Spatial distribution of carbon dynamics and nutrient enrichment capacity in different layers and tree tissues of Castanopsis eyeri natural forest ecosystem

Taimoor Hassan Farooq; Xen Xincheng; Awais Shakoor; Muhammad Haroon U Rashid; Muhammad Farhan Bashir; Muhammad Farrakh Nawaz; Uttam Kumar; Sher Muhammad Shahzad; Wende Yan

doi:10.1007/s11356-021-16400-1

Spatial distribution of carbon dynamics and nutrient enrichment capacity in different layers and tree tissues of Castanopsis eyeri natural forest ecosystem

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Feb;29(7):10250-10262. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-16400-1. Epub 2021 Sep 13.

Authors

Taimoor Hassan Farooq^{1

2}, Xen Xincheng³, Awais Shakoor⁴, Muhammad Haroon U Rashid⁵, Muhammad Farhan Bashir⁶, Muhammad Farrakh Nawaz⁷, Uttam Kumar⁸, Sher Muhammad Shahzad⁹, Wende Yan¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Bangor College China, a Joint Unit of Bangor University and Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, China. t.farooq@bangor.ac.uk.
² National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology in Forestry and Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, China. t.farooq@bangor.ac.uk.
³ National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology in Forestry and Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, China.
⁴ Department of Environment and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Avinguda Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, 25198, Lleida, Spain.
⁵ College of Forestry, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410000, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.
⁶ Business School, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, People's Republic of China.
⁷ Department of Forestry and Range Management, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan.
⁸ Institute of Applied Ecology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
⁹ Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, 40100, Pakistan.
¹⁰ National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology in Forestry and Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, China. csfuywd@hotmail.com.

PMID: 34519003
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16400-1

Abstract

Forest ecosystem carbon (C) storage primarily includes vegetation layers C storage, litter C storage, and soil C storage. The precise assessment of forest ecosystem C storage is a major concern that has drawn widespread attention in global climate change worldwide. This study explored the C storage of different layers of the forest ecosystem and the nutrient enrichment capacity of the vegetation layer to the soil in the Castanopsis eyeri natural forest ecosystem (CEF) present in the northeastern Hunan province, central China. The direct field measurements were used for the estimations. Results illustrate that trunk biomass distribution was 48.42% and 62.32% in younger and over-mature trees, respectively. The combined biomass of the understory shrub, herb, and litter layers was 10.46 t·hm^-2, accounting for only 2.72% of the total forest biomass. On average, C content increased with the tree age increment. The C content of tree, shrub, and herb layers was 45.68%, 43.08%, and 35.76%, respectively. Litter C content was higher in the undecomposed litter (44.07 %). Soil C content continually decreased as the soil depth increased, and almost half of soil C was stored in the upper soil layer. Total C stored in CEF was 329.70 t·hm^-2 and it follows the order: tree layer > soil layer > litter layer > shrub layer > herb layer, with C storage distribution of 51.07%, 47.80%, 0.78%, 0.25%, and 0.10%, respectively. Macronutrient enrichment capacity from vegetation layers to soil was highest in the herb layer and lowest in the tree layer, whereas no consistent patterns were observed for trace elements. This study will help understand the production mechanism and ecological process of the C. eyeri natural forest ecosystem and provide the basics for future research on climate mitigation, nutrient cycling, and energy exchange in developing and utilizing sub-tropical vegetation.

Keywords: Biomass production; C pools; Forest ecosystem; Macronutrients; Nutrient enrichment; Sub-tropical zone; Trace elements.

MeSH terms

Biomass
Carbon / analysis
Carbon Sequestration
China
Ecosystem*
Forests
Nutrients
Soil
Trees*

Substances

Soil
Carbon

Grants and funding

70702-45200003/Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department