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Carbon Flux and Storage in Mixed Oak Forests of the Ozarks. MDC Project Leader: Randy Jensen Principal Investigator: Jiquan Chen Team Members: Qinglin Li , Rachel Henderson & Jianye Xu
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Carbon Flux and Storage in Mixed Oak Forests of the Ozarks MDC Project Leader: Randy Jensen Principal Investigator: Jiquan Chen Team Members: Qinglin Li, Rachel Henderson & Jianye Xu Collaborators: John Kabrick (USDA Forest Service); Keith Goyne (University of Missouri);Tom Nichols & Carrie Steen (Missouri Department of Conservation)
Carbon-Focused Study at MOFEP • Slow down atmosphere CO2 increasing caused by fossil fuel combustion. • Estimate carbon credits of Ozark forests and enhance C-sequestration (i.e., C credit) • Increase carbon storage of the forests by: • Increasing carbon gains (photosynthesis), and • Decreasing carbon loss (respiration)
Specific Research Tasks • C storage and the effects of treatments • Photosynthesis (C gain) of Ozarks trees • Ecosystem respiration (C-loss) & its component • Vertical C loss of MOFEP compartments • Decomposition (C-loss) of Ozark trees • Regional estimate of C stock (RS) • Intra-annual variations of C loss • Biophysical regulations of C gain/loss
Carbon Cycle in Terrestrial Ecosystems Chapin et al. 2002
Potential Carbon Credit Major Carbon Fluxes In Forests ≈ 50% soil respiration Rh Ra GPP NEP NPP ≈5% of GPP ≈50% of GPP
Path coefficient analysis for Ozarks. Indirect and direct effects of canopy and leaf characteristics on Amax (m mol m-2 s-1, relationships are similar for gsmax).
Species Composition of MOFEP Compartments Timber harvesting did not change species composition Li et al. (2007), CJFR
Sum 80.18 55.05 5.37 Sum 19.59 15.34 14.30 Sum 22.88 32.75 49.20 Ground total 182.22 170.01 130.01 Carbon Stock (Mg C.ha-1) at MOFEP Compartments
Carbon Pools The distribution of C pool in MOFEP is similar to that of PNW. Alternative treatments could be effective ways to enhance C storage. PNW: Pacific Northwest; National: National average; NC: North central region average Ref: Smithwick et al. (2001); Turner et al. (1995) Li et al. (2007), CJFR
Number of measurements on soil respiration made at MOFEP compartments between 2004 and 2008
Effects of Treatments on SRR, Temperature, Soil Moisture, and Litter Depth at MOFEP
Harvest treatments had a significant effect, especially lower in the soil profile Vertical Change of Soil Respiration • We dug 9 soil pits and collected data for 2005 and 2006 • 60 cm wide and 60-120 cm deep • Coarse roots • Fine roots • Soil and root CHN • Stable isotopes
Oak-hickory decayed significantly faster than that of oak or oak-pine litter after 32-months field incubation.
C Storage of MOFEP Landscape Forest Covers Aboveground Biomass
Intra-annual variation of soil respiration (red) and soil moisture (blue) at MOFEP compartments NHM UAM EAM
Future Plans • Continue proposed measurements of various C fluxes; • Carbon credits of MOFEP sites (1990 – 2010) in conjunction with the overstory, CWD, and hard mast projects; • Biophysical regulations of C gain/loss (e.g., nutrient cycling, species diversity); • Predictions of C credits for Ozark forests (modeling) under different management scenarios; • Linkage to biofuel energy (i.e., not just timber); • Synthesis by comparing with other ecosystem projects across the nation (WA, CA, VT, NC, MOFEP); • Re-submitting the proposal to NRI/NSF.
The conceptual framework of resource use matrix for understanding and predicting ecosystem production (e.g., ANPP) at MOFEP forests. Within the matrix of the bio-physical environment (forest structure, microclimate, soil, and disturbance), the resource use matrix of [e, RUE, Ravail] and their complex interactions will determine the magnitude of ANPP. For each type of resource, there exist complex interactions among [e, RUE, Ravail] at various temporal scales. Alteration of any element of a resource will trigger changes in other elements and their roles in regulating ANPP. We will examine the feedbacks among the elements, with a focus on water, light, and nitrogen.
Relevant publications from this project http://research.eeescience.utoledo.edu/lees/pubs/ Li, Q., D. L .Moorhead, J. L. DeForest, and J. Chen, R. Henderson, R. Jenson. Mixed litter decomposition in a manage med Missouri Ozark forest ecosystem. Forest Ecology and Management (in press) Li, L. J. Chen, J. L. DeForest, R. Jensen, D. L. Moorhead, and R. Henderson. 2007. Effects of timber harvest on carbon pools in Ozark forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 37: 2337-2348. Concilio, A. S. Ma, Q. Li, J. LeMoine, J. Chen, M. North, D. Moorhead, and R. Jensen. 2005. Soil respiration response to experimental disturbance in mixed conifer and hardwood forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 35: 1581-1591. Ryu, S., J. Chen, T.R. Crow, and S.C. Saunders. 2004. Available fuel dynamics in nine contrasting forest ecosystems in north America. Environmental Management 34(3): S87-107. Li, Q.. 2006. Carbon storage and fluxes in a managed oak forest landscape. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Toledo. Henderson, R. 2007. Soil Effluxes of vertical profiles at MOFEP Experiments. M.S. Thesis, University of Toledo.