1. The impact of fast-growing eucalypt plantations on C emissions in tropical soil: effect of belowground and aboveground C inputs.
- Author
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da Silva Teixeira R, Costa DC, Cavalcante VS, Fialho RC, Teixeira APM, de Sousa RN, de Almeida Vasconcelos A, and da Silva IR
- Subjects
- Environmental Monitoring, Forests, Trees, Carbon analysis, Soil, Carbon Dioxide analysis
- Abstract
Planted forest soils can have great potential for CO
2 -C sequestration, mainly due to belowground C inputs, which impact deep soil C (DSC) accumulation. However, there are still gaps in understanding the CO2 emission dynamics in eucalypt plantations. Therefore, we used isotopic techniques to investigate the dynamics of the soil surface CO2 -C flux and CO2 -C concentration with depth for a eucalypt plantation influenced by different C inputs (above- and belowground). The gas evaluations were carried in depth the root to valuation of root priming effect (RPE) was calculated. In addition, measurements of the plant (C-fine root and C-litterfall) and soil (total organic carbon - TOC, total nitrogen - TN, soil moisture - SM, and soil temperature - ST) were performed. After planting the eucalypt trees, there was an increase in the soil surface CO2 -C flux with plant growth. Root growth contributed greatly to the soil surface CO2 -C flux, promoting greater surface RPE over time. In comparison to the other factors, SM had a greater influence on litterfall decomposition and root respiration. It was not possible to detect losses in TOC and TN in the different soil layers for the 31-month-old eucalypt. However, the 40-month-old eucalypt showed a positive RPE with depth, indicating possible replacement of DSC ("old C") by rhizodeposition-C ("new C") in the soil. Thus, in eucalyptus plantations, aboveground plant growth influences CO2 emissions on the soil surface, while root growth and activity influence C in deeper soil layers. This information indicates the need for future changes in forest management, with a view to reducing CO2 emissions., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)- Published
- 2023
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