10.5061/DRYAD.NS92Q
Zhou, Yong
Texas A&M University
Boutton, Thomas W.
Texas A&M University
Wu, X. Ben
Texas A&M University
Data from: Soil carbon response to woody plant encroachment: Importance of
spatial heterogeneity and deep soil storage
Dryad
dataset
2017
deep soil carbon
subtropical savanna
landscape scale
pattern of spatial heterogeneity
woody plant encroachment
δ13C value
SOC storage
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
DEB/DDIG1600790
2017-03-10T22:51:36Z
2017-03-10T22:51:36Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12770
442980 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. Recent global trends of increasing woody plant abundance in
grass-dominated ecosystems may substantially enhance soil organic carbon
(SOC) storage and could represent a strong carbon (C) sink in the
terrestrial environment. However, few studies have quantitatively
addressed the influence of spatial heterogeneity of vegetation and soil
properties on SOC storage at the landscape scale. In addition, most
studies assessing SOC response to woody encroachment consider only surface
soils, and have not explicitly assessed the extent to which deeper
portions of the soil profile may be sequestering C. 2. We quantified the
direction, magnitude, and pattern of spatial heterogeneity of SOC in the
upper 1.2 m of the profile following woody encroachment via
spatially-specific intensive soil sampling across a landscape in a
subtropical savanna in the Rio Grande Plains, USA, that has undergone
woody proliferation during the past century. 3. Increased SOC accumulation
following woody encroachment was observed to considerable depth, albeit at
reduced magnitudes in deeper portions of the profile. Overall, woody
clusters and groves accumulated 12.87 and 18.67 Mg C ha-1 more SOC
compared to grasslands to a depth of 1.2 m. 4. Woody encroachment
significantly altered the pattern of spatial heterogeneity of SOC to a
depth of 5 cm, with marginal effect at 5-15 cm, and no significant impact
on soils below 15 cm. Fine root density explained greater variability of
SOC in the upper 15 cm, while a combination of fine root density and soil
clay content accounted for more of the variation in SOC in soils below 15
cm across this landscape. 5. Synthesis: Substantial SOC sequestration can
occur in deeper portions of the soil profile following woody encroachment.
Furthermore, vegetation patterns and soil properties influenced the
spatial heterogeneity and uncertainty of SOC in this landscape,
highlighting the need for spatially specific sampling that can
characterize this variability and enable scaling and modeling. Given the
geographic extent of woody encroachment on a global scale, this
undocumented deep soil C sequestration suggests this vegetation change may
play a more significant role in regional and global C sequestration than
previously thought.
Soil carbon response to woody plant encroachmentPlease see the metadata
tab in the excel file for data description.Zhou et al. 2017. Journal of
Ecology..xlsx
Texas