Soil carbon and nitrogen storage in recently restored and mature native Scirpus marshes in the Yangtze Estuary, China: Implications for restoration

Abstract

As part of research into the re-establishment of the native species Scirpus mariqueter in the salt marshes of the Yangtze Estuary, the roles of revegetation mode (planting density), site characteristics (sediment texture and hydrological regime) and community age (recently restored and mature marshes) in the storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SN) were examined. In recently restored marsh characterized by muddy sediments with moderate sediment accretion, vegetation growth and SOC and SN storage increased along with the increase in planting densities and the SOC storage was 1.14–1.52 times greater than that in non-vegetated plots after two years of revegetation. The SOC storage under a high planting density equated to approximately 75% of the carbon stock in the mature marsh. However, the increase in SOC storage was much less in those sites characterized by silty sediments than that in sites with muddy sediment, even when a high planting density was applied. This is attributed to a lower rate of sediment deposition and inhibition of below-ground root growth, which was found to be strongly correlated with carbon and nitrogen stocks in the soil. Additionally, the main rooting system of S. mariqueter and SOC and SN storage were concentrated in the top ∼20cm in the recently restored marshes. These results demonstrate that successful vegetation restoration plays a key role in determining SOC and SN storage within a salt marsh. The restoration of native S. mariqueter for SOC and SN stocks is most effective when conducted in muddy sediments with good sedimentation rates and using a high planting density. In contrast, costs will be higher and recovery time longer in silty (or sandy) sediments, due to their poorer conditions for plant growth and significantly lower rates of carbon and nitrogen accumulation.