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Soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in forests along an altitudinal gradient in the eastern Himalayas and a meta‐analysis of global data
Author(s) -
Tashi Sonam,
Singh Balwant,
Keitel Claudia,
Adams Mark
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.13234
Subject(s) - altitude (triangle) , soil water , environmental science , transect , soil carbon , litter , plant litter , ecosystem , context (archaeology) , basal area , agronomy , soil science , ecology , biology , paleontology , mathematics , geometry
High‐altitude soils potentially store a large pool of carbon ( C ) and nitrogen ( N ). The assessment of total C and N stocks in soils is vital to understanding the C and N dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we examined effects of altitude and forest composition on soil C and N along a transect from 317 to 3300 m a.s.l. in the eastern Himalayas. We used meta‐analysis to establish the context for our results on the effects of altitude on soil C, including variation with depth. Total C and N contents of soils significantly increased with altitude, but decreased with soil depth. Carbon and N were similarly correlated with altitude and temperature, and temperature was seemingly the main driver of soil C along the altitudinal gradient. Altitude accounted for 73% of the variation in C and 47% of the variation in N stocks. Soil pH and cation exchange capacity were correlated with both soil C and N stocks. Increases in soil C and N stocks were related to forest composition, forest basal area as well as quantity of leaf litter that were in turn influenced by altitude and temperature. Concentrations of C in foliage increased by 2.1% for every 1000 m rise in altitude, while that in leaf litter increased by 2.3%.