Soil-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases in subtropical plantations of indigenous tree species

Abstract

Indigenous broadleaf plantations are increasingly developing as a prospective silvicultural management approach for substituting in place of large pure conifer plantations in subtropical China. However, little information is known about the effects of tree species conversion on soil-atmosphere greenhouse gas (GHG) exchanges. Four adjacent monospecific plantations were selected in subtropical China to examine the effects of tree species on soil-atmosphere exchanges of N2O, CH4 and CO2. One coniferous plantation was composed of Pinus massoniana (PM), and the three broadleaf plantations were Castanopsis hystrix (CH), Michelia macclurei (MM) and Mytilaria laosensis (ML). We found that mean soil N2O and CO2 emissions in the PM plantation were 4.34 μg N m−2 h−1 and 43.25 mg C m−2 h−1, respectively, lower than those in the broadleaf plantations (>5.25 μg N m−2 h−1 and >56.38 mg C m−2 h−1). The PM plantation soil had higher mean CH4 uptake (39.03 μg C m−2 h−1) than the broadleaf plantation soils (<32.67 μg C m−2 h−1). Variations in soil N2O emissions among tree species could be primarily explained by the differences in litter C:N ratio and soil total N stock. Differences in soil CH4 uptake among tree species could be mostly attributed to the differences in mean soil CO2 flux and water filled pore space (WFPS). Litter C:N ratio could largely account for variations in soil CO2 emissions among tree species. This study confirms that there is no GHG benefit of converting PM plantation to broadleaf plantations in subtropical China. Therefore, the future strategy of tree species selection for substituting in place of large coniferous plantations in subtropical China needs to consider the potential effects of tree species on soil-atmosphere GHG exchanges.