Soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in forests along an altitudinal gradient in the eastern Himalayas and a meta-analysis of global data

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Global change biology. - 1999. - 22(2016), 6 vom: 23. Juni, Seite 2255-68
1. Verfasser: Tashi, Sonam (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: Singh, Balwant, Keitel, Claudia, Adams, Mark
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2016
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Global change biology
Schlagworte:Journal Article Meta-Analysis Himalayas altitude carbon stocks forest meta-analysis nitrogen stocks Soil Carbon mehr... 7440-44-0 Nitrogen N762921K75
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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%
Beschreibung:Date Completed 13.12.2016
Date Revised 16.11.2017
published: Print-Electronic
Citation Status MEDLINE
ISSN:1365-2486
DOI:10.1111/gcb.13234