin

doi:10.1007/s11738-010-0561-3

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The accurate determination of C concentration and forest ecosystem biomass are the basis of reasonable estimation of C storage and distribution pattern in forest ecosystems. Forest age is considered to be a primary driver for changes in forest structure and function, because as trees age, photosynthetic capacity [13], C storage in live biomass [14], nutrient concentrations and their stoichiometry [15], and C balance [14] all change. Previous studies have reported that tree growth in Eucalyptus plantations declined with forest age and this decline may be associated with changes in stand structure, resource usage efficiency, foliar respiration and gross primary production [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

C:N:P Stoichiometry and Carbon Storage in a Naturally-Regenerated Secondary Quercus variabilis Forest Age Sequence in the Qinling Mountains, China

Jiang

Chen

Cao

2017

Forests

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Large-scale Quercus variabilis natural secondary forests are protected under the Natural Forest Protection (NFP) program in China to improve the ecological environment. However, information about nutrient characteristics and carbon (C) storage is still lacking. Plant biomass and C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry of tree tissues, shrubs, herbs, litter, and soil were determined in young, middle-aged, near-mature and mature Quercus variabilis secondary forests in the Qinling Mountains, China. Tree leaf N and P concentrations indicated that the N-restricted situation worsened with forest age. The per hectare biomass of trees in decreasing order was near-mature, mature, middle-aged, then young stands. The majority of the biomass was in the stems (44.88-48.15%), followed by roots (24.54-28.68%), and branches (10.15-14.16%), and leaves made up the lowest proportion (2.86-3.55%) of trees. C storage at plant layer increased significantly with age, reaching maximum values in near-mature stand (100.4 Mg·ha −1 ) and then decreasing in mature stands. Soil C storage at a depth of 0 to 100 cm was 82.8, 96.8, 85.8, 104.2 Mg·ha −1 , and C storage of forest ecosystem was 122.8, 163.0, 184.9, 178.3 Mg·ha −1 in young, middle-aged, near-mature, mature stands, respectively. There were significant correlations between biomass and C, N, P stoichiometry in different layers, especially in young stands.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

C:N:P Stoichiometry and Carbon Storage in a Naturally-Regenerated Secondary Quercus variabilis Forest Age Sequence in the Qinling Mountains, China

Jiang

Chen

Cao

2017

Forests

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“…Soil structure (Wang et al, 1995;Dai et al, 2008), soil chemical properties (such as soil cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, nitrate) (Qiu et al, 2010;Zheng et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2012), soil respiration (Xue et al, 2007), soil enzyme activity (such as alkaline phosphatase and invertase) and microbial biomass improved in relation to control soils. However, other studies shown that R. pseudoacacia strongly deprives water from soils in the stands where it has been planted (Li, 2001;Wang et al, 2008), leading to the formation of a ''soil dry layer" in depth, and thus becoming an important ecological hazard for other organisms and for water recharge of the water table (Chen et al, 2008;Li et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of Robinia pseudoacacia afforestation on soil and vegetation properties in the Loess Plateau (China): A chronosequence approach

Kou

Garcı́a-Fayos

et al. 2016

Forest Ecology and Management

101

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a b s t r a c tRevegetation is one of the primary management approaches for solving the problems caused by severe soil erosion worldwide. Robinia pseudoacacia was considered a promising tree for afforestation in the highly eroded region of the Loess Plateau due to its fast growth and ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. However, its beneficial role protecting soils from erosion has been now questioned and several negative effects on soil and vegetation have been described. In this study we aimed to analyze the effects of R. pseudoacacia plantation on plant community composition and dynamics through the effects that R. pseudoacacia has on light, soil fertility and soil water availability. We used a chronosequence from 10-40-year-old plantations and compared the environmental and vegetation characteristics of that areas with that of natural control areas with similar age. The results showed that R. pseudoacacia plantations reached maturity around 30 years and then declined in density and canopy cover. We also found that soil nutrients and moisture at the superficial soil layer improved with age until maturity of plantations, but photosynthetically active radiation at the ground level and soil moisture at deeper soil layers decreased with maturity in relation to control conditions. Plots with R. pseudoacacia of all ages had higher cover values, lower number of species but higher b-diversity values than control conditions and they also differed in species composition. These differences in structure and species composition were related to the fertilizer effect of R. pseudoacacia that favored colonization by weeds and ruderal species, and to the light interception by the canopy of trees that exclude light-demanding species, most of them perennial herbaceous species which were the dominant species in control conditions.

