Abstract
This study investigated the relationships amongst floristic, soil and climatic parameters and their control on carbon sequestration (CS) in two selected forest stands of Sri Lanka. Representative sampling sites were selected from the dry zone (Sigiriya forest sanctuary) and the wet zone (Udawattakele forest reserve) of Sri Lanka. Litter and soil samples were collected from each sampling site randomly in monthly intervals to cover an annual cycle. Plant biomass carbon stocks were calculated using standard biomass equations. Soil carbon stocks were determined by chemical oxidation and loss on ignition (LOI) methods. Principle Factor Analysis and multiple regression were used to quantify the relationships among the plants, soil and climatic variables. Plant biomass carbon stocks of the forests were governed by labile and stable C fractions, soil moisture, and plant diversity. The soil fulvic fraction acts as a focal point of interacting the variables such as soil N, free litter fraction (FLF) and humic fraction. During dry period in the dry zone forest, CS was governed by maximum relative humidity through an atmosphere-floor litter-soil continuum. Air temperature and FLF play a vital role in determining soil N. In addition, MacIntosh distance (U) diversity index showed a significant positive relationship with soil N. The dry zone forests are seen to be more climatic sensitive and vulnerable than the wet zone forests in Sri Lanka due to influence of more climatic parameters that govern the soil organic carbon fractions.
Highlights
The Kyoto protocol mainly summarized the effective ways of reducing greenhouse gases such as CO2, which can ideally be controlled through forest plantation supporting carbon sequestration (CS)
Our results showed that the soil moisture, NH4+ -N, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N contents were higher in the wet zone forest than the dry zone forest (Table 1)
In the wet zone forest, aboveground biomass (201 t/ha) and belowground biomass (48 t/ha) C stocks were significantly high compared to the dry zone forest (60 t/ha and 17 t/ha, respectively)
Summary
The Kyoto protocol mainly summarized the effective ways of reducing greenhouse gases such as CO2, which can ideally be controlled through forest plantation supporting carbon sequestration (CS). The multiple associations between traits and ecosystem processes can help to identify predictable trait-service clusters. These clusters depend on traits of plants and soil organisms that underlie nutrient cycling (Bello et al, 2010). Such combined approaches are a crucial step in ecosystem service monitoring and in balancing the delivery of multiple and sometimes conflicting services in ecosystem management
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