Soil organic carbon pools and dynamics in a mangrove forest

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24657016
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Gifu University
• Principal Investigator: OHTSUKA Toshiyuki 岐阜大学, 流域圏科学研究センター, 教授 (90272351)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): FUJITAKE Nobuhide 神戸大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 教授 (50243332)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KINJO Kazutoshi 琉球大学, 農学部, 准教授 (30582035)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: マングローブ林 / 土壌圏炭素 / 炭素蓄積 / 溶存有機物 / 純一次生産量 / 微生物呼吸量 / 生態系純生産量

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To reveal the dynamics of soil organic matter, we conducted the study of ecosystem ecology and soil organic chemistry in a mangrove forest on an estuary of the Fukido River, Ishigaki Island, southern Japan. Almost aboveground fine litter flowed away from the mangrove forest due to the ebb tide, but belowground fine litter (necromass of fine root) was higher in the deep soil. Heterotrophic respiration is rather high because of CO2 fluxes from water surface at high tide and CWD decomposition at low tide. Concentrations of humic substances (HS) in the headwaters of Fukido River are higher than other river water, and HS was absorbed by mangrove soil due to high salinity. These data suggested that high fine root production/decomposition and DOC (HS) input from terrestrial evergreen forest through the river is important for soil accumulation in mangrove forests.

Free Research Field

生態学