Discuss how carbon storage differs among hardwood and coniferous trees in soils

Question

Discuss how carbon storage differs among hardwood and coniferous trees in soils and aboveground biomass. Offer some reasons why this happens Suggest an experiment to test your hypothesis related to the mechanisms which you are proposing which may be the cause for the differences in Carbon pools across each forest type Discuss how carbon storage differs among hardwood and coniferous trees in soils and aboveground biomass. Offer some reasons why this happens Suggest an experiment to test your hypothesis related to the mechanisms which you are proposing which may be the cause for the differences in Carbon pools across each forest type Offer some reasons why this happens Suggest an experiment to test your hypothesis related to the mechanisms which you are proposing which may be the cause for the differences in Carbon pools across each forest type

Explanation / Answer

Within ecosystems Carbon is cycled in several different forms. Its tendency to be attracted to oxygen results in the formation of gaseous compounds such as carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and carbon monoxide (CO) which in high concentrations result in air pollution and play a vital role in climate change. Carbon dioxide gas is taken by trees from the air through photosynthesis.

The chemical formula for photosynthesis is

6 CO2 + 12 H2 O + photons C6 H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2 O or

(Carbon dioxide + water + light energy glucose + oxygen + water).

In this process plant cells converts the carbon which they absorbed from carbon dioxide to a solid form i.e. sugars (the carbohydrates glucose and starch) that is stored in leaves, stems, trunks, branches and roots, and helps the tree to grow. In this process Oxygen is released back into the atmosphere as a by-product which is taken by the animals for their survival.

In reproductive tissues including flowers, fruit, nuts, pods or cones, starch is stored while for respiration glucose is used to help keep the tree alive. Cellulose is another sugar that is manufactured by the plant and is particularly important for plant cell walls to help maintain its structure and keep plants upright. Wood consists around 40% cellulose.

The carbon cycle helps us understand the distribution of carbon among living things, the soil, water and atmosphere. If the carbon cycle was in equilibrium, the rate at which carbon is removed from stores would equal the amount being taken out of the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels containing high carbon has created imbalance in the carbon cycle and enhanced the rate at which carbon is returned to the gaseous phase. This increase in carbon gas in the atmosphere, particularly as carbon dioxide and methane, has contributed to global warming and is referred to as the ‘man-made greenhouse effect’.

The amount of carbon stored in trees depends on various things like tree species, growth conditions in the environment, age of tree and density of surrounding trees.

Carbon stored in the tree biomass is distributed in different proportions throughout the tree in the stump, trunk (bark and debarked log), crown and roots and differs for softwood and hardwood species.

Carbon storage on a land largely depends on the sizes of four carbon “pools:” aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, soil, and dead organic matter. The InVEST Carbon Storage and Sequestration model aggregates the amount of carbon stored in these pools according to the land use maps and classifications produced by the user. Aboveground biomass comprises all living plant material above the soil (e.g., bark, trunks, branches, leaves). Belowground biomass encompasses the living root systems of aboveground biomass. Soil organic matter is the organic component of soil, and represents the largest terrestrial carbon pool. Dead organic matter includes litter as well as lying and standing dead wood.

Limitations of the model include an oversimplified carbon cycle, an assumed linear change in carbon sequestration over time, and potentially inaccurate discounting rates. Biophysical conditions important for carbon sequestration such as photosynthesis rates and the presence of active soil organisms are also not included in the model.

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