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C Source (c + source)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Earth and Environmental Science	66%

Selected Abstracts

Predicting potential impacts of climate change on the geographical distribution of enchytraeids: a meta-analysis approach

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 11 2007
MARÍA JESÚS I. BRIONES
Abstract The expectation that atmospheric warming will be most pronounced at higher latitudes means that Arctic and montane systems, with predominantly organic soils, will be particularly influenced by climate change. One group of soil fauna, the enchytraeids, is commonly the major soil faunal component in specific biomes, frequently exceeding above-ground fauna in biomass terms. These organisms have a crucial role in carbon turnover in organic rich soils and seem particularly sensitive to temperature changes. In order to predict the impacts of climate change on this important group of soil organisms we reviewed data from 44 published papers using a combination of conventional statistical techniques and meta-analysis. We focused on the effects of abiotic factors on total numbers of enchytraeids (a total of 611 observations) and, more specifically, concentrated on total numbers, vertical distribution and age groupings of the well-studied species Cognettia sphagnetorum (228 observations). The results highlight the importance of climatic factors, together with vegetation and soil type in determining global enchytraeid distribution; in particular, cold and wet environments with mild summers are consistently linked to greater densities of enchytraeids. Based on the upper temperature distribution limits reported in the literature, and identified from our meta-analyses, we also examined the probable future geographical limits of enchytraeid distribution in response to predicted global temperature changes using the HadCM3 model climate output for the period between 2010 and 2100. Based on the existing data we identify that a maximum mean annual temperature threshold of 16 °C could be a critical limit for present distribution of field populations, above which their presence would decline markedly, with certain key species, such as C. sphagnetorum, being totally lost from specific regions. We discuss the potential implications for carbon turnover in these organic soils where these organisms currently dominate and, consequently, their future role as C sink/source in response to climate change. [source]

CO2 exchange in three Canadian High Arctic ecosystems: response to long-term experimental warming

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2004
Jeffrey M. Welker
Abstract Carbon dioxide exchange, soil C and N, leaf mineral nutrition and leaf carbon isotope discrimination (LCID-,) were measured in three High Arctic tundra ecosystems over 2 years under ambient and long-term (9 years) warmed (,2°C) conditions. These ecosystems are located at Alexandra Fiord (79°N) on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, and span a soil water gradient; dry, mesic, and wet tundra. Growing season CO2 fluxes (i.e., net ecosystem exchange (NEE), gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP), and ecosystem respiration (Re)) were measured using an infrared gas analyzer and winter C losses were estimated by chemical absorption. All three tundra ecosystems lost CO2 to the atmosphere during the winter, ranging from 7 to 12 g CO2 -C m,2 season,1 being highest in the wet tundra. The period during the growing season when mesic tundra switch from being a CO2 source to a CO2 sink was increased by 2 weeks because of warming and increases in GEP. Warming during the summer stimulated dry tundra GEP more than Re and thus, NEE was consistently greater under warmed as opposed to ambient temperatures. In mesic tundra, warming stimulated GEP with no effect on Re increasing NEE by ,10%, especially in the first half of the summer. During the ,70 days growing season (mid-June,mid-August), the dry and wet tundra ecosystems were net CO2 -C sinks (30 and 67 g C m,2 season,1, respectively) and the mesic ecosystem was a net C source (58 g C m,2 season,1) to the atmosphere under ambient temperature conditions, due in part to unusual glacier melt water flooding that occurred in the mesic tundra. Experimental warming during the growing season increased net C uptake by ,12% in dry tundra, but reduced net C uptake by ,20% in wet tundra primarily because of greater rates of Re as opposed to lower rates of GEP. Mesic tundra responded to long-term warming with ,30% increase in GEP with almost no change in Re reducing this tundra type to a slight C source (17 g C m,2 season,1). Warming caused LCID of Dryas integrafolia plants to be higher in dry tundra and lower in Salix arctic plants in mesic and wet tundra. Our findings indicate that: (1) High Arctic ecosystems, which occur in similar mesoclimates, have different net CO2 exchange rates with the atmosphere; (2) long-term warming can increase the net CO2 exchange of High Arctic tundra by stimulating GEP, but it can also reduce net CO2 exchange in some tundra types during the summer by stimulating Re to a greater degree than stimulating GEP; (3) after 9 years of experimental warming, increases in soil carbon and nitrogen are detectable, in part, because of increases in deciduous shrub cover, biomass, and leaf litter inputs; (4) dry tundra increases in GEP, in response to long-term warming, is reflected in D. integrifolia LCID; and (5) the differential carbon exchange responses of dry, mesic, and wet tundra to similar warming magnitudes appear to depend, in part, on the hydrologic (soil water) conditions. Annual net ecosystem CO2 -C exchange rates ranged from losses of 64 g C m,2 yr,1 to gains of 55 g C m,2 yr,1. These magnitudes of positive NEE are close to the estimates of NPP for these tundra types in Alexandra Fiord and in other High Arctic locations based on destructive harvests. [source]

