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VEGETATION INFLUENCES ON LONG-TERM CARBON STABILIZATION IN SOILS, VIA PLANT ALLOCATION, TISSUE CHEMISTRY,
AND SOIL DEPTH EFFECTS


EMSL Project ID
38392

Abstract

Soil organic matter is a major reservoir of carbon within the biosphere and has a fundamental impact on soil properties, and therefore on ecosystem functioning and sustainability. We are proposing to use 13C NMR spectroscopy to characterize at the molecular level the influence of vegetation on long-term carbon stabilization in soils. Our project will focus on the role of the quality of the substrate available to decomposers in determining decomposition and sequestration of C in soils at sites of similar climate, topography, and parent material. We will compare the molecular characteristics of aboveground and belowground litters with that of soil fractions at different soil depths from two contrasting ecosystems, old-growth redwood forest and prairie, which represents end-members in terms of tissue lifespan and litter recalcitrance

Project Details

Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2010-01-25
End Date
2011-01-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Margaret Torn
Institution
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Team Members

Stefania Mambelli
Institution
University of California, Berkeley

Related Publications

Mambelli S., Burton S.D., McFarlane K.J., Torn M.S., Dawson T.E., 2010. Vegetation influence on long-term carbon stabilization in soils: a coast redwood-prairie comparison. AGU Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 13-15 December, abstract #B41E-0367