Soil Respiration in Alder Swamp (Alnus glutinosa) in Southern Taiga of European Russia Depending on Microrelief

Tamara V. Glukhova,Alexey L. Stepanov,Danil V. Ilyasov,Natalia A. Manucharova,Alla V. Golovchenko,Stanislav E. Vompersky

doi:10.3390/f12040496

Tamara V. Glukhova, Alexey L. Stepanov + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/f12040496

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Abstract

Swamp forests have been insufficiently studied yet in comparison with thoroughly examined carbon pools and greenhouse gas fluxes of peat bogs. This is primarily since the GHGs in swamp forests have huge spatial (due to the developed microrelief) and temporal variations (due to strong fluctuations in the groundwater level (GWL)). This significantly complicates their study, producing ambiguous results, especially in short-term field research. From June to October 2013–2016, we measured soil respiration (Rsoil) in an alder swamp using the static chamber method at five microsites: depression (DEP), flat surface (FL), elevations (EL), tussocks (TUS), and near-stem tussocks (STUS). We carried out a computer simulation of the total Rsoil for the season based on Rsoil measurements, monitoring of GWL, and soil temperature. In 2013–2016, the average Rsoil values (mgC m−2 h−1 ± σ) on DEP, FL, EL, TUS and STUS comprised 54 ± 50, 94 ± 72, 146 ± 89, 193 ± 96, and 326 ± 183, respectively, whereas the total Rsoil values for the season (tC ha−1 season−1 ± σ) comprised 2.0 ± 0.5, 3.5 ± 0.5, 5.3 ± 1.6, 5.4 ± 2.7, and 12.6 ± 3.2. According to the results of observations, GWL was at the level of several cm below the soil surface for most of the season. In 2014 and 2015, there were extra dry periods that led to a drop in GWL to a mark of 30–40 cm below the soil surface. Despite their short duration (2–3 weeks), these dry periods can lead to an increase in the total Rsoil for the season from 9 to 45% in the TUS–EL–STUS–FL–DEP sequence.

Highlights

Peat bogs, covering about 3% of the land surface, contain more carbon (C) than any other terrestrial ecosystem, including forests [1]
Microsite (54 mgC m− 2 h− 1 ) in the black alder forest under study, if we take into account the higher average GWL characteristic of the NWR
Similar microlandscapes in a tropical forested swamp emitted as a result of soil respiration from 115 to 130 mgC m− 2 h− 1, while in tussocks, from 115 to 220 mgC m− 2 h− 1 [59]; similar fluxes were registered in the black alder forest under study at microsites on a flat surface (FL), elevations (EL), and tussocks (TUS), respectively

Summary

Introduction

Peat bogs, covering about 3% of the land surface, contain more carbon (C) than any other terrestrial ecosystem, including forests [1]. Peat bogs have become the object of close study in the context of C balance while the rapid climatic changes in recent decades [4,5,6,7]. The focus of the studies has been directed toward the oligotrophic bogs, which are most widespread in the boreal zone [8,9,10]. Other types of wetlands, such as swamp forests and eutrophic bogs, are of significant interest. The high trophicity of eutrophic bogs can lead to higher and longer carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions because of soil respiration (Rsoil ), while swamp

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