Biomass and floristic composition of riparian systems herbaceous vegetation, effect in the carbon capture | Biomasa y composición florística de la vegetación herbácea de zonas de ribera, su efecto en la captura de carbono

Spanish; Castilian. Las estrategias para el control del cambio climático cuentan con la absorción del CO2 por parte de la vegetación. En este sentido, casi siempre se han estudiado y valorado los sistemas arbóreos atendiendo a su componente leñoso (árboles, arbustos). El presente trabajo sugiere el interés de los pastizales y del estrato herbáceo de los sistemas arbóreos en la captura de carbono. Se compara la producción de biomasa, el contenido en carbono, la composición florística y la cantidad de carbono generado por la vegetación herbácea en cuatro sistemas riparios diferentes: un bosque de ribera natural, dos áreas riparias restauradas, y un área riparia deforestada. Se indica la importancia del estrato herbáceo de los sistemas riparios restaurados-reforestados como captadores de carbono debido a que la producción de biomasa es alta, favorecida por su composición florística. Algo semejante ocurre con el pasto de la zona deforestada que además es más rico en carbono. Por el contrario, el pasto del bosque natural significa bastante menos que los otros sistemas a la hora de fijar carbono.

English. Strategies for controlling climate change include CO2 absorption by vegetation. Arboreal systems have therefore almost always been studied and evaluated from the perspective of their woody component (trees, shrubs). The present paper suggests that pastures and the herbaceous layer of arboreal systems may also be important in the carbon capture process. This study compares biomass production, the organic carbon content in herbaceous vegetation, floristic composition and the amount of carbon generated in four riparian systems: a natural riverside forest, two riparian areas restored at the end of 1994 and in 1999, and a deforested riparian area. We discuss the effect of the characteristics of each area on the analysed variables and show the importance of the herbaceous layer in restored/reforested riparian systems as carbon traps. These systems encourage CO2 fixing by the herbaceous vegetation that shapes them in their early years, as biomass production is important due to the substantial growth and development of many of the species that characterize their floristic composition. The pasture in the deforested zone has a relatively high biomass production and higher carbon content than the rest of the studied systems, and may therefore also be regarded as an important carbon-fixing system. In contrast, the pasture in natural forest is substantially less significant in carbon fixing than the other systems due to its lack of biomass production.