title: Patterns of biomass and carbon distribution across a chronosequence of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) forests.
abstract: Patterns of biomass and carbon (C) storage distribution across Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) natural secondary forests are poorly documented. The objectives of this study were to examine the biomass and C pools of the major ecosystem components in a replicated age sequence of P. tabulaeformis secondary forest stands in Northern China. Within each stand, biomass of above- and belowground tree, understory (shrub and herb), and forest floor were determined from plot-level investigation and destructive sampling. Allometric equations using the diameter at breast height (DBH) were developed to quantify plant biomass. C stocks in the tree and understory biomass, forest floor, and mineral soil (0-100 cm) were estimated by analyzing the C concentration of each component. The results showed that the tree biomass of P. tabulaeformis stands was ranged from 123.8 Mg·ha-1 for the young stand to 344.8 Mg·ha-1 for the mature stand. The understory biomass ranged from 1.8 Mg·ha-1 in the middle-aged stand to 3.5 Mg·ha-1 in the young stand. Forest floor biomass increased steady with stand age, ranging from 14.9 to 23.0 Mg·ha-1. The highest mean C concentration across the chronosequence was found in tree branch while the lowest mean C concentration was found in forest floor. The observed C stock of the aboveground tree, shrub, forest floor, and mineral soil increased with increasing stand age, whereas the herb C stock showed a decreasing trend with a sigmoid pattern. The C stock of forest ecosystem in young, middle-aged, immature, and mature stands were 178.1, 236.3, 297.7, and 359.8 Mg C ha-1, respectively, greater than those under similar aged P. tabulaeformis forests in China. These results are likely to be integrated into further forest management plans and generalized in other contexts to evaluate C stocks at the regional scale.
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jinlong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Fengfeng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Luoxin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaowen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoshuai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yanlei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Tengfei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hairong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D002244:Carbon; D002681:China; D017753:Ecosystem; D065928:Forests; D005843:Geography; D008903:Minerals / Q000737:chemistry; D028223:Pinus; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D012987:Soil; D002244:Carbon
references.citation: Science. 1999 Jul 23;285(5427):574-8
references.pmid: 10417385
references.citation: Sci China C Life Sci. 2008 Jul;51(7):662-70
references.pmid: 18622750
references.citation: Sci China Life Sci. 2010 Jul;53(7):822-30
references.pmid: 20697871
references.citation: Science. 2006 Dec 1;314(5804):1417
references.pmid: 17138894
references.citation: Science. 1994 Jan 14;263(5144):185-90
references.pmid: 17839174
references.citation: Nature. 2008 Jan 17;451(7176):289-92
references.pmid: 18202646
references.citation: Science. 2001 Jun 22;292(5525):2320-2
references.pmid: 11423660
references.citation: Nature. 2001 Nov 8;414(6860):169-72
references.pmid: 11700548
references.citation: PLoS One. 2013 Dec 31;8(12):e83592
references.pmid: 24391791