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Role of vegetation in determining carbon sequestration along ecological succession in the southeastern United States

Publication ,  Journal Article
STOY, PC; KATUL, GG; SIQUEIRA, MBS; JUANG, JEHN-YIH; NOVICK, KA; McCARTHY, HR; OISHI, AC; Oren, R
Published in: Global Change Biology.
June 2008

Vegetation plays a central role in controlling terrestrial carbon (C) exchange, but quantifying its impacts on C cycling on time scales of ecological succession is hindered by a lack of long-term observations. The net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE) was measured for several years in adjacent ecosystems that represent distinct phases of ecological succession in the southeastern USA. The experiment was designed to isolate the role of vegetation - apart from climate and soils - in controlling biosphere-atmosphere fluxes of CO₂ and water vapor. NEE was near zero over 5 years at an early successional old-field ecosystem (OF). However, mean annual NEE was nearly equal, approximately -450 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, at an early successional planted pine forest (PP) and a late successional hardwood forest (HW) due to the sensitivity of the former to drought and ice storm damage. We hypothesize that these observations can be explained by the relationships between gross ecosystem productivity (GEP), ecosystem respiration (RE) and canopy conductance, and long-term shifts in ecosystem physiology in response to climate to maintain near-constant ecosystem-level water-use efficiency (EWUE). Data support our hypotheses, but future research should examine if GEP and RE are causally related or merely controlled by similar drivers. At successional time scales, GEP and RE observations generally followed predictions from E. P. Odum's 'Strategy of Ecosystem Development', with the surprising exception that the relationship between GEP and RE resulted in large NEE at the late successional HW. A practical consequence of this research suggests that plantation forestry may confer no net benefit over the conservation of mature forests for C sequestration.

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Published In

Global Change Biology.

DOI

ISSN

1354-1013

Publication Date

June 2008

Volume

14

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1409 / 1427

Related Subject Headings

  • Ecology
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences
 

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STOY, P. C., KATUL, G. G., SIQUEIRA, M. B. S., JUANG, J.-Y., NOVICK, K. A., McCARTHY, H. R., … Oren, R. (2008). Role of vegetation in determining carbon sequestration along ecological succession in the southeastern United States. Global Change Biology., 14(6), 1409–1427. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01587.x
STOY, PAUL C., GABRIEL G. KATUL, MARIO B. S. SIQUEIRA, J. E. H. N. -. Y. I. H. JUANG, KIMBERLY A. NOVICK, HEATHER R. McCARTHY, A C. H. R. I. S. T. O. P. H. E. R. OISHI, and Ram Oren. “Role of vegetation in determining carbon sequestration along ecological succession in the southeastern United States.” Global Change Biology. 14, no. 6 (June 2008): 1409–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01587.x.
STOY PC, KATUL GG, SIQUEIRA MBS, JUANG JEHN-YIH, NOVICK KA, McCARTHY HR, et al. Role of vegetation in determining carbon sequestration along ecological succession in the southeastern United States. Global Change Biology. 2008 Jun;14(6):1409–27.
STOY, PAUL C., et al. “Role of vegetation in determining carbon sequestration along ecological succession in the southeastern United States.” Global Change Biology., vol. 14, no. 6, June 2008, pp. 1409–27. Epmc, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01587.x.
STOY PC, KATUL GG, SIQUEIRA MBS, JUANG JEHN-YIH, NOVICK KA, McCARTHY HR, OISHI AC, Oren R. Role of vegetation in determining carbon sequestration along ecological succession in the southeastern United States. Global Change Biology. 2008 Jun;14(6):1409–1427.
Journal cover image

Published In

Global Change Biology.

DOI

ISSN

1354-1013

Publication Date

June 2008

Volume

14

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1409 / 1427

Related Subject Headings

  • Ecology
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences