Investigating the Soil-Vegetation Interactions for Kentucky Ecosystems using Field Observations and Remote Sensing Data: Linking Climate Change to Carbon and Water Use Efficiency, and Soil properties

Abstract

The increased deforestation and urbanization of Earth’s surface changes how the soil system interacts with plants and understanding this relationship is vital in this time of climate change. Yet, how soil affects carbon and water use efficiency in plants is poorly understood. Studies show strong relationships between soil nutrient and vegetation carbon use efficiency (CUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) for different ecosystems; however, studies rarely have examined the combined effects of soil characteristics and nutrients on CUE and WUE. This study use both soil profile and satellite data to explore the role soil properties play in regulating water and carbon use by plants. Site and satellite multispectral and hyperspectral data are collected from 30 Kentucky terrestrial ecosystem sites and used to investigate the relationship between spectral reflectance and physical and chemical properties of soil. Results show strong relationship between CUE and phosphorus, soil organic carbon, and iron in the C-horizon for forests. On the contrary, a negative relationship was observed between CUE and SOC in the A-horizon for herbaceous biomes. Also, results show a strong relationship between δ13C and CUE for the forest sites. These types of data are timely and critical for accurate predictions of how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to climate change.