Changes in carbon following forest soil transplants along an altitudinal gradient
Garten CT. 2008. Changes in carbon following forest soil transplants along an altitudinal gradient. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. 39(19-20):2883-2893
Using a simple case study approach, this research tested the hypothesis that soil organic carbon (C) concentrations would decline when mineral soils from cool, nitrogen (N)–rich, high‐elevation (>1400 m) forests were transplanted to warmer, N‐poor, low‐elevation (545 m) forests. Two short‐term (<5 year) experiments were performed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tenn./N.C.) in the southern Appalachian Mountains. In the first experiment, C concentrations in whole soils, particulate organic matter (POM), and mineral‐associated organic matter (MOM) declined significantly (P 0.001) when soils from a high elevation site (1H) were transplanted to a low‐elevation site (1L). In the second experiment, there was a significant (P 0.05) decline in POM C concentrations when high elevation soils (2H) were moved to a lower elevation (2L) as well as declines in whole soil C concentrations that were significant at P 0.10. In both cases, reciprocal transplants of low elevation soils to high elevations resulted in no detectable change in soil C concentrations. Warming of higher quality soil organic matter (whole soil C‐to‐N ratio <20) resulted in greater soil C loss. Consistent with prior predictions, the results suggest that a future warmer and drier climate may cause losses of forest soil C at high elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Garten, Charles
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- Climate Change, elevation gradient, Mineral-associated Organic Matter, MOM, particulate organic matter, POM, Soil Carbon, Soil C-to-N Ratio, southern Appalachian mountains, warming