Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration after 20-Year Afforestation of Mangrove Plantations on Qi’ao Island, Southern China
Guoyin Chen,
Meixia Zhang,
Xianyu Yao,
Yiren Zhu,
Yuanliu Hu,
Dafeng Hui,
Jianling Li,
Jingwen Chen,
Qi Deng
Affiliations
Guoyin Chen
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Meixia Zhang
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Xianyu Yao
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Yiren Zhu
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Yuanliu Hu
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Dafeng Hui
Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA
Jianling Li
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Jingwen Chen
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Qi Deng
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Mangrove afforestation is considered an important measure in the “natural-based solution” for mitigating climate warming through sequestering massive carbon (C) into vegetation biomass, yet how the planted mangrove species facilitate soil C sequestration remains unclear. Here, we investigated the stock, source, and fraction of soil organic carbon (SOC) over 1 m depth after 20-year afforestation of five mangrove pure plantations (Acrostichum aureum, Acanthus ilicifolius, Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia obovate, and Excoecaria agallocha) on Qi’ao Island, South China. The results showed that SOC stocks did not significantly differ among the five plantations, with an average value of 16.7 kg C m−2. Based on the two-end-member mixing model with plant–soil C stable isotope signatures, the autochthonous (mangrove-derived) C source accounted for 20.2–34.1% of SOC but varied significantly among the plantations. The SOC stock in particulate fraction (1.2–2.0 g C kg−1) and mineral-associated fraction (14.3–16.0 g C kg−1) also significantly differed among the plantations. The similar SOC stock but different source contributions and C fractions among the plantations observed here may have important implications for mangrove afforestation to optimize stand structure and maximize C sequestration.
