Soil carbon stocks and their primary origin at mature mangrove ecosystems in the estuary of Fukido River, Ishigaki Island, southwestern Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mangrove ecosystems play an important role in carbon (C) accumulation in tropical and subtropical regions. Below-ground deep anoxic soil is especially important for C accumulation. However, quantitative data on below-ground soil C stocks in mangrove ecosystems are lacking compared with data on above-ground biomass. In addition, soil C accumulation processes in mangrove ecosystems have not been sufficiently clarified. In this study, we quantified soil C stocks and focused on the mass of fallen litter and below-ground roots, which are produced by tree and that may directly influence soil C stocks in a mature subtropical mangrove in the estuary of Fukido River, Ishigaki Island, southwestern Japan. The principal species in this study site were Bruguiera gymnorhiza and Rhizophora stylosa, and total above-ground biomass at the site was 80.7 ± 1.3 (mean ± SD) Mg C ha−1 over the period from 2014 to 2016. Litter was collected in six litter traps from May 2013 to November 2016, it ranged from 7.8 to 11.5 Mg C ha−1, with the major proportion of litter being from foliage (leaves and stipules). The root C density at 90-cm depth was 27.1 ± 11.3 Mg C ha−1. The soil C stock in the mangrove forest at a depth of 90 cm at the study site was 251.0 ± 34.8 Mg C ha−1, and it seems to be lower value in the tropical region but it to be higher in subtropical East Asian mangrove sites. Dead roots, especially dead fine roots, but not fallen litter, were significantly positively correlated with soil C stocks. The δ13C values obtained from soils ranged from −29.3‰ to −27.0‰; these values are consistent with those for below-ground fine roots. These results strongly suggest that dead fine roots could be a main factor controlling soil C stocks at this study site.