Carbon storage in a high-altitude Polylepis woodland in the Peruvian Andes

Ekatherina Vásquez; Brenton Ladd; Nils Borchard

doi:10.1007/s00035-014-0126-y

Carbon storage in a high-altitude Polylepis woodland in the Peruvian Andes

Ekatherina Vásquez, Brenton Ladd, Nils Borchard

Ingeniería agroforestal

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Polylepis woodland occurs in Peru's tropical highlands at elevations between 3,500 and 5,000 m above sea level and Polylepis is the most common tree at timberline in South America. The objective of this study was to assess the total ecosystem carbon stock in a Polylepis incana woodland, i.e., aboveground biomass (canopy trees and understory), root biomass and soil carbon stocks were all quantified. As part of this study, an allometric equation for the quantification of the aboveground biomass of individual P. incana trees was developed for the first time. The most important carbon pool was the soil (39.7 ± 6.9 kg m^-2) followed by the aboveground biomass of Polylepis trees (3.8 ± 0.7 kg m^-2). The total ecosystem carbon stock was estimated to be 43.9 ± 7.6 kg m^-2; thus, 90.6 % of the ecosystem carbon stock is soil carbon.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	71-75
Number of pages	5
Journal	Alpine Botany
Volume	124
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-014-0126-y
State	Published - Apr 2014

Keywords

Allometric equation
Carbon stock
Ecosystem services
Polylepis

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10.1007/s00035-014-0126-y

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title = "Carbon storage in a high-altitude Polylepis woodland in the Peruvian Andes",

abstract = "Polylepis woodland occurs in Peru's tropical highlands at elevations between 3,500 and 5,000 m above sea level and Polylepis is the most common tree at timberline in South America. The objective of this study was to assess the total ecosystem carbon stock in a Polylepis incana woodland, i.e., aboveground biomass (canopy trees and understory), root biomass and soil carbon stocks were all quantified. As part of this study, an allometric equation for the quantification of the aboveground biomass of individual P. incana trees was developed for the first time. The most important carbon pool was the soil (39.7 ± 6.9 kg m-2) followed by the aboveground biomass of Polylepis trees (3.8 ± 0.7 kg m-2). The total ecosystem carbon stock was estimated to be 43.9 ± 7.6 kg m-2; thus, 90.6 % of the ecosystem carbon stock is soil carbon.",

keywords = "Allometric equation, Carbon stock, Ecosystem services, Polylepis",

author = "Ekatherina V{\'a}squez and Brenton Ladd and Nils Borchard",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgments We thank J. Takahashi and the University Cient{\'i}fica del Sur for financial support of the study. We also thank the Servicio Nacional de {\'A}reas Naturales Protegidas (SERNANP) for permission to destructively harvest Polylepis trees, and especially we thank the SERNANP staff (Che et al.) that work in Yauyos Cochas National Park for their help during the field campaign.",

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doi = "10.1007/s00035-014-0126-y",

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AU - Vásquez, Ekatherina

AU - Ladd, Brenton

AU - Borchard, Nils

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgments We thank J. Takahashi and the University Científica del Sur for financial support of the study. We also thank the Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (SERNANP) for permission to destructively harvest Polylepis trees, and especially we thank the SERNANP staff (Che et al.) that work in Yauyos Cochas National Park for their help during the field campaign.

PY - 2014/4

Y1 - 2014/4

N2 - Polylepis woodland occurs in Peru's tropical highlands at elevations between 3,500 and 5,000 m above sea level and Polylepis is the most common tree at timberline in South America. The objective of this study was to assess the total ecosystem carbon stock in a Polylepis incana woodland, i.e., aboveground biomass (canopy trees and understory), root biomass and soil carbon stocks were all quantified. As part of this study, an allometric equation for the quantification of the aboveground biomass of individual P. incana trees was developed for the first time. The most important carbon pool was the soil (39.7 ± 6.9 kg m-2) followed by the aboveground biomass of Polylepis trees (3.8 ± 0.7 kg m-2). The total ecosystem carbon stock was estimated to be 43.9 ± 7.6 kg m-2; thus, 90.6 % of the ecosystem carbon stock is soil carbon.

AB - Polylepis woodland occurs in Peru's tropical highlands at elevations between 3,500 and 5,000 m above sea level and Polylepis is the most common tree at timberline in South America. The objective of this study was to assess the total ecosystem carbon stock in a Polylepis incana woodland, i.e., aboveground biomass (canopy trees and understory), root biomass and soil carbon stocks were all quantified. As part of this study, an allometric equation for the quantification of the aboveground biomass of individual P. incana trees was developed for the first time. The most important carbon pool was the soil (39.7 ± 6.9 kg m-2) followed by the aboveground biomass of Polylepis trees (3.8 ± 0.7 kg m-2). The total ecosystem carbon stock was estimated to be 43.9 ± 7.6 kg m-2; thus, 90.6 % of the ecosystem carbon stock is soil carbon.

KW - Allometric equation

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KW - Ecosystem services

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Carbon storage in a high-altitude Polylepis woodland in the Peruvian Andes

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Keywords

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