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“…The leaf photosynthetic responses to the photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) were constructed by obtaining measurements at 14 PAR values ranging from 0 µmol m −2 s −1 to 2000 µmol m −2 s −1 , and the measured leaves acclimated to each light level for 3 min before switching. The relationship between An and PAR was fitted by a non-rectangular hyperbolic model (Herrick and Thomas, 1999;Zheng et al, 2012):…”

Section: Gas Exchange Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To determine LAI, we acquired the images of each sample tree at four orientations (east, south, west, and north) by using a digital camera equipped with a hemispheric lens (Minolta DiMAGE X, Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan) at sunset according to the protocol (Regent Instruments Inc., Québec, Canada). The images were subsequently analyzed with WinScanopy (WinScanopy-2005a, Regent Instruments Inc., Québec, Canada) to obtain LAI (Frazer et al, 2001;Zheng et al, 2011).…”

Section: Gas Exchange Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This dominance is attributed to the combination of the ecophysiological plasticity and advantageous characteristics, such as rapid growth, drought tolerance, and nitrogen fixation, of black locust (Feldhake 2001;Li et al, 2014;Mantovani et al, 2015). Black locust plantations on the Loess Plateau can act as a large carbon sink for atmospheric CO2 (Zheng et al, 2011). However, black locust plantations can barely regenerate in this region and likely induce stand degradation and soil desiccation with the development of a dry soil horizon in deep soil layers (Wang et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Photosynthetic carbon fixation capacity of black locust in rapid response to plantation thinning on the semiarid loess plateau in China

Yuan¹,

Jingjing²,

Zhou³

et al. 2019

PAK.J.BOT.

Self Cite

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Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) has been widely planted throughout the semiarid Loess Plateau in China. However, black locust plantations likely induce stand degradation and soil desiccation because of high water consumption, high stand density, and insufficient stand management. In this study, five kinds of density types in 19-year-old black locust plantations, including three intact non-thinned control plantation types with different stand densities (1800, 2700, and 3600 trees ha −1 ) and two thinned-treatment plantation types with the same stand densities (1800 trees ha −1 ) were selected to calculate the responses to thinning intensity in the Maliantan catchment within the central Loess Plateau. Gas exchange, leaf area index, associated changes in the photosynthetic carbon fixation capacity (PCFC), and environmental variables (light radiation, air temperature, and soil moisture) were determined throughout the growing season in 2009. The growth, daily leaf-level net CO2 assimilation rate (An), and tree-level PCFC were significantly different among the three intact black locust plantations in their annual growth period. An and PCFC increased as the stand density decreased because of enhanced environmental resource availabilities per individual tree, including the increased exposure to light radiation, canopy air temperature, and soil moisture level. Comparing thinned and non-thinned black locust plantations, we provided ecophysiological evidence that black locust trees could actively adjust their photosynthetic functions from the beginning of the first growing season after thinning to enhance their height, diameter, and canopy diameter during growth and development. This mechanism indicated that the rapid adaptability of black locust in response to plantation thinning on the semiarid Loess Plateau. Based on the same stand density (1800 trees ha −1 ), the low thinning intensity of 33% was more suitable for the sustainable management and increased of photosynthetic carbon fixation capacities of black locust trees on the Loess Plateau in China. These findings can enrich our knowledge of forest plantation dynamics and provide valuable information regarding sustainable plantation management in this ecological fragile region.

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The importance of slope aspect and stand age on the photosynthetic carbon fixation capacity of forest: a case study with black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) plantations on the Loess Plateau

Cited by 25 publications

References 55 publications

C:N:P Stoichiometry and Carbon Storage in a Naturally-Regenerated Secondary Quercus variabilis Forest Age Sequence in the Qinling Mountains, China

C:N:P Stoichiometry and Carbon Storage in a Naturally-Regenerated Secondary Quercus variabilis Forest Age Sequence in the Qinling Mountains, China

The effect of Robinia pseudoacacia afforestation on soil and vegetation properties in the Loess Plateau (China): A chronosequence approach

Photosynthetic carbon fixation capacity of black locust in rapid response to plantation thinning on the semiarid loess plateau in China

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