Steady state terrestrial ecosystems and the global carbon cycle |
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Authors: | Ariel E Lugo Sandra Brown |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Tropical Forestry, Southern Forest Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box AQ, 00928 Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, USA;(2) Department of Forestry, University of Illinois, 110 Mumford Hall, 1301 W. Gregory Drive, 61801 Urbana, Illinois, USA |
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Abstract: | The assumption that landscapes dominated by mature vegetation are presently in carbon steady state with the atmosphere is challenged. Evidence suggests that the vegetation and soils of these landscapes are frequently disturbed and over short time periods (<300 yr) slowly sequester atmospheric carbon. The critical consideration in this argument is the time interval used to evaluate a steady state. Current models of carbon flux through the terrestrial biota limit their time considerations to 120 yr, a short and inadequate time interval for realistic assumptions about steady state in the carbon cycle of vegetation.Research performed under subcontract 19B-07762C with S. Brown and 19X-43326C with the Center for Energy and Environment Research of the University of Puerto Rico (A. E. Lugo) under Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., contract DE-AC05-840R21400 with the U.S. Department of Energy. |
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Keywords: | Carbon cycle Steady state Terrestrial ecosystem |
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