10.5061/DRYAD.QBZKH18G6
Reed, Cody C.
0000-0002-3250-8613
University of Nevada Reno
Merrill, Amy G.
0000-0003-3917-2232
American Rivers
Drew, W. Mark
California Trout, Inc.
Christman, Beth
Truckee River Watershed Council
Hutchinson, Rachel A.
South Yuba River Citizens League
Keszey, Levi
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
Odell, Melissa
Sierra Foothill Conservancy
Swanson, Sherman
University of Nevada Reno
Verburg, Paul S. J.
University of Nevada Reno
Wilcox, Jim
Plumas Corporation
Hart, Stephen C.
0000-0002-9023-6943
University of California, Merced
Sullivan, Benjamin W.
0000-0002-9690-4172
University of Nevada Reno
Data from: Montane meadows: A soil carbon sink or source?
Dryad
dataset
2020
FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
https://ror.org/02v6w2r95
P1496002
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
https://ror.org/02v6w2r95
P1496004
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
https://ror.org/02v6w2r95
P1496009
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
https://ror.org/02v6w2r95
P1496008
2020-10-21T00:00:00Z
2020-10-21T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-020-00572-x
905733 bytes
4
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
As the largest biogeochemically active terrestrial reserve of carbon (C),
soils have the potential to either mitigate or amplify rates of climate
change. Ecosystems with large C stocks and high rates of soil C
sequestration, in particular, may have outsized impacts on regional and
global C cycles. Montane meadows have large soil C stocks relative to
surrounding ecosystems. However, anthropogenic disturbances in many
meadows may have altered the balance of C inputs and outputs, potentially
converting these soils from net C sinks to net sources of C to the
atmosphere. Here, we quantified ecosystem-level C inputs and outputs to
estimate the annual net soil C flux from 13 montane meadows spanning a
range of conditions throughout the California Sierra Nevada. Our results
suggest that meadow soils can be either large net C sinks (577.6 ± 250.5 g
C m−2 y−1) or sources of C to the atmosphere (− 391.6 ± 154.2 g C m−2
y−1). Variation in the direction and magnitude of net soil C flux appears
to be driven by belowground C inputs. Vegetation species and functional
group composition were not associated with the direction of net C flux,
but climate and watershed characteristics were. Our results demonstrate
that, per unit area, montane meadows hold a greater potential for C
sequestration than the surrounding forest. However, legacies of
disturbance have converted some meadows to strong net C sources. Accurate
quantification of ecosystem-level C fluxes is critical for the development
of regional C budgets and achieving global emissions goals.