Abstract
Carbon storage of mountain forests is vulnerable to climate change but the changes in carbon flux through time are poorly understood. Moreover, the relative contributions to carbon flux of drivers such as climate and atmospheric CO2 still have significant uncertainties. We used the dynamic model LPJ-GUESS with climate data from twelve meteorological stations in the Qilian Mountains, China to simulate changes in carbon mass of a montane boreal forest, and the influence of temperature, precipitation, and CO2 concentration from 1964 to 2013 on carbon flux. The results showed that the carbon mass has increased 1.202 kg/m2 from 1964 to 2013, and net primary productivity (NPP) ranged from 0.997 to 1.122 kg/m2/year. We concluded that the highest carbon mass proportion for this montane boreal forest was at altitudes 2700–3100 m (proportion of ecosystem carbon was between 93–97%), with maximum carbon density observed at 2700–2900 m. In the last 50 years, the increase in precipitation and in CO2 concentration is expected to increase carbon mass and NPP of Picea crassifolia Kom. (Pinaceae) (Qinghai spruce). The effect of temperature on NPP was positive but that on carbon mass was not clear. The increase in CO2 concentration over the past 50 years was a major contributor to the increase in carbon storage, and drought was the foremost limiting factor in carbon storage capacity of this montane boreal forest. Picea crassifolia forest was vulnerable to climate change. Further studies need to focus on the impact of extreme weather, especially drought, on carbon storage in Picea crassifolia forests.
Highlights
Climate change influences the carbon and water cycles in mountain areas [1]
Our LPJ-GUESS model simulation showed that the main distribution of Picea crassifolia in the Qilian Mountains was at 2700 to 3100 m, and the average carbon storage was 10.503 kg/m2, with a maximum of 11.787 kg/m2
Our simulation of Picea crassifolia net primary productivity (NPP) was between 0.52–0.58 kg·C/m2 /year, which is in the range of
Summary
Climate change influences the carbon and water cycles in mountain areas [1]. Forests in mountain areas provide important ecological and socio-economic services; carbon storage is vulnerable to the effects of climate change and may decrease its ecological service function over time [2,3].Research on the response of mountain ecosystems, especially of alpine forests and tree species, to climate change, is lacking [1,2]. Climate change influences the carbon and water cycles in mountain areas [1]. Forests in mountain areas provide important ecological and socio-economic services; carbon storage is vulnerable to the effects of climate change and may decrease its ecological service function over time [2,3]. Research on the response of mountain ecosystems, especially of alpine forests and tree species, to climate change, is lacking [1,2]. High mountain boreal forests, which have numerous organic pools stored aboveground and in the permafrost, play an important role in regional carbon budgets and are exposed to rapid climate change; research on carbon pools at high elevations and controls on carbon flux through time lag behind [5,6] due primarily to insufficient data [7]. Using biomass models to Forests 2018, 9, 57; doi:10.3390/f9020057 www.mdpi.com/journal/forests
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