Modelling carbon balances of coastal arctic tundra under changing climate

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2003
Robert F. Grant
Abstract Rising air temperatures are believed to be hastening heterotrophic respiration (Rh) in arctic tundra ecosystems, which could lead to substantial losses of soil carbon (C). In order to improve confidence in predicting the likelihood of such loss, the comprehensive ecosystem model ecosys was first tested with carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes measured over a tundra soil in a growth chamber under various temperatures and soil-water contents (,). The model was then tested with CO2 and energy fluxes measured over a coastal arctic tundra near Barrow, Alaska, under a range of weather conditions during 1998,1999. A rise in growth chamber temperature from 7 to 15 °C caused large, but commensurate, rises in respiration and CO2 fixation, and so no significant effect on net CO2 exchange was modelled or measured. An increase in growth chamber , from field capacity to saturation caused substantial reductions in respiration but not in CO2 fixation, and so an increase in net CO2 exchange was modelled and measured. Long daylengths over the coastal tundra at Barrow caused an almost continuous C sink to be modelled and measured during most of July (2,4 g C m,2 d,1), but shortening daylengths and declining air temperatures caused a C source to be modelled and measured by early September (,1 g C m,2 d,1). At an annual time scale, the coastal tundra was modelled to be a small C sink (4 g C m,2 y,1) during 1998 when average air temperatures were 4 °C above normal, and a larger C sink (16 g C m,2 y,1) during 1999 when air temperatures were close to long-term normals. During 100 years under rising atmospheric CO2 concentration (Ca), air temperature and precipitation driven by the IS92a emissions scenario, modelled Rh rose commensurately with net primary productivity (NPP) under both current and elevated rates of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, so that changes in soil C remained small. However, methane (CH4) emissions were predicted to rise substantially in coastal tundra with IS92a-driven climate change (from ,20 to ,40 g C m,2 y,1), causing a substantial increase in the emission of CO2 equivalents. If the rate of temperature increase hypothesized in the IS92a emissions scenario had been raised by 50%, substantial losses of soil C (,1 kg C m,2) would have been modelled after 100 years, including additional emissions of CH4. [source]

Using natural 13C abundances to differentiate between three CO2 sources during incubation of a grassland soil amended with slurry and sugar

JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 6 2004
Yakov Kuzyakov
Abstract This study describes a novel approach to separate three soil carbon (C) sources by one tracer method (here 13C natural abundance). The approach uses the temporal dynamics of the CO2 efflux from a C3 grassland soil amended with added C3 or C4 slurry and/or C3 or C4 sugar to estimate contributions of three separate C sources (native soil, slurry, and sugar) to CO2 efflux. Soil with slurry and/or sugar was incubated under controlled conditions, and concentration and ,13C values of evolved CO2 were measured over a 2-week period. The main assumption needed for separation of three C sources in CO2 efflux, i.e., identical decomposition of applied C3 and C4 sugars in soil, was investigated and proven. The relative contribution to the CO2 efflux was higher, but shorter with an increased (microbial) availability of the C source, i.e., sugar > slurry > SOM. The shortcomings and limitations as well as possible future applications of the suggested method are discussed. Anwendung der natürlichen 13C-Abundanz zur Trennung von drei CO2 -Quellen bei der Inkubation eines mit Gülle und Zucker behandelten Graslandbodens Die Untersuchung beschreibt ein neues Verfahren zur Trennung von drei C-Quellen im Boden mit Hilfe einer Tracermethode (hier die natürliche 13C-Abundanz). Die zeitliche Dynamik des CO2 -Effluxes aus einem C3 -Graslandboden nach der Applikation von C3 - oder C4 -Gülle und/oder C3 - oder C4 -Zucker wurde verfolgt, um die Anteile der drei unabhängigen C-Quellen (organische Bodensubstanz (OBS), Gülle und Zucker) am CO2 -Efflux zu untersuchen. Boden mit Gülle und/oder Zucker wurde unter kontrollierten Bedingungen inkubiert, und die CO2 -Konzentration und ihre ,13C-Werte wurden im Laufe von zwei Wochen gemessen. Die Hauptvoraussetzung der Methode zur Trennung der drei C-Quellen , identischer Abbau von zugeführten C3 - und C4 -Zuckern im Boden , wurde geprüft. Der relative Beitrag zum CO2 -Efflux wurde höher, die Dauer jedoch kürzer mit steigender (mikrobieller) Verfügbarkeit der C-Quelle: Zucker > Gülle > OBS. Die Mängel, Einschränkungen und mögliche künftige Anwendungen der vorgeschlagenen Methode werden diskutiert. [source]

