Forests might be able to hold up better in the face of climate change than previously thought, a new study has found.
As the team of international researchers – including researchers from the University of Toronto Scarborough, University of New Hampshire and other institutions – found, plant roots have the capability to keep carbon levels in soil stable even as temperatures rise and nitrogen deposits in the atmosphere grow.
“There is a lot of uncertainty when these two antagonistic stressors are combined – which is why this study is so significant,” commented Myrna Simpson, a professor in the department of physical and environmental sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
The study, Unexpected sustained soil carbon flux in response to simultaneous warming and nitrogen enrichment compared with single factors alone, was published in the Nature Ecology and Evolution journal. Research was conducted in the Harvard Forest in Massachusetts.
Effect on forests
Previous studies had suggested that increased temperatures resulted in forests losing carbon, while increased nitrogen in the atmosphere resulted in carbon buildup.
However, this latest research found that when temperatures rise alongside increased nitrogen, plants in forests respond by enhancing their growth, activity, and root turnover.
This process helps to keep carbon in the soil stable by adding more carbon through plant activity, counteracting the potential for carbon loss due to heat-induced decomposition, the researchers stated.
‘Unique’ research
Simpson added that the research is ‘unique’, as it includes both individual and combined treatments that represent combined impacts to temperate forests.
“Because of the advanced analytical capabilities in my laboratory and the Environmental NMR Centre at U of T Scarborough, we can uniquely decipher how multiple stressors alter the chemistry and potential long-term stability of soil organic matter at the molecular-level,” she added.
“It is likely that these observations may occur in other forests too.” Read more here.
