The likely impact of elevated [CO2], nitrogen deposition, increased temperature and management on carbon sequestration in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems: a literature review

Abstract

Temperate and boreal forest ecosystems contain a large part of the carbon stored on land, in the form of both biomass and soil organic matter. Increasing atmospheric [CO2], increasing temperature, elevated nitrogen deposition and intensified management will change this C store. Well documented single-factor responses of net primary production are: higher photosynthetic rate (the main [CO2] response); increasing length of growing season (the main temperature response); and higher leaf-area index (the main N deposition and partly [CO2] response). Soil organic matter will increase with increasing litter input, although priming may decrease the soil C stock initially, but litter quality effects should be minimal (response to [CO2], N deposition, and temperature); will decrease because of increasing temperature; and will increase because of retardation of decomposition with N deposition, although the rate of decomposition of high-quality litter can be increased and that of low-quality litter decreased. Single-factor responses can be misleading because of interactions between factors, in particular those between N and other factors, and indirect effects such as increased N availability from temperature-induced decomposition. In the long term the strength of feedbacks, for example the increasing demand for N from increased growth, will dominate over short-term responses to single factors. However, management has considerable potential for controlling the C store

Published in

New Phytologist
2007, volume: 173, number: 3, pages: 463-480
Publisher: BLACKWELL PUBLISHING

SLU Authors

• Hyvönen, Riitta

  • Department of Ecology and Environmental Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Ågren, Göran

  • Department of Ecology and Environmental Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Linder, Sune

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Persson, Tryggve

  • Department of Ecology and Environmental Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Freeman, Michael

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Grelle, Achim

  • Department of Ecology and Environmental Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Lundmark, Tomas

  • Unit for Field-based Forest Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Strömgren, Monika

  • Department of Forest Soils, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.01967.x

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/11182