Understorey plant and soil responses to disturbance and increased nitrogen in boreal forests

JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009
O.H. Manninen
Abstract Question: How do N fertilization and disturbance affect the understorey vegetation, microbial properties and soil nutrient concentration in boreal forests? Location: Kuusamo (66°22,N; 29°18,E) and Oulu (65°02,N; 25°47,E) in northern Finland. Methods: We conducted a fully factorial experiment with three factors: site (two levels), N fertilization (four levels) and disturbance (two levels). We measured treatment effects on understorey biomass, vegetation structure, and plant, soil and microbial N and C concentrations. Results: The understorey biomass was not affected by fertilization either in the control or in the disturbance treatment. Fertilization reduced the biomass of deciduous Vaccinium myrtillus. Disturbance had a negative effect on the biomass of V. myrtillus and evergreen Vaccinium vitis-idaea and decreased the relative proportion of evergreen species. Fertilization and disturbance increased the biomass of grass Deschampsia flexuosa and the relative proportion of graminoids. The amount of NH4+ increased in soil after fertilization, and microbial C decreased after disturbance. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the growth of slow-growing Vaccinium species and soil microbes in boreal forests are not limited by N availability. However, significant changes in the proportion of dwarf shrubs to graminoids and a decrease in the biomass of V. myrtillus demonstrate the susceptibility of understorey vegetation to N enrichment. N enrichment and disturbance seem to have similar effects on understorey vegetation. Consequently, increasing N does not affect the rate or the direction of recovery after disturbance. Moreover, our study demonstrates the importance of understorey vegetation as a C source for soil microbes in boreal forests. [source]

Nutrient values of dietary ascorbic acid (l -ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate) on growth, survival and stress tolerance of larval shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

AQUACULTURE NUTRITION, Issue 2 2009
J. NIU
Abstract l -ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (ApP) was used as a vitamin C source to investigate the ascorbic acid (AsA) requirements on growth performance and stress resistance of the larval white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Five isoenergetic and isonitrogenous fish meal-fish protein hydrolysate-based diets with five levels of ApP, AsA equivalent to 91.8, 188, 271, 360 and 436 mg kg,1 diet were fed to triplicate groups of L. vannamei (mean initial wet weight 1 mg) for 32 days. The diet with AsA 91.8 mg kg,1 showed high cumulative mortality after 10 days of feeding. After the 32-day trial, the shrimp that fed the diet had significantly lower survival and weight gain (WG, %) than those that fed 188, 271, 360 and 436 mg AsA kg,1 diets. Specific growth rate (SGR, % day,1) and final body wet weight (FBW, mg) showed the same pattern as WG (%). There were no significant differences in growth performance (FBW, WG and SGR) among the groups that fed 188, 271, 360 and 436 mg kg,1 of AsA at the termination of feeding trial. Broken-line regression analysis on WG indicated that 191 mg AsA kg,1 in the diet was the optimum for larval L. vannamei. On the contrary, dietary level of more than 360 mg AsA kg,1 was needed to ensure high resistance to stressful conditions such as low dissolved oxygen stressors. [source]

Vitamin C requirement of kuruma shrimp postlarvae, Marsupenaeus japonicus (Bate), using l -ascorbyl-2-monophosphate-Na/Ca

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 8 2005
Yin Yin Moe
Abstract l -ascorbyl-2-monophosphate-Na/Ca (AMP-Na/Ca) was used as a vitamin C source to investigate the ascorbic acid (AsA) requirements on growth performance and stress resistance of the post-larval kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus. Purified carrageenan-microbound diets with six levels of AMP-Na/Ca, AsA equivalent to 0, 20, 56, 87, 759 and 1697 mg kg,1 diet were fed to triplicate groups of M. japonicus (mean initial weight 16±0.3 mg) for 30 days. The diets with AsA 0, 20 and 56 mg kg,1 showed high cumulative mortality after 10 days of feeding. After the 30-day trial, the shrimp fed these diets had significantly lower survival and weight gain (WG, %) than those fed the 87, 759 and 1697 mg AsA kg,1 diets. Specific growth rate and individual dry weight showed the same pattern as WG (%). There were no significant differences in growth performance among the groups fed the AsA levels at 87, 759 and 1697 mg kg,1 at the termination of feeding trial. Broken-line regression analysis indicated that 91.8 mg AsA kg,1 in the diet was the optimum for post-larval shrimp. On the other hand, dietary level of more than 800 mg AsA kg,1 was needed to ensure high resistance to stressful conditions such as osmotic and formalin stressors. [source]