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Fine root and aboveground carbon stocks in riparian forests: the roles of diking and environmental gradients

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Abstract

Aims

We analysed current carbon (C) stocks in fine root and aboveground biomass of riparian forests and influential environmental parameters on either side of a dike in the Donau-Auen National Park, Austria.

Methods

On both sides of the dike, carbon (C) stock of fine roots (CFR) under four dominant tree species and of aboveground biomass (CAB) were assessed by topsoil cores (0–30 cm) and angle count sampling method respectively (n = 48). C stocks were modeled, performing boosted regression trees (BRT).

Results

Overall CFR was 2.8 t ha−1, with significantly higher C stocks in diked (DRF) compared to flooded riparian forests (FRF). In contrast to CFR, mean CAB was 123 t ha−1 and lower in DRF compared to FRF. However, dike construction was consistently ruled out as a predictor variable in BRT. CFR was influenced by the distance to the Danube River and the dominant tree species. CAB was mainly influenced by the magnitude of fluctuations in the groundwater table and the distances to the river and the low groundwater table.

Conclusions

Despite pronounced differences in FRF and DRF, we conclude that there is only weak support that dikes directly influence C allocation in floodplain forests within the time scale considered (110 years).

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Abbreviations

BRT:

Boosted regression trees

C:

Carbon

CFR:

C stock of fine root biomass

CAB:

C stock of aboveground biomass

DBH:

Diameter at breast height

DRF:

Diked riparian forest

FRF:

Flooded riparian forest

NPP:

Net primary production

SE:

Standard error

TRF:

Total riparian forest

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Acknowledgments

This study was carried out as a part of the project “Carbon dynamics in soils and vegetation of riparian forests” funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, grant number CI 175/1). We thank Torben Lübbe for helping with the field and laboratory work. We also thank Christian Fraissl and Christian Baumgartner (Donau-Auen National Park administration), Alfred Paul Blaschke from the TU Vienna for providing a groundwater model, the via donau – Österreichische Wasserstraßen-Gesellschaft mbH for providing the digital elevation model, Jörg Luster (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research) for the pre-submission review and Kelaine Vargas for improving our English. Two anonymous reviewers helped to improve a former version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Ecosystem Science/Plant Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstraße 12, 12165, Berlin, Germany

    Isaak Rieger, Ingo Kowarik & Arne Cierjacks

  2. Chair of Soil Ecology, Institute of Forest Sciences, University of Freiburg, Bertoldstraße 17, 79085, Freiburg i.Br., Germany

    Friederike Lang

  3. Department of Geoinformation in Environmental Planning Lab, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 145, 10623, Berlin, Germany

    Birgit Kleinschmit

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  1. Isaak Rieger
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  2. Friederike Lang
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Correspondence to Isaak Rieger.

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Rieger, I., Lang, F., Kleinschmit, B. et al. Fine root and aboveground carbon stocks in riparian forests: the roles of diking and environmental gradients. Plant Soil 370, 497–509 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1638-8

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