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Dead wood biomass and turnover time, measured by radiocarbon, along a subalpine elevation gradient

  • Ecosystem Ecology
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Abstract

Dead wood biomass can be a substantial fraction of stored carbon in forest ecosystems, and coarse woody debris (CWD) decay rates may be sensitive to climate warming. We used an elevation gradient in Colorado Rocky Mountain subalpine forest to examine climate and species effects on dead wood biomass, and on CWD decay rate. Using a new radiocarbon approach, we determined that the turnover time of lodgepole pine CWD (340±130 years) was roughly half as long in a site with 2.5–3°C warmer air temperature, as that of pine (630±400 years) or Engelmann spruce CWD (800±960 and 650±410 years) in cooler sites. Across all sites and both species, CWD age ranged from 2 to 600 years, and turnover time was 580±180 years. Total standing and fallen dead wood biomass ranged from 4.7±0.2 to 54±1 Mg ha−1, and from 2.8 to 60% of aboveground live tree biomass. Dead wood biomass increased 75 kg ha−1 per meter gain in elevation and decreased 13 Mg ha−1 for every degree C increase in mean air temperature. Differences in biomass and decay rates along the elevation gradient suggest that climate warming will lead to a loss of dead wood carbon from subalpine forest.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Paula Reimer for assistance in developing the radiocarbon reference curve, Minze Stuiver for sharing unpublished radiocarbon values, David Freedman for calculating 1997–2001 atmospheric radiocarbon values and errors, Christopher Ramsey for modifying and advice in using OxCal, Jim Kirchner for help with error calculations, Tom Guilderson for running samples on the AMS, the CAMS laboratory staff for help in radiocarbon sample preparation, Jos Burns for preparing Fig. 1, and Paul Brooks, Lara Cushing, John Elliott, Nathan Kraft, and Tracy Perfors for field and laboratory assistance. We also thank Carrie Masiello, Margaret Torn, Whendee Silver, Carla D’Antonio and two anonymous referees for helpful reviews or discussions. The research was funded by the DOE Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a DOE Graduate Research Environmental Fellowship to L.M.K.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Ecosystem Sciences Division, 151 Hilgard Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Lara M. Kueppers & John Harte

  2. Earth System Science Department, 3200 Croul Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA

    John Southon

  3. Energy and Resources Group, 310 Barrows Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Paul Baer & John Harte

  4. Department of Earth Sciences, 1156 High St., University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA

    Lara M. Kueppers

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  1. Lara M. Kueppers
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Correspondence to Lara M. Kueppers.

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Kueppers, L.M., Southon, J., Baer, P. et al. Dead wood biomass and turnover time, measured by radiocarbon, along a subalpine elevation gradient. Oecologia 141, 641–651 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1689-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1689-x

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