Colonization by native species enhances the carbon storage capacity of exotic mangrove monocultures
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Carbon Balance and Management Open Access
RESEARCH
Colonization by native species enhances the carbon storage capacity of exotic mangrove monocultures Ziying He1, Huaye Sun2,3, Yisheng Peng2,3,4* , Zhan Hu1,4*, Yingjie Cao2,3,4 and Shing Yip Lee5
Abstract Background: The fast-growing introduced mangrove Sonneratia apetala is widely used for mangrove afforestation and reforestation in China. Some studies suggested that this exotic species outperforms native species in terms of carbon sequestration potential. This study tested the hypothesis that multi-species mangrove plantations might have higher carbon sequestration potential than S. apetala monocultures. Results: Our field measurements at Hanjiang River Estuary (Guangdong province, China) showed that the carbon stock (46.0 ± 3.0 Mg/ha) in S. apetala plantations where the native Kandelia obovata formed an understory shrub layer was slightly higher than that in S. apetala monocultures (36.6 ± 1.3 Mg/ha). Moreover, the carbon stock in monospecific K. obovata stands (106.6 ± 1.4 Mg/ha) was much larger than that of S. apetala monocultures. Conclusions: Our results show that K. obovata monocultures may have a higher carbon accumulation rate than S. apetala monocultures. Planting K. obovata seedlings in existing S. apetala plantations may enhance the carbon sink associated with these plantations. Keywords: Mangrove plantation, Carbon storage, Mixed forest, Kandelia obovata, Sonneratia apetala Background Although covering only 0.1% of Earth’s continental surface, mangrove forests are amongst the most carbonrich ecosystems in the world [1, 2]. Mangrove forests differ from terrestrial counterparts in their capacity to store > 90% of their carbon in the substrate (5–10.4 Pg globally) over millennial timescales [3–5]. Complex root structures, high sedimentation rates, periodically inundated conditions and muddy anaerobic soils are responsible for exponentially higher carbon burial rates and millesimal lower soil carbon turnover rates in mangroves compared to those of terrestrial forests [6–8]. The high *Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] 1 School of Marine Science, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China 2 School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
carbon sequestration and storage rates are among the mangrove ecosystem services focused including coastal protection, sediment retention, and nurseries for marine fishery species [1, 9–11]. Despite their ecological importance, mangroves are encountering a multitude of anthropogenic threats such as coastal development or pollution, leading to their widespread degradation and decline [12–14]. Mangroves have been significantly deforested during the last several decades in China. The total area of mangrove in China was estimated ~ 20,303 ha in 2015, representing less than one-third of the 1950s [
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