Response of soil respiration and ecosystem carbon budget to vegetation removal in Eucalyptus plantations with contrasting ages.

ABSTRACT: Reforested plantations have substantial effects on terrestrial carbon cycling due to their large coverage area. Although understory plants are important components of reforested plantations, their effects on ecosystem carbon dynamics remain unclear. This study was designed to investigate the effects of vegetation removal/understory removal and tree girdling on soil respiration and ecosystem carbon dynamics in Eucalyptus plantations of South China with contrasting ages (2 and 24 years old). We conducted a field manipulation experiment from 2008 to 2009. Understory removal reduced soil respiration in both plantations, whereas tree girdling decreased soil respiration only in the 2-year-old plantations. The net ecosystem production was approximately three times greater in the 2-year-old planta

SUBMITTER: Wu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4151106 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature