Dynamics of soil carbon following destruction of tropical rainforest and the subsequent establishment of Imperata grassland in Indonesian Borneo using stable carbon isotopes

Southeast Asia has the highest rate of tropical rainforest deforestation worldwide, and large deforested areas have been replaced ultimately by the highly invasive grass Imperata cylindrica. However, information on the carbon (C) budget with such land transition is very scarce. This study presents the dynamics of soil C following rainforest destruction and the subsequent establishment of Imperata grassland in the lowland humid tropics of Indonesian Borneo using stable C isotopes. To evaluate the relative contribution of organic matter originating from primary forest (C₃) and grasslands (C₄), we compared soil C stock and natural ¹³C abundance from six sites to a depth of 100 cm using samples with a wide range of soil textures. Twelve years after the first soil sampling in the grasslands, we re‐sampled to examine temporal changes in soil organic matter. The grassland topsoil (0–5 cm) is an active layer with rapid decomposition and incorporation of fresh C (mean residence time: 7.5 year) and a substantial proportion of the stable C pool (37%). The decline in forest‐derived C was slight, even at 5–10 cm depths, and subsoil (20–100 cm depth) forest‐derived C did not change along the forest‐to‐grassland chronosequence. Grassland‐derived C stock increased significantly in the subsurface and subsoils (5–100 cm). Simulation indicated that total soil C stock (0–100 cm) increased by 18.6 Mg ha^?1 from initial primary forest (58.0 Mg ha^?1) to a new equilibrium state of the grassland (76.6 Mg ha^?1) after 30–50 years of grassland establishment. This research indicates that the soil did not function as a CO₂ source when the deforested area was replaced by Imperata grassland on the Ultisols of the Asian humid tropics. Instead, increased soil C stocks offset CO₂ emissions, with the C offset accounting for 6.6–7.4% of the loss of biomass C stock.     

Desert grassland dynamics estimated from carbon isotopes in grass phytoliths and soil organic matter

Abstract. We document the potential for using carbon isotopes in both soil organic matter (SOM) and grass phytoliths in soil to increase the temporal and taxonomic resolutions of long term vegetation dynamics. Carbon isotope values from both SOM and phytoliths are expected to describe both the age of material through ¹⁴C dating, and the photosynthetic pathway of the source plant material through ratios of ¹²C/¹³C. Taxonomic resolution is increased because the phytoliths examined are specific to grasses, whereas the SOM reflects the contribution of all the vegetation. Temporal resolution is increased because phytoliths are less mobile in the soil profile than SOM, and can therefore provide older dates from the same soil depth. Our results, from a desert grassland site in southwestern North America, largely confirm these expectations, and show that C₄ species have dominated the grass composition for the last 8000 yr, C₃ non‐grass vegetation increased about 100–350 yrBP, and no significant C₃ grass or non‐grass vegetation existed between 350–2000 yr BP.     

Global pattern of carbon stable isotopes of suspended particulate organic matter in lakes

Carbon stable isotopes (??¹³C) of particulate organic matter (POM) are useful indicators for tracking the sources of organic matter, CO₂ concentrations, primary productivity and the trophic base in lakes. Here we provide a synthesis of literature data from 228 lakes around the world to assess the distribution pattern of ??¹³C_POM along latitudinal, morphometric and biogeochemical gradients, and the feasibility of utilizing ??¹³C_POM as an indicator for lake metabolism. Results from this analysis revealed a large variation in ??¹³C_POM among lakes with a range from ?46.2 to ?13.0?? and a median of ?29.7??. The ??¹³C_POM generally decreased from low to high latitude along with the decreases in total phosphorus (TP), pH, lake size and the increases in partial pressure of CO₂. The combination of these factors may play a significant role in shaping the pattern of ??¹³C_POM distribution. A multiple regression model using matching data (n?=?92 lakes) indicated that latitude, lake size and TP concentration were the important factors determining ??¹³C_POM, although only 25% of the variance in ??¹³C_POM was explained by the model. Compared to the average ??¹³C value (?27??) of terrestrial plants, 165 lakes (72%) in this analysis were isotopically depleted in ??¹³C_POM, with a mean of ?31.5??, which is indicative of an allochthonous contribution of terrestrial organic matter. This finding is consistent with the view that the majority of lakes in the world receive a terrestrial subsidy of carbon and are sources of CO₂ to the atmosphere.     

Patterns and controls of seasonal variability of carbon stable isotopes of particulate organic matter in lakes

Carbon stable isotopes (δ¹³C) of particulate organic matter (POM) have been used as indicators for energy flow, primary productivity and carbon dioxide concentration in individual lakes. Here, we provide a synthesis of literature data from 32 freshwater lakes around the world to assess the variability of δ¹³C_POM along latitudinal, morphometric and biogeochemical gradients. Seasonal mean δ¹³C_POM, a temporally integrated measure of the δ¹³C_POM, displayed weak relationships with all trophic state indices [total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and chlorophyll a (Chl a)], but decreased significantly with the increase in latitude, presumably in response to the corresponding decrease in water temperature and increase in CO₂ concentration. The seasonal minimum δ¹³C_POM also correlated negatively with latitude while seasonal maximum δ¹³C_POM correlated positively with all trophic state indices, pH, and δ¹³C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Seasonal amplitude of δ¹³C_POM (the difference between seasonal maximum and minimum values) correlated significantly with pH, TP and Chl a concentrations and displayed small variations in oligotrophic, mesotrophic and low latitude eutrophic lakes, which is attributed to low primary productivity and abundant non-living POM in the low trophic state lakes and relatively stable environmental conditions in the subtropics. Seasonal amplitude of δ¹³C_POM was the greatest in high latitude eutrophic lakes. Greater seasonal changes in solar energy and light regime may be responsible for the large seasonal variability in high latitude productive lakes. This synthesis provides new insights on the factors controlling variations in stable carbon isotopes of POM among lakes on the global scale.     

Soil carbon dynamics following land‐use change varied with temperature and precipitation gradients: evidence from stable isotopes

Knowledge of soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics following deforestation or reforestation is essential for evaluating carbon (C) budgets and cycle at regional or global scales. Worldwide land‐use changes involving conversion of vegetation with different photosynthetic pathways (e.g. C₃ and C₄) offer a unique opportunity to quantify SOM decomposition rate and its response to climatic conditions using stable isotope techniques. We synthesized the results from 131 sites (including 87 deforestation observations and 44 reforestation observations) which were compiled from 36 published papers in the literatures as well as our observations in China's Qinling Mountains. Based on the ¹³C natural abundance analysis, we evaluated the dynamics of new and old C in top soil (0–20 cm) following land‐use change and analyzed the relationships between soil organic C (SOC) decomposition rates and climatic factors. We found that SOC decomposition rates increased significantly with mean annual temperature and precipitation in the reforestation sites, and they were not related to any climatic factor in deforestation sites. The mean annual temperature explained 56% of variation in SOC decomposition rates by exponential model (y = 0.0014e^0.1395x) in the reforestation sites. The proportion of new soil C increased following deforestation and reforestation, whereas the old soil C showed an opposite trend. The proportion of new soil C exceeded the proportion of old soil C after 45.4 years' reforestation and 43.4 years' deforestation, respectively. The rates of new soil C accumulation increased significantly with mean annual precipitation and temperature in the reforestation sites, yet only significantly increased with mean annual precipitation in the deforestation sites. Overall, our study provides evidence that SOC decomposition rates vary with temperature and precipitation, and thereby implies that global warming may accelerate SOM decomposition.     

Soil organic matter dynamics: a biological perspective derived from the use of compound-specific isotopes studies

Current attempts to explain the persistence of carbon in soils focuses on explanations such as the recalcitrant plant residues and the physical isolation of substrates from decomposers. A pool of organic matter that can persist for centuries to millennia is hypothesized because of the evidence provided by the persistence of pre-disturbance C in fallow or vegetation change experiments, and the radiocarbon age of soil carbon. However, new information, which became available through advances in the ability to measure the isotope signatures of specific compounds, favors a new picture of organic matter dynamics. Instead of persistence of plant-derived residues like lignin in the soil, the majority of mineral soil is in molecules derived from microbial synthesis. Carbon recycled multiple times through the microbial community can be old, decoupling the radiocarbon age of C atoms from the chemical or biological lability of the molecules they comprise. In consequence is soil microbiology, a major control on soil carbon dynamics, which highlights the potential vulnerability of soil organic matter to changing environmental conditions. Moreover, it emphasizes the need to devise new management options to restore, increase, and secure this valuable resource.     

Variations and controls of nitrogen stable isotopes in particulate organic matter of lakes

Nitrogen stable isotope (δ¹⁵N) data of particulate organic matter (POM) from the literature were analyzed to provide an understanding of the variations and controls of δ¹⁵N_POM in lakes at the global scale. The δ¹⁵N_POM variability characterized by seasonal mean, minimum, maximum, and amplitude (defined as δ¹⁵N_POM maximum − δ¹⁵N_POM minimum) from 36 lakes with seasonal data did not change systematically with latitude, but was significantly lower in small lakes than in large lakes. The seasonal mean δ¹⁵N_POM increased from oligotrophic lakes to eutrophic lakes despite large variations that are attributed to the occurrences of nitrogen fixation across the trophic gradient and the differences in δ¹⁵N of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in individual lakes. Seasonal mean δ¹⁵N_POM was significantly correlated with DIN concentration and δ¹⁵N_DIN in two subsets of lakes. Seasonal minimum δ¹⁵N_POM in individual lakes is influenced by nitrogen fixation and δ¹⁵N_DIN while seasonal maximum δ¹⁵N_POM is influenced by lake trophic state and δ¹⁵N_DIN. As a result of the dominance of non-living POM in the unproductive surface waters, seasonal δ¹⁵N_POM amplitude was small (mean = 4.2‰) in oligotrophic lakes of all latitudes. On the other hand, seasonal δ¹⁵N_POM amplitude in eutrophic lakes was large (mean = 10.3‰), and increased from low to high latitudes, suggesting that the seasonal variability of δ¹⁵N in the phytoplankton-dominated POM pool was elevated by the greater spans of solar radiation and thermal regimes at high latitudes. The δ¹⁵N_POM from 42 lakes with no seasonal data revealed no consistent patterns along latitude, lake area, and trophic gradients, and a greater than 2‰ depletion compared to the lakes with seasonal data. Along with the large seasonal variability of δ¹⁵N_POM within lakes, these results provide insightful information on sampling design for the studies of food web baseline in lakes. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Determination of food sources and trophic position in Malaysian tropical highland streams using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes

Stable isotope analysis has been extensively used as an effective tool in determination of trophic relationship in ecosystems. In freshwater ecosystem, aquatic invertebrates represent main component of a river food web. This study was carried out to determine potential food sources of freshwater organism together with pattern of trophic position along the river food web. In this study, rivers of Belum-Temengor Forest Complex (BTFC) has been selected as sampling site as it is a pristine area that contains high diversity and abundance of organisms and can be a benchmark for other rivers in Malaysia. Stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) were applied to estimate trophic position and food web paradigm. Analysis of stable isotopes based on organic material collected from the study area revealed that the highest δ¹³C value was reported from filamentous algae (? 22.68 ± 0.126⁰/₀₀) and the lowest δ¹³C was in allocthonous leaf packs (? 31.58 ± 0.187⁰/₀₀). Meanwhile the highest δ¹⁵N value was in fish (8.45 ± 0.177⁰/₀₀) and the lowest value of δ¹⁵N was in autochthonous aquatic macrophyte (2.00 ± 1.234⁰/₀₀). Based on the δ¹⁵N results, there are three trophic levels in the study river and it is suggested that the trophic chain begins with organic matter followed by group of insects and ends with fish (organic matter < insects < fish).     

Long-term impacts of anthropogenic perturbations on dynamics and speciation of organic carbon in tropical forest and subtropical grassland ecosystems

Anthropogenic perturbations have profoundly modified the Earth's biogeochemical cycles, the most prominent of these changes being manifested by global carbon (C) cycling. We investigated long‐term effects of human‐induced land‐use and land‐cover changes from native tropical forest (Kenya) and subtropical grassland (South Africa) ecosystems to agriculture on the dynamics and structural composition of soil organic C (SOC) using elemental analysis and integrated ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), near‐edge X‐ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and synchrotron‐based Fourier transform infrared‐attenuated total reflectance (Sr‐FTIR‐ATR) spectroscopy. Anthropogenic interventions led to the depletion of 76%, 86% and 67% of the total SOC; and 77%, 85% and 66% of the N concentrations from the surface soils of Nandi, Kakamega and the South African sites, respectively, over a period of up to 100 years. Significant proportions of the total SOC (46–73%) and N (37–73%) losses occurred during the first 4 years of conversion indicating that these forest‐ and grassland‐derived soils contain large amounts of labile soil organic matter (SOM), potentially vulnerable to degradation upon human‐induced land‐use and land‐cover changes. Anthropogenic perturbations altered not only the C sink capacity of these soils, but also the functional group composition and dynamics of SOC with time, rendering structural composition of the resultant organic matter in the agricultural soils to be considerably different from the SOM under natural forest and grassland ecosystems. These molecular level compositional changes were manifested: (i) by the continued degradation of O‐alkyl and acetal‐C structures found in carbohydrate and holocellulose biomolecules, some labile aliphatic‐C functionalities, (ii) by side‐chain oxidation of phenylpropane units of lignin and (iii) by the continued aromatization and aliphatization of the humic fractions possibly through selective accumulation of recalcitrant H and C substituted aryl‐C and aliphatic‐C components such as (poly)‐methylene units, respectively. These changes appeared as early as the fourth year after transition, and their intensity increased with duration of cultivation until a new quasi‐equilibrium of SOC was approached at about 20 years after conversion. However, subtle but persistent changes in molecular structures of the resultant SOM continued long after (up to 100 years) a steady state for SOC was approached. These molecular level changes in the inherent structural composition of SOC may exert considerable influence on biogeochemical cycling of C and bioavailability of essential nutrients present in association with SOM, and may significantly affect the sustainability of agriculture as well as potentials of the soils to sequester C in these tropical and subtropical highland agroecosystems.     

海南岛热带原始森林主要分布区土壤有机碳密度及影响因素

以海南尖峰岭、霸王岭、五指山、吊罗山、鹦哥岭5个热带原始森林土壤为研究对象, 分层采集0-100 cm的土壤样品并分析有机碳含量, 用纵向拟合法和分层估算法分别估算其土壤有机碳密度。结果显示: (1)纵向拟合法计算的5个热带原始森林土壤有机碳密度分别为14.98、18.46、16.48、18.81、16.66 kg·m^-2, 分层估算法分别为14.73、16.24、15.50、16.91、15.03 kg·m^-2, 前者显著高于后者(p < 0.05); 未经扰动的原始森林土壤, 宜采用纵向拟合法计算土壤有机碳密度。(2) 5个热带原始森林0-30 cm表层土壤有机碳含量分别占0-100 cm的50.50%、48.56%、43.49%、47.37、42.88%。(3)土壤有机碳密度与森林群落Shannon-Wiener指数(p < 0.01)、Simpson指数(p < 0.05)、物种丰富度(p < 0.01)、土壤容重(p < 0.001)存在极显著或显著的负相关关系; 与海拔(p < 0.05)、土壤孔隙度(p < 0.001)、土壤全氮含量(p < 0.001)存在极显著或显著的正相关关系; 与坡向、林分生物量、平均胸径、平均树高无显著相关关系(p > 0.05)。(4)由于海南地处低纬度地区, 其丰富的降水和持续高温条件加速了有机质的分解和物质的再循环, 导致海南森林土壤碳密度远低于全国平均水平。     

Soil organic carbon density and influencing factors in tropical virgin forests of Hainan Island,China

