Changes in carbon stocks of Fagus forest ecosystems along an altitudinal gradient on Mt. Fanjingshan in Southwest China
- 1Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- 2Administration Bureau of Guizhou Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, Jiangkou 554400, Guizhou, China
- 1Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- 2Administration Bureau of Guizhou Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, Jiangkou 554400, Guizhou, China
Abstract. There are four components of carbon (C) pools in a natural forest ecosystem: vegetation, soil, litter and woody debris. Quantifying these C pools and their contributions to forest ecosystems is important in understanding C cycling in forests. Here, we investigated these four C pools in nine beech (Fagus L., Fagaceae) forests along an altitudinal gradient in southwest China. We found that the C pools of beech forest ecosystems ranged from 190.7 to 503.9 Mg C ha−1, mainly attributed to vegetation C (accounting for 33.7–73.9 %) and soil C (accounting for 24.6–65.4 %). No more than 4 % of ecosystem C pools were stored in woody debris (0.25–3.4 %) and litter (0.2–0.7 %). Ecosystem C storage increased significantly with altitude, where the vegetation and woody debris C pools increased concomitantly with increasing altitude, while those of litter and soil exhibited no significant variations. The forest stand age was found to be a key driver of such altitudinal patterns, especially for vegetation C storage. The present study provides reliable data for understanding the structure and function of Chinese beech forests, and emphasizes the importance of considering the influence of stand age on C accumulation.
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Qiong Cai et al.
Interactive discussion


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RC1: 'Review MS No.: bg-2018-242', Anonymous Referee #1, 22 Jun 2018
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AC1: 'Final response to the referees', Qiong Cai, 24 Sep 2018
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AC1: 'Final response to the referees', Qiong Cai, 24 Sep 2018
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RC2: 'Potentially suitable for Biogeosciences', Anonymous Referee #2, 20 Aug 2018
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AC2: 'Final response to the referees', Qiong Cai, 24 Sep 2018
-
AC2: 'Final response to the referees', Qiong Cai, 24 Sep 2018
Interactive discussion


-
RC1: 'Review MS No.: bg-2018-242', Anonymous Referee #1, 22 Jun 2018
-
AC1: 'Final response to the referees', Qiong Cai, 24 Sep 2018
-
AC1: 'Final response to the referees', Qiong Cai, 24 Sep 2018
-
RC2: 'Potentially suitable for Biogeosciences', Anonymous Referee #2, 20 Aug 2018
-
AC2: 'Final response to the referees', Qiong Cai, 24 Sep 2018
-
AC2: 'Final response to the referees', Qiong Cai, 24 Sep 2018
Qiong Cai et al.
Qiong Cai et al.
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