Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Carbon and nitrogen storage and loss as affected by grassland degradation in Inner Mongolia, China

Author(s):

Hongmei ¹, Guogang Zhang ^{2, 3}, Xingan ¹, Li Ranlong ¹, Guodong Han ¹*

Recieved Date: 2013-06-18, Accepted Date: 2013-09-03

Abstract:

Grassland degradation not only results in soil degradation and severe decreases in land productivity, but also can promote the emission of soil carbon and nitrogen compounds as greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The primary objective of this study was to characterize the impact of grassland degradation on carbon and nitrogen budgets in Inner Mongolia, China. We investigated the changes of total carbon and total nitrogen (including in aboveground biomass, litter, roots, and soil, i.e. top 100 cm soil layer) that occur in meadow, typical and desert steppe ecosystem as affected by grassland degradation. The results revealed that the degraded grassland had become a very weak C source and a strong N source. Total carbon stored in the grassland ecosystem was reduced by up to 13 and 38% in the meadow and typical steppe, respectively, depending on the severity of the degradation. Total nitrogen storage was reduced by almost 17%, 20% and 33% under severe degradation plots in the meadow, typical and desert steppe, respectively. Meanwhile, over 90% of the total carbon and nitrogen stored in the grassland ecosystem were bound in the soil which provides the dominant and most stable carbon and nitrogen pool in the ecosystem. Moreover, the carbon and nitrogen storages in grass (including in aboveground biomass, litter and root) decreased with increasing grassland degradation. In conclusion, the carbon sequestration capacity of the vegetation decreased significantly, and substantial proportions of soil carbon and nitrogen were lost as affected by grassland degradation, resulting in unbalanced carbon and nitrogen budgets. Therefore, strategies to restore degraded grassland must be designed to increase the carbon and nitrogen storage potential of grassland ecosystems.

Keywords:

Carbon loss, carbon storage, grassland degradation, nitrogen loss, nitrogen storage

---

Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 3&4
Category: Environment
Pages: 2071-2076

---

Full text for Subscribers

---

Information:

Note to users

The requested document is freely available only to subscribers/registered users with an online subscription to the Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. If you have set up a personal subscription to this title please enter your user name and password. All abstracts are available for free.

Article purchasing

If you like to purchase this specific document such as article, review or this journal issue, contact us. Specify the title of the article or review, issue, number, volume and date of the publication. Software and compilation, Science & Technology, all rights reserved. Your use of this website details or service is governed by terms of use. Authors are invited to check from time to time news or information.

---

Purchase this Article:   20 Purchase PDF Order Reprints for 15

---

Share this article :