Aims
Estimating soil organic carbon (SOC) density and influence factors of tropical virgin forests in Hainan Island provide new insight in basic data for SOC pool estimation and its dynamics study.
Methods
The main distribution areas of tropical virgin forests in Jianfengling (JFL), Bawangling (BWL), Wu- zhishan (WZS), Diaoluoshan (DLS), Yinggeling (YGL) of Hainan Island were selected, and soil samples (0-100 cm) were sampled and analyzed. SOC density was estimated by soil vertical fitting method and soil stratification method to discover the distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon in tropical virgin forests of Hainan Island.
Important findings
Results showed that: (1) The average SOC density using soil vertical fitting method in JFL, BWL, WZS, DLS and YGL was 14.98, 18.46, 16.48, 18.81, 16.66 kg·m^-2, respectively, which was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the estimated average SOC density using soil stratification method in these areas (14.73, 16.24, 15.50, 16.91, 15.03 kg·m^-2, respectively). It is better to use soil vertical fitting method for SOC density estimation when the soil was natural without disturbance. (2) The proportion of SOC content in the first 0-30 cm depth interval out of SOC in the whole 0-100 cm soil profiles in JFL, BWL, WZS, DLS and YGL was 50.50%, 48.56%, 43.49%, 47.37%, 42.88%, respectively. (3) SOC density was significantly negative correlated with Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson index, species richness, and soil bulk density; and was significantly positive correlated with altitude, soil porosity, and soil nitrogen. However, SOC density was not significantly correlated to slope, biomass, average diameter at breast height, or average height. (4) Our study area Hainan was located in low latitude area with high rainfall and high temperature, which accelerated the decomposition of organic matter and nutrient recycling, resulting in significantly lower SOC densities in this tropical virgin forests of Hainan Island than the average value in China.     

海南尖峰岭热带山地雨林土壤有机碳密度空间分布特征

森林土壤有机碳是陆地碳库的重要组成部分,在碳循环中有着重要的作用。研究热带雨林土壤性质的空间异质性对于深入分析热带雨林植被分布格局与土壤的关系,促进热带雨林的保护等具有重要指导意义。在海南岛尖峰岭热带山地雨林60 hm2大样地内采用野外布点采样、实验室测定和地统计学分析相结合的方法,定量研究了土壤有机碳密度在局域范围内的空间异质性及分布特征。研究结果表明:(1)A(0—10 cm)、B(10—30 cm)、C(30—60 cm)3层土壤有机碳平均密度分别为2.699、2.782、2.434 kg/m2,A、B两层差异性不显著,与C层差异性显著(P0.05);(2)不同层次土壤有机碳密度模型交叉验证结果表明:A层拟合的半方差函数最适模型为指数模型,B、C两层为球状模型;3层土壤有机碳密度的变程分别为:54.2、70.9、97.2 m;块金值与基台值比值分别为:0.512、0.708、0.882,表明A、B两层属中等程度变异,C层具有较大的块金值,属于弱变异,说明在小尺度范围具有更明显的空间异质性,也说明不同层次土壤有机碳密度具有不同程度的空间自相关性;Person相关性分析表明不同层次土壤有机碳密度之间具有不同的相关性:A层与B层及C层之间的相关性要小于B层和C层之间的相关性,说明热带雨林中土壤有机碳密度表层与下层受到不同生态过程的控制。(3)普通克里格插值及绘制的空间分布轮廓图表明:在研究尺度上A、B两层不同深度的土壤有机碳密度的空间分布具有一定的一致性,空间异质性明显,呈斑块状分布;C层空间异质性较弱,具有一定的连续性,呈条带状分布;(4)地形引起的水热分配是影响不同层次土壤有机碳密度空间分布格局的一个重要因素。     

Sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a Rocky Mountain stream using chemical fractionation and stable isotopes

