Silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock-dominated landscapes in Mexico

Abstract A large area of the terrestrial land surface is used for livestock grazing. Trees on grazing lands provide and can enhance multiple ecosystem services such as provisioning, cultural and regulating, that include carbon sequestration. In this study, we assessed the above- and belowground carb...

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Main Authors: Deb Raj Aryal, Danilo Enrique Morales-Ruiz, Susana López-Cruz, César Noe Tondopó-Marroquín, Alejandra Lara-Nucamendi, José Antonio Jiménez-Trujillo, Edwin Pérez-Sánchez, Juan Edduardo Betanzos-Simon, Francisco Casasola-Coto, Alejandra Martínez-Salinas, Claudia Janeth Sepúlveda-López, Roselia Ramírez-Díaz, Manuel Alejandro La O Arias, Francisco Guevara-Hernández, René Pinto-Ruiz, Muhammad Ibrahim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2022-10-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21089-4
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author Deb Raj Aryal
Danilo Enrique Morales-Ruiz
Susana López-Cruz
César Noe Tondopó-Marroquín
Alejandra Lara-Nucamendi
José Antonio Jiménez-Trujillo
Edwin Pérez-Sánchez
Juan Edduardo Betanzos-Simon
Francisco Casasola-Coto
Alejandra Martínez-Salinas
Claudia Janeth Sepúlveda-López
Roselia Ramírez-Díaz
Manuel Alejandro La O Arias
Francisco Guevara-Hernández
René Pinto-Ruiz
Muhammad Ibrahim
author_facet Deb Raj Aryal
Danilo Enrique Morales-Ruiz
Susana López-Cruz
César Noe Tondopó-Marroquín
Alejandra Lara-Nucamendi
José Antonio Jiménez-Trujillo
Edwin Pérez-Sánchez
Juan Edduardo Betanzos-Simon
Francisco Casasola-Coto
Alejandra Martínez-Salinas
Claudia Janeth Sepúlveda-López
Roselia Ramírez-Díaz
Manuel Alejandro La O Arias
Francisco Guevara-Hernández
René Pinto-Ruiz
Muhammad Ibrahim
author_sort Deb Raj Aryal
collection DOAJ
description Abstract A large area of the terrestrial land surface is used for livestock grazing. Trees on grazing lands provide and can enhance multiple ecosystem services such as provisioning, cultural and regulating, that include carbon sequestration. In this study, we assessed the above- and belowground carbon stocks across six different land-uses in livestock-dominated landscapes of Mexico. We measured tree biomass and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in fodder banks, live fences, pasturelands with dispersed trees, secondary forests, and primary forests from three different geographical regions and compared them with conventional open pasturelands respectively. We also calculated tree diversity indices for each land-use and their similarity with native primary forests. The aboveground woody biomass stocks differed significantly between land-uses and followed the gradient from less diverse conventional open pasturelands to silvopastoral systems and ecologically complex primary forests. The SOC stocks showed a differential response to the land-use gradient dependent on the study region. Multivariate analyses showed that woody biomass, fine root biomass, and SOC concentrations were positively related, while land-use history and soil bulk density showed an inverse relationship to these variables. Silvopastoral systems and forest remnants stored 27–163% more carbon compared to open pasturelands. Our results demonstrate the importance of promoting appropriate silvopastoral systems and conserving forest remnants within livestock-dominated landscapes as a land-based carbon mitigation strategy. Furthermore, our findings also have important implications to help better manage livestock-dominated landscapes and minimize pressures on natural protected areas and biodiversity in the hotspots of deforestation for grassland expansion.
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spelling doaj.art-6cb513f18f924a2a9e62af2200d471f32022-12-22T03:55:11ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-10-0112111810.1038/s41598-022-21089-4Silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock-dominated landscapes in MexicoDeb Raj Aryal0Danilo Enrique Morales-Ruiz1Susana López-Cruz2César Noe Tondopó-Marroquín3Alejandra Lara-Nucamendi4José Antonio Jiménez-Trujillo5Edwin Pérez-Sánchez6Juan Edduardo Betanzos-Simon7Francisco Casasola-Coto8Alejandra Martínez-Salinas9Claudia Janeth Sepúlveda-López10Roselia Ramírez-Díaz11Manuel Alejandro La O Arias12Francisco Guevara-Hernández13René Pinto-Ruiz14Muhammad Ibrahim15Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaUniversidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Facultad de Ciencias AgronómicasUniversidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Facultad de Ciencias AgronómicasUniversidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Facultad de Ciencias AgronómicasUniversidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Facultad de Ciencias AgronómicasCATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y EnseñanzaCATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y EnseñanzaCATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y EnseñanzaCATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y EnseñanzaCATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y EnseñanzaCATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y EnseñanzaUniversidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Facultad de Ciencias AgronómicasUniversidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Facultad de Ciencias AgronómicasUniversidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Facultad de Ciencias AgronómicasUniversidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Facultad de Ciencias AgronómicasCATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y EnseñanzaAbstract A large area of the terrestrial land surface is used for livestock grazing. Trees on grazing lands provide and can enhance multiple ecosystem services such as provisioning, cultural and regulating, that include carbon sequestration. In this study, we assessed the above- and belowground carbon stocks across six different land-uses in livestock-dominated landscapes of Mexico. We measured tree biomass and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in fodder banks, live fences, pasturelands with dispersed trees, secondary forests, and primary forests from three different geographical regions and compared them with conventional open pasturelands respectively. We also calculated tree diversity indices for each land-use and their similarity with native primary forests. The aboveground woody biomass stocks differed significantly between land-uses and followed the gradient from less diverse conventional open pasturelands to silvopastoral systems and ecologically complex primary forests. The SOC stocks showed a differential response to the land-use gradient dependent on the study region. Multivariate analyses showed that woody biomass, fine root biomass, and SOC concentrations were positively related, while land-use history and soil bulk density showed an inverse relationship to these variables. Silvopastoral systems and forest remnants stored 27–163% more carbon compared to open pasturelands. Our results demonstrate the importance of promoting appropriate silvopastoral systems and conserving forest remnants within livestock-dominated landscapes as a land-based carbon mitigation strategy. Furthermore, our findings also have important implications to help better manage livestock-dominated landscapes and minimize pressures on natural protected areas and biodiversity in the hotspots of deforestation for grassland expansion.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21089-4
spellingShingle Deb Raj Aryal
Danilo Enrique Morales-Ruiz
Susana López-Cruz
César Noe Tondopó-Marroquín
Alejandra Lara-Nucamendi
José Antonio Jiménez-Trujillo
Edwin Pérez-Sánchez
Juan Edduardo Betanzos-Simon
Francisco Casasola-Coto
Alejandra Martínez-Salinas
Claudia Janeth Sepúlveda-López
Roselia Ramírez-Díaz
Manuel Alejandro La O Arias
Francisco Guevara-Hernández
René Pinto-Ruiz
Muhammad Ibrahim
Silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock-dominated landscapes in Mexico
Scientific Reports
title Silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock-dominated landscapes in Mexico
title_full Silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock-dominated landscapes in Mexico
title_fullStr Silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock-dominated landscapes in Mexico
title_full_unstemmed Silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock-dominated landscapes in Mexico
title_short Silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock-dominated landscapes in Mexico
title_sort silvopastoral systems and remnant forests enhance carbon storage in livestock dominated landscapes in mexico
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21089-4
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