Source and Accumulation of Soil Carbon along Catena Toposequences over 12,000 Years in Three Semi-Natural Miscanthus sinensis Grasslands in Japan

David S. Howlett, J. Ryan Stewart, Jun Inoue, Masanori Saito, DoKyoung Lee, Hong Wang, Toshihiko Yamada, Aya Nishiwaki, Fabián G. Fernández and Yo Toma
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David S. Howlett: United States Agency for International, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20523, USA
J. Ryan Stewart: Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, 2124 LSB, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Jun Inoue: Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
Masanori Saito: Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Osaki 989-6711, Japan
DoKyoung Lee: Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Turner Hall, 1102 S Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Hong Wang: Interdisciplinary Research Center of Earth Science Frontier, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Toshihiko Yamada: Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Kita-11, Nishi-10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0811, Japan
Aya Nishiwaki: Field Science Center Kibana Agricultural Science Station, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1, Gakuen-Kibanadai-Nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
Fabián G. Fernández: Department of Soil, Water and Climate, University of Minnesota, 1529 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Yo Toma: Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita-9, Nishi-9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Miscanthus -dominated semi-natural grasslands in Japan appear to store considerable amounts of soil C. To estimate the long-term effect of Miscanthus vegetation on the accumulation of soil carbon by soil biota degradation in its native range, we measured total soil C from the surface to a 1.2 m depth along a catena toposequence in three annually burned grasslands in Japan: Kawatabi, Soni, and Aso. Soil C stock was estimated using a radiocarbon age and depth model, resulting in a net soil C accumulation rate in the soil. C 4 -plant contribution to soil C accumulation was further estimated by δ 13 C of soil C. The range of total soil C varied among the sites (i.e., Kawatabi: 379–638 Mg, Soni: 249–484, and Aso: 372–408 Mg C ha −1 ). Catena position was a significant factor at Kawatabi and Soni, where the toe slope soil C accumulation exceeded that of the summit. The soil C accumulation rate of the whole horizon in the grasslands, derived C mainly from C 4 plant species, was 0.05 ± 0.02 (Average ± SE), 0.04 ± 0.00, and 0.24 ± 0.04 Mg C ha −1 yr −1 in Kawatabi, Soni, and Aso, respectively. Potential exists for long-term sequestration of C under M. sinensis , but the difference in the C accumulation rate can be influenced by the catena position and the amount of vegetation.

Keywords: Miscanthus sinensis; soil carbon; catena; radiocarbon dating; C 4 grasses (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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