Variation in soil organic carbon stocks in Singapore with forest succession and land management

Title
Variation in soil organic carbon stocks in Singapore with forest succession and land management
Publication Date
2022
Author(s)
Kleine, Michael
Ghosh, Subhadip
Leitgeb, Ernst
Berger, Ambros
bin Ibrahim, Hassan
Gschwantner, Thomas
Ow, Lai Fern
Michel, Kerstin
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Place of publication
New York, United States of America
DOI
10.1017/S0266467422000177
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/62711
Abstract

Land-use changes and forest management decisions can profoundly alter soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether existing SOC stocks in the forests of Singapore can be related to successional stages of forest vegetation following disturbances. A forest classification system was developed using information about land use history and vegetation data from 21 inventory plots collected within the framework of Singapore's IPCC-compatible greenhouse gas reporting system. The forest successional classes obtained were related to SOC stocks (0–50 cm) determined on the same plots. The inventory plots were assigned to four classes. Primary forests (Class 1) were dominated by late succession native species. Secondary forests representing natural forest succession (Class 2) contained younger native trees and a few large trees. Secondary forests after tree plantation/fruit orchard (Class 3) and after agricultural crop cultivation (Class 4) were characterised by large proportions of exotic tree species. Maximum stocks of SOC declined from Class 1 (127.7 Mg ha−1 ) to Class 4 (35.2 Mg ha−1 ). The results of a principal component analysis confirmed our forest classification. Plant-related parameters can be successfully used to classify the forests in Singapore, which also show clear differences in SOC.

Link
Citation
Journal of Tropical Ecology, 38(5), p. 275-284
ISSN
1469-7831
0266-4674
Start page
275
End page
284

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