Dataset Information

Relationships between above- and below-ground carbon stocks in mangrove forests facilitate better estimation of total mangrove blue carbon.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although great efforts have been made to quantify mangrove carbon stocks, accurate estimations of below-ground carbon stocks remain unreliable. In this study, we examined the distribution patterns of mangrove carbon stocks in China and other countries using our own field survey data and datasets from published literature. Based on these data, we investigated the possible relationships between above-ground carbon stock (AGC) and below-ground carbon stock (BGC) for mangrove forests, aiming to provide a scientific basis for estimation of total mangrove carbon stocks.

Results

The average above-ground carbon stock in each region was sizeable (ranging from 12.0 to 150.2 Mg/ha), but average below-ground carbon stock was dominant (ranging from 46.6 to 388.6 Mg/ha), accounting for 69-91% of total carbon stock at the sites studied in China. Significant positive relationships were found between above-ground and below-ground mangrove carbon stocks, with the best fitting equation as BGC = 1.58 * AGC + 81.06 (Mg/ha, R² = 0.62, p < 0.01, n = 122) for China. Such linear relationships vary for mangrove forests of different types and locations, from different geographical regions in China to other countries worldwide.

Conclusion

The positive relationship we found between above- and below-ground carbon stocks of mangrove forests in China and worldwide can facilitate more accurate assessments of mangrove blue carbon stocks at regional or global scales using modern techniques including remote sensing.

SUBMITTER: Meng Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7972349 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Relationships between above- and below-ground carbon stocks in mangrove forests facilitate better estimation of total mangrove blue carbon.

Meng Yuchen Y Bai Jiankun J Gou Ruikun R Cui Xiaowei X Feng Jianxiang J Dai Zheng Z Diao Xiaoping X Zhu Xiaoshan X Lin Guanghui G

Carbon balance and management 20210317 1

<h4>Background</h4>Although great efforts have been made to quantify mangrove carbon stocks, accurate estimations of below-ground carbon stocks remain unreliable. In this study, we examined the distribution patterns of mangrove carbon stocks in China and other countries using our own field survey data and datasets from published literature. Based on these data, we investigated the possible relationships between above-ground carbon stock (AGC) and below-ground carbon stock (BGC) for mangrove fore ...[more]

PMID: 33730236

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Project description:Globally, carbon-rich mangrove forests are deforested and degraded due to land-use and land-cover change (LULCC). The impact of mangrove deforestation on carbon emissions has been reported on a global scale; however, uncertainty remains at subnational scales due to geographical variability and field data limitations. We present an assessment of blue carbon storage at five mangrove sites across West Papua Province, Indonesia, a region that supports 10% of the world's mangrove area. The sites are representative of contrasting hydrogeomorphic settings and also capture change over a 25-years LULCC chronosequence. Field-based assessments were conducted across 255 plots covering undisturbed and LULCC-affected mangroves (0-, 5-, 10-, 15- and 25-year-old post-harvest or regenerating forests as well as 15-year-old aquaculture ponds). Undisturbed mangroves stored total ecosystem carbon stocks of 182-2,730 (mean ± SD: 1,087 ± 584) Mg C/ha, with the large variation driven by hydrogeomorphic settings. The highest carbon stocks were found in estuarine interior (EI) mangroves, followed by open coast interior, open coast fringe and EI forests. Forest harvesting did not significantly affect soil carbon stocks, despite an elevated dead wood density relative to undisturbed forests, but it did remove nearly all live biomass. Aquaculture conversion removed 60% of soil carbon stock and 85% of live biomass carbon stock, relative to reference sites. By contrast, mangroves left to regenerate for more than 25 years reached the same level of biomass carbon compared to undisturbed forests, with annual biomass accumulation rates of 3.6 ± 1.1 Mg C ha-1 year-1 . This study shows that hydrogeomorphic setting controls natural dynamics of mangrove blue carbon stocks, while long-term land-use changes affect carbon loss and gain to a substantial degree. Therefore, current land-based climate policies must incorporate landscape and land-use characteristics, and their related carbon management consequences, for more effective emissions reduction targets and restoration outcomes.

Project description:Understanding the invasion of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) into adjacent evergreen broadleaf forest based on functional traits is crucial due to its significant influence on ecosystem processes. However, existing research has primarily focused on above- or below-ground traits in isolation, lacking a comprehensive integration of both. In this study, we conducted a trait-based analysis including 23 leaf traits and 11 root traits in three forest types - bamboo forest, mixed bamboo and broadleaf forest, and evergreen broadleaf forest - to investigate trait differences, phenotypic integration, and above- and below-ground resource strategies in bamboo and broadleaf species. Our findings demonstrated significant differences in leaf and root key traits between bamboo and broadleaf species, strongly supporting the "phenotypic divergence hypothesis". Bamboo exhibited stronger trait correlations compared to broadleaf species, indicating higher phenotypic integration. Above- and below-ground strategies were characterized by trade-offs rather than coordination, resulting in a multi-dimensional trait syndrome. Specifically, a unidimensional leaf economics spectrum revealed that bamboo with higher leaf N concentrations (LNC), P concentrations (LPC), and specific leaf area (SLA) adopted a "fast acquisitive" above-ground strategy, while broadleaf species with thicker leaves employed a "slow conservative" above-ground strategy. A two-dimensional root trait syndrome indicated a "conservation" gradient with bamboo adopting a "slow conservative" below-ground strategy associated with higher root tissue density (RTD), and broadleaf species exhibiting a "fast acquisitive" below-ground strategy linked to higher root N concentrations (RNC) and P concentrations (RPC), and a "collaboration" gradient probably ranging from broadleaf species with a "do-it-yourself" strategy characterized by high specific root length (SRL), to bamboo adopting an "outsourcing" strategy with thicker roots. In conclusion, key trait divergence from coexisting broadleaf species, higher phenotypic integration, and multi-dimensional opposite above- and below-ground resource strategies confer competitive advantages to moso bamboo, shedding light on the mechanistic understanding of its invasion into subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest and providing theoretical guidance for maintaining the stability of subtropical forest ecosystem.

Dataset Information

Relationships between above- and below-ground carbon stocks in mangrove forests facilitate better estimation of total mangrove blue carbon.

Background

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Relationships between above- and below-ground carbon stocks in mangrove forests facilitate better estimation of total mangrove blue carbon.

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