Aboveground vs. Belowground Carbon Stocks in African Tropical Lowland Rainforest: Drivers and Implications.
African tropical rainforests are one of the most important hotspots to look for changes in the upcoming decades when it comes to C storage and release. The focus of studying C dynamics in these systems lies traditionally on living aboveground biomass. Belowground soil organic carbon stocks have rece...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2015-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4657968?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818909499194343424 |
|---|---|
| author | Sebastian Doetterl Elizabeth Kearsley Marijn Bauters Koen Hufkens Janvier Lisingo Geert Baert Hans Verbeeck Pascal Boeckx |
| author_facet | Sebastian Doetterl Elizabeth Kearsley Marijn Bauters Koen Hufkens Janvier Lisingo Geert Baert Hans Verbeeck Pascal Boeckx |
| author_sort | Sebastian Doetterl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | African tropical rainforests are one of the most important hotspots to look for changes in the upcoming decades when it comes to C storage and release. The focus of studying C dynamics in these systems lies traditionally on living aboveground biomass. Belowground soil organic carbon stocks have received little attention and estimates of the size, controls and distribution of soil organic carbon stocks are highly uncertain. In our study on lowland rainforest in the central Congo basin, we combine both an assessment of the aboveground C stock with an assessment of the belowground C stock and analyze the latter in terms of functional pools and controlling factors.Our study shows that despite similar vegetation, soil and climatic conditions, soil organic carbon stocks in an area with greater tree height (= larger aboveground carbon stock) were only half compared to an area with lower tree height (= smaller aboveground carbon stock). This suggests that substantial variability in the aboveground vs. belowground C allocation strategy and/or C turnover in two similar tropical forest systems can lead to significant differences in total soil organic C content and C fractions with important consequences for the assessment of the total C stock of the system.We suggest nutrient limitation, especially potassium, as the driver for aboveground versus belowground C allocation. However, other drivers such as C turnover, tree functional traits or demographic considerations cannot be excluded. We argue that large and unaccounted variability in C stocks is to be expected in African tropical rain-forests. Currently, these differences in aboveground and belowground C stocks are not adequately verified and implemented mechanistically into Earth System Models. This will, hence, introduce additional uncertainty to models and predictions of the response of C storage of the Congo basin forest to climate change and its contribution to the terrestrial C budget. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T22:27:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3f226204227a4eeeab809ce68ecb8a7e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T22:27:53Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-3f226204227a4eeeab809ce68ecb8a7e2022-12-21T20:03:27ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-011011e014320910.1371/journal.pone.0143209Aboveground vs. Belowground Carbon Stocks in African Tropical Lowland Rainforest: Drivers and Implications.Sebastian DoetterlElizabeth KearsleyMarijn BautersKoen HufkensJanvier LisingoGeert BaertHans VerbeeckPascal BoeckxAfrican tropical rainforests are one of the most important hotspots to look for changes in the upcoming decades when it comes to C storage and release. The focus of studying C dynamics in these systems lies traditionally on living aboveground biomass. Belowground soil organic carbon stocks have received little attention and estimates of the size, controls and distribution of soil organic carbon stocks are highly uncertain. In our study on lowland rainforest in the central Congo basin, we combine both an assessment of the aboveground C stock with an assessment of the belowground C stock and analyze the latter in terms of functional pools and controlling factors.Our study shows that despite similar vegetation, soil and climatic conditions, soil organic carbon stocks in an area with greater tree height (= larger aboveground carbon stock) were only half compared to an area with lower tree height (= smaller aboveground carbon stock). This suggests that substantial variability in the aboveground vs. belowground C allocation strategy and/or C turnover in two similar tropical forest systems can lead to significant differences in total soil organic C content and C fractions with important consequences for the assessment of the total C stock of the system.We suggest nutrient limitation, especially potassium, as the driver for aboveground versus belowground C allocation. However, other drivers such as C turnover, tree functional traits or demographic considerations cannot be excluded. We argue that large and unaccounted variability in C stocks is to be expected in African tropical rain-forests. Currently, these differences in aboveground and belowground C stocks are not adequately verified and implemented mechanistically into Earth System Models. This will, hence, introduce additional uncertainty to models and predictions of the response of C storage of the Congo basin forest to climate change and its contribution to the terrestrial C budget.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4657968?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Sebastian Doetterl Elizabeth Kearsley Marijn Bauters Koen Hufkens Janvier Lisingo Geert Baert Hans Verbeeck Pascal Boeckx Aboveground vs. Belowground Carbon Stocks in African Tropical Lowland Rainforest: Drivers and Implications. PLoS ONE |
| title | Aboveground vs. Belowground Carbon Stocks in African Tropical Lowland Rainforest: Drivers and Implications. |
| title_full | Aboveground vs. Belowground Carbon Stocks in African Tropical Lowland Rainforest: Drivers and Implications. |
| title_fullStr | Aboveground vs. Belowground Carbon Stocks in African Tropical Lowland Rainforest: Drivers and Implications. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aboveground vs. Belowground Carbon Stocks in African Tropical Lowland Rainforest: Drivers and Implications. |
| title_short | Aboveground vs. Belowground Carbon Stocks in African Tropical Lowland Rainforest: Drivers and Implications. |
| title_sort | aboveground vs belowground carbon stocks in african tropical lowland rainforest drivers and implications |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4657968?pdf=render |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sebastiandoetterl abovegroundvsbelowgroundcarbonstocksinafricantropicallowlandrainforestdriversandimplications AT elizabethkearsley abovegroundvsbelowgroundcarbonstocksinafricantropicallowlandrainforestdriversandimplications AT marijnbauters abovegroundvsbelowgroundcarbonstocksinafricantropicallowlandrainforestdriversandimplications AT koenhufkens abovegroundvsbelowgroundcarbonstocksinafricantropicallowlandrainforestdriversandimplications AT janvierlisingo abovegroundvsbelowgroundcarbonstocksinafricantropicallowlandrainforestdriversandimplications AT geertbaert abovegroundvsbelowgroundcarbonstocksinafricantropicallowlandrainforestdriversandimplications AT hansverbeeck abovegroundvsbelowgroundcarbonstocksinafricantropicallowlandrainforestdriversandimplications AT pascalboeckx abovegroundvsbelowgroundcarbonstocksinafricantropicallowlandrainforestdriversandimplications |