Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4382390 | Applied Soil Ecology | 2013 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
Tussocks formed by Carex stricta are a relatively large carbon (C) pool in sedge meadows, but the stability of organic matter in these ecosystems is not well understood. We initiated year-long incubation experiments (22.5 °C) to evaluate the CO2 and CH4 production potentials of sedge meadow substrates under field moist and inundated treatments from five sites in the Upper Midwest, USA (4 reference, 1 restored). C mineralization potentials decreased with depth (tussocks > underlying soil), and were positively correlated with macro-organic matter content and negatively with lignin. Across sites, C stored in tussocks and soil at the restoration was the least stable, suggesting that the restoration of C-storage function may take decades. Mineralization potentials were similar between field moist and inundated treatments, but inundation resulted in higher methane production, accounting for 24-51% of total carbon mineralized from tussocks. In the field however, C. stricta tussocks emitted less methane (393 ± 76 mg CH4 mâ2 dâ1) than tussock interspaces (1362 ± 371 mg CH4 mâ2 dâ1) early in the growing season; we suggest that tussock tops oxidized methane produced from deeper anoxic horizons. Our results highlight the importance of considering how microtopography modulates greenhouse gas flux from wetlands and suggests that the C stored in the older, more decomposed C. stricta tussock sedge meadow substrates (both within and between sites) is relatively stable.
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Authors
Beth A. Lawrence, Randall D. Jackson, Christopher J. Kucharik,