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important vehicle for the movement of nutrients from terrestrial to aquatic systems. To investigate how the source and composition of aquatic DOM change in both space and time, we used chemical, spectroscopic, and isotopic analyses to characterize DOM in a headwater catchment in the Colorado Front Range. Streamwater samples for DOM analyses were collected from 2 sites, a lightly vegetated alpine site and a forested, subalpine site, in the North Boulder Creek catchment during the snowmelt runoff season (May–September). Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) peaked on the ascending limb of the snowmelt hydrograph at both the alpine (2.6 mg C l⁻¹) and the subalpine sites (7.0 mg C l⁻¹) and decreased sharply on the descending limb of the hydrograph. Fractionation of DOM into operationally defined humic and non-humic components showed that the fulvic acid content of DOC decreased through the season at both sites and that spectroscopic (fluorescence and ultraviolet) properties of the humic DOM fraction shifted in a manner consistent with an increase in the proportion of humic DOM derived from instream sources as compared to terrestrial catchment sources. Humic and non-humic fractions of DOM isolated near peak flow in June and during low flows in September showed a seasonal enrichment in ¹⁵N and ¹³C as well as a seasonal decrease in the ratio of aromatic to aliphatic carbon, both of which were correlated with a decrease in the C:N ratio of the DOM fractions. These results suggest that seasonal shifts in the isotopic and chemical characteristics of DOM are a result of changes in catchment sources of DOM. In particular, it appears that DOM production in alpine lakes is an important contributor to the streamwater DOM load during late season low flows, especially in the alpine reach of the catchment. Our results further suggest that stable isotopes of C and N are useful tools, particularly when combined with ancillary data such as elemental analyses and catchment discharge, for evaluating sources and transformations of DOM at the catchment scale.     

土壤稳定性有机碳组分与优势细菌门类陆向分布及相关性

【目的】为了探究土壤稳定性有机碳组分和优势细菌门类的陆向分布特征及相关性。【方法】本文选择锡林河流域沿着由水及陆的方向依次采集长期性水流、季节性水流、长期性无水流的湿地及旱地土壤,基于国际腐殖物质协会推荐的方法和16SrRNA基因高通量测序技术分别检测土壤稳定性有机碳组分(富里酸、胡敏酸、胡敏素)含量和优势细菌门类的相对丰度,结合Pearson相关性及冗余分析和结构方程模型研究两者的相关性。【结果】三类稳定性有机碳及酸杆菌门、放线菌门、芽单胞菌门呈大致升高的陆向分布趋势,在长期性无水流的旱地土壤中达到峰值;拟杆菌门则呈现降低的陆向分布趋势。结果显示,芽单胞菌门、酸杆菌门和放线菌门作为长期性无水流旱地土壤的优势细菌门类与胡敏酸、胡敏素含量存在显著(P<0.05)或极显著(P<0.01)正相关关系;拟杆菌门作为长期和季节性水流湿地土壤的优势菌门与富里酸、胡敏酸、胡敏素的含量均呈极显著(P<0.01)负相关关系。结构方程模型结果显示,稳定性有机碳组分与优势细菌门类间存在直接和间接作用。【结论】锡林河流域土壤稳定性有机碳组分及优势细菌门类存在陆向分布特征,稳定性有机碳的升高与...     

Past vegetation changes in the Brazilian Pantanal arboreal–grassy savanna ecotone by using carbon isotopes in the soil organic matter

Measurements of the organic carbon inventory, its stable isotopic composition and radiocarbon content were used to deduce vegetation history from two soil profiles in arboreal and grassy savanna ecotones in the Brazilian Pantanal. The Pantanal is a large floodplain area with grass-dominated lowlands subject to seasonal flooding, and arboreal savanna uplands which are only rarely flooded. Organic carbon inventories were lower in the grassy savanna site than in the upland arboreal savanna site, with carbon decreasing exponentially with depth from the surface in both profiles. Changes in ¹³C of soil organic matter (SOM) with depth differed markedly between the two sites. Differences in surface SOM ¹³C values reflect the change from C₃ to C₄ plants between the sites, as confirmed by measurements of ¹³C of vegetation and the soil surface along a transect between the upland closed-canopy forest and lowland grassy savanna. Changes of ¹³C in SOM with depth at both sites are larger than the 3–4 per mil increases expected from fractionation associated with organic matter decomposition. We interpret these as recording past changes in the relative abundance of C₃ and C₄ plants at these sites. Mass balances with ¹⁴C and ¹³C suggest that past vegetational changes from C₃ to C₄ plants in the grassy savanna, and in the deeper part of the arboreal savanna, occurred between 4600 and 11 400 BP, when major climatic changes were also observed in several places of the South American Continent. The change from C₄ to C₃, observed only in the upper part of the arboreal savanna, was much more recent (1400 BP), and was probably caused by a local change in the flooding regime.     

