Sonam Tashi1, Balwant Singh1, Claudia Keitel1, Mark Adams1. 1. Centre for Carbon, Water and Food, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Eveleigh, NSW, 2015, Australia.
Abstract
High-altitude soils potentially store a large pool of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). The assessment of total C and N stocks in soils is vital to understanding the C and N dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we examined effects of altitude and forest composition on soil C and N along a transect from 317 to 3300 m a.s.l. in the eastern Himalayas. We used meta-analysis to establish the context for our results on the effects of altitude on soil C, including variation with depth. Total C and N contents of soils significantly increased with altitude, but decreased with soil depth. Carbon and N were similarly correlated with altitude and temperature, and temperature was seemingly the main driver of soil C along the altitudinal gradient. Altitude accounted for 73% of the variation in C and 47% of the variation in N stocks. Soil pH and cation exchange capacity were correlated with both soil C and N stocks. Increases in soil C and N stocks were related to forest composition, forest basal area as well as quantity of leaf litter that were in turn influenced by altitude and temperature. Concentrations of C in foliage increased by 2.1% for every 1000 m rise in altitude, while that in leaf litter increased by 2.3%.
High-altitude soils potentially store a large pool of carbon (C) and n class="Chemical">nitrogen (N). The assessment of total C and Nstocks in soils is vital to understanding the C and N dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we examined effects of altitude and forest composition on soil C and N along a transect from 317 to 3300 m a.s.l. in the eastern Himalayas. We used meta-analysis to establish the context for our results on the effects of altitude on soil C, including variation with depth. Total C and N contents of soils significantly increased with altitude, but decreased with soil depth. Carbon and N were similarly correlated with altitude and temperature, and temperature was seemingly the main driver of soil C along the altitudinal gradient. Altitude accounted for 73% of the variation in C and 47% of the variation in Nstocks. Soil pH and cation exchange capacity were correlated with both soil C and Nstocks. Increases in soil C and Nstocks were related to forest composition, forest basal area as well as quantity of leaf litter that were in turn influenced by altitude and temperature. Concentrations of C in foliage increased by 2.1% for every 1000 m rise in altitude, while that in leaf litter increased by 2.3%.
Authors: Lydia de la Cruz-Amo; Guillermo Bañares-de-Dios; Victoria Cala; Íñigo Granzow-de la Cerda; Carlos I Espinosa; Alicia Ledo; Norma Salinas; Manuel J Macía; Luis Cayuela Journal: Front Plant Sci Date: 2020-03-03 Impact factor: 5.753