Aboveground biomass and its spatial distribution pattern of herbaceous marsh vegetation in China

Herbaceous marsh is the most widely distributed type of marsh wetland ecosystem,and has important ecological functions such as water conservation,climate regulation,carbon storage and fixation,and sheltering rare species.The carbon sequestration function of herbaceous marsh plays a key role in slowing climate warming and maintaining regional environmental stability.Vegetation biomass is an important index reflecting the carbon sequestration capacity of wetlands.Investigating the biomass of marsh vegetation can provide a scientific basis for estimating the carbon storage and carbon sequestration capacity of marshes.Based on field survey data of aboveground biomass of herbaceous marsh vegetation and the distribution data set of marsh in China,we analyzed the aboveground biomass and its spatial distribution pattern of herbaceous marsh on a national scale for the first time.The results showed that in China the total area of herbaceous marsh was 9.7×10^(4) km^(2),the average density of aboveground biomass of herbaceous marsh vegetation was 227.5±23.0 g C m-2(95%confidence interval,the same below),and the total aboveground biomass was 22.2±2.2 Tg C(1 Tg=1012 g).The aboveground biomass density of herbaceous marsh vegetation is generally low in Northeast China and the Tibetan Plateau,and high in central North China and coastal regions in China.In different marsh distribution regions of China,the average biomass density of herbaceous marsh vegetation from small to large was as follows:temperate humid and semi-humid marsh region(182.3±49.3 g C m^(-2))<Tibetan Plateau marsh region(243.9±26.6 g C m-2)<temperate arid and semi-arid marsh region(300.5±73.2 g C m-2)<subtropical humid marsh region(348.4±59.0 g C m-2)<coastal marsh region(675.4±73.8 g C m-2). Due to the different area of herbaceous marsh, the total aboveground biomass of herbaceous marsh vegetation in different marsh distribution regions was the largest in the temperate humid and semi-humid marsh region(9.6±2.6 Tg C), and was the smallest in the coastal marsh region(1.1±0.1 Tg C). The spatial distribution of aboveground biomass of herbaceous marsh vegetation in China has obvious non-zonality characteristics, but also presents certain zonality in some regions. The aboveground biomass of herbaceous marsh vegetation in the Tibetan Plateau decreased with the increase of altitude. With the aggravation of drought, the aboveground biomass of herbaceous marsh vegetation in temperate humid and semi-humid regions and temperate arid and semi-arid regions decreased first and then did not obviously change. The aboveground biomass of herbaceous marsh vegetation in temperate humid and semi-humid regions was relatively larger in the regions with higher average annual temperature. The results can provide scientific basis for accurately evaluating the adjustment action of wetland ecosystems on climate, and provide decision support for adaptive management of wetland ecosystems.

Soil respiration associated with plant succession at the meadow steppes in Songnen Plain, Northeast China

Aims Soil CO_(2) emission from steppes is affected by soil properties and vegetation in different successional stages.Primary and secondary succession of plants frequently occurred at the meadow steppe in Songnen Plain,Northeast China,which indicates the large uncer-tainty associated with CO_(2) emission in this environment.This study aims to investigate the temporal variations of soil respiration(Rs)and the effect of plant succession on cumulative soil CO_(2) emission during the growing season.Methods Using a LI-6400 soil CO_(2) flux system,Rs of five vegetation types which represented different stages of plant succession in meadow steppes of Songnen Plain,China,was investigated during the grow-ing seasons of 2011 and 2012.Important Findings Soil temperature(Ts)was the dominant controlling factor of Rs,which could explain~64%of the change in CO_(2) fluxes.The Q10 values of Rs were ranged from 2.0 to 6.7,showing a decreasing trend with the plant successional stages.The cumulative CO_(2) emis-sion increased with the degree of vegetation succession and it aver-aged to 316±6 g C m^(−2)(ranges:74.8±6.7 to 516.5±11.4 g C m^(−2))during the growing season.The magnitude of soil CO_(2) emission during the growing season was positively correlated with above-ground plant biomass,soil organic carbon content and mean soil water content,while negatively linked to mean Ts,pH,electrical conductivity and exchangeable sodium percentages.The results implied that soil CO_(2) emission increased with the development of plant communities toward more advanced stages.Our findings pro-vided valuable information for understanding the variations of CO_(2) emission in the process of vegetation succession.