Soil organic carbon stock and chemical composition along an altitude gradient in the Lushan Mountain, subtropical China

• Published in: Ecological research 2014-05, Vol.29 (3), p.433-439
• Main Authors: Du, Baoming, Kang, Hongzhang, Pumpanen, Jukka, Zhu, Penghua, Yin, Shan, Zou, Qin, Wang, Zhe, Kong, Fanqian, Liu, Chunjiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Altitude; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; atmospheric precipitation; Behavioral Sciences; Biogeochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbon; carbon sinks; Chemical composition; climate; Climate change; correlation; Ecology; ecosystems; Elevation; Evolutionary Biology; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Global warming; Life Sciences; Litter; Mountain ecosystem; Mountain ecosystems; Mountain regions; Mountains; Organic carbon; Original Article; Plant Sciences; soil; Soil organic carbon; Soils; Spatial distribution; Subtropical China; Synecology; temperature; Terrestrial ecosystems; Vegetation; Vegetation type; Zoology
• ISSN: 0912-3814; 1440-1703
• DOI: 10.1007/s11284-014-1135-4

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stock in mountain ecosystems is highly heterogeneous because of differences in soil, climate, and vegetation with elevation. Little is known about the spatial distribution and chemical composition of SOC along altitude gradients in subtropical mountain regions, and the controlling factors remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the changes in SOC stock and chemical composition along an elevation gradient (219, 405, 780, and 1268 m a.s.l.) on Lushan Mountain, subtropical China. The results suggested that SOC stocks were significantly higher at high altitude sites (1268 m) than at low altitude ones (219, 405, and 780 m), but the lower altitude sites did not differ significantly. SOC stocks correlated positively with mean annual precipitation but negatively with mean annual temperature and litter C/N ratio. The variations in SOC stocks were related mainly to decreasing temperature and increasing precipitation with altitude, which resulted in decreased litter decomposition at high altitude sites. This effect was also demonstrated by the chemical composition of SOC, which showed lower alkyl C and higher O-alkyl C contents at high altitude sites. These results will improve the understanding of soil C dynamics and enhance predictions of the responses of mountain ecosystem to global warming under climate change.