Biomass carbon stock in relation to different land uses in a semiarid environment

Durán Zuazo, Victor Hugo; Francia Martínez, José Ramón; Pleguezuelo, Carmen Rocío Rodríguez; Tavira, Simón Cuadros

Biomass carbon stock in relation to different land uses in a semiarid environment

2014

Durán Zuazo, Victor Hugo | Francia Martínez, José Ramón | Pleguezuelo, Carmen Rocío Rodríguez | Tavira, Simón Cuadros

Data on the aboveground and root-biomass carbon (C) were recorded for different land-use types on hillslopes within Mediterranean agroforestry watershed. Eight land-use types were selected: farmland with olive, almond, and cereals; forest with Pinus halepensis and Pinus sylvestris stands; shrubland; grassland; and abandoned farmland. Shrubland and forest exhibited the highest C stocks in biomass in relation to the land-use types investigated. Our results showed that abandoned farmland had significantly lower C stocks than did farmland, grassland, or shrubland, although with progressive plant recolonization that offered greater potential capacity for C sequestering. The average C stocks in biomass for P. halepensis , P. sylvestris , shrubland, olive, almond, grassland, cereals, and abandoned farmland was 87.5, 29.7, 13.7, 7.1, 7.9, 5.4, 3.7, and 1.6 Mg ha ⁻¹, respectively. In general terms of land use, the biomass C stock showed the following descending order: forest > farmland > shrubland > grassland > abandoned land. Consequently, our approach enables a comparison of C-stock patterns related to the land-use types in the experimental area.

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