Soil organic matter accounting in the carbon footprint analysis of the wine chain

Purpose

Concerns about global warming led to the calculation of the carbon footprint (CF) left by human activities. The agricultural sector is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, though cropland soils can also act as sinks. So far, most LCA studies on agricultural products have not considered changes in soil organic matter (SOM). This paper aimed to: (1) integrate the Hénin–Dupuis SOM model into the CF study and (2) outline the impacts of different vineyard soil management scenarios on the overall CF.

Methods

A representative wine chain in the Maremma Rural District, Tuscany (Italy), made up of a cooperative winery and nine of its associated farms, was selected to investigate the production of a non-aged, high-quality red wine. The system boundary was established from vineyard planting to waste management after use. The functional unit (FU) chosen for this study was a 0.75-L bottle of wine, and all data refer to the year 2009. The SOM balance, based on Hénin–Dupuis’ equation, was integrated and run using GaBi4 software. A sensitivity analysis was performed, and four scenarios were developed to assess the impact of vineyard soil management types with decreasing levels of organic matter inputs.

Results and discussion

SOM accounting reduced the overall CF of one wine bottle from 0.663 to 0.531 kg CO₂-eq/FU. The vineyard planting sub-phase produced a loss of SOM while, in the pre-production and production sub-phases, the loss/accumulation of SOM was related to the soil management practices. On average, soil management in the production sub-phase led to a net accumulation of SOM, and the overall vineyard phase was a sink of CO₂. Residue incorporation and grassing were identified as the main factors affecting changes in SOM in vineyard soils.

Conclusions

Our results showed that incorporating SOM accounting into the wine chain’s CF analysis changed the vineyard phase from a GHG source to a modest net GHG sink. These results highlighted the need to include soil C dynamics in the CF of the agricultural product. Here, the SOM balance method proposed was sensitive to changes in management practices and was site specific. Moreover, we were also able to define a minimum data set for SOM accounting. The EU recognises soil carbon sequestration as one of the major European strategies for mitigation. However, specific measures have yet to be included in the CAP 2020. It would be desirable to include soil in the new ISO 14067—Carbon Footprint of Products.     

Soil organic carbon changes following degradation and conversion to cypress and tea plantations in a tropical mountain forest in Kenya

Plant and Soil - The detailed Se distribution in plants has been poorly described. This study was performed to determine the optimal dose of selenite for enhanced Medicago sativa growth and...     

湖泊沉积中碳酸盐、有机质及其同位素的古气候意义

综述了近几十年来国内外湖泊沉积在全新世尺度上碳酸盐及其同位素、有机质及其同位素的研究进展.主要讨论了湖泊沉积物中碳酸盐含量、δ13Ccarb和δ18Ocarb的环境意义以及二者之间的协同变化,生物成因碳酸盐及其同位素和微量元素等的影响因素及所指示的环境意义,湖泊沉积物中有机质及其同位素和C/N等的影响因素及所指示的气候信息,同时文中还讨论了碳酸盐含量、有机质及其同位素在古气候重建中的应用.     

An assessment,using stable isotopes,of the importance of allochthonous organic carbon sources to the pelagic food web in Loch Ness

The natural abundance of stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹³15N) was determined for components of the pelagic food web in Loch Ness, a deep oligotrophic lake in northern Scotland, and compared with values from the inflow rivers and the catchment vegetation. Phytoplankton δ¹³C was low compared to values reported from other lakes, possibly reflecting a high use of ¹³C-depleted carbon dioxide from respired organic matter before further isotopic fractionation during photosynthesis. Phytoplankton δ¹³C was appreciably lower than that of dissolved and particulate organic matter (DOM and POM) in the loch. The DOM and POM were evidently overwhelmingly of allochthonous origin and ultimately derived from terrestrial plant detritus. The distinctive δ¹³C values for phytoplankton and detritus in the loch allowed the use of food sources by grazing crustacean zooplankton to be assessed, and the contributions of phytoplankton carbon and detrital carbon to zooplankton total body carbon appeared to be about equal. Comparison of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values for zooplankton and fish allowed assessment of trophic structure in the loch. The very high dependence of the pelagic food web in Loch Ness on allochthonous organic matter inputs from the catchment may be exceptional in a large lake, but has important implications for our understanding of lake ecosystem processes as well as for lake management.