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Pedosphere 25(6): 853--867, 2015
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2015 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press

Effects of pits and mounds following windthrow events on soil features and greenhouse gas fluxes in a temperate forest

Y. KOOCH

, S. M. DARABI and S. M. HOSSEINI

Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources & Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran 46417-76489 (Iran)

ABSTRACT

Pit and mound micro-relief (resultant microsites from trees uprooted by windthrow) could have regimes of microclimate and soil features that differ from areas of undisturbed soil. In an attempt to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the significance of pits and mounds on soil features and also the dynamics of greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes at local scale, this study was carried out in a reserved area of Darabkola forest in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. The age of a pit and mound was considered equal to the degree of decay of the blown down tree. Three microsites were distinguished, consisting of pit bottom (PB), mound top (MT) and undisturbed area (UA). Soil samples were taken at 0–15 and 15–30 cm depths from all microsites and analysed for soil physical, chemical and biological features. Our findings suggested that in context of forest ecology, pits and mounds following windthrow events should be considered as an effective factor influencing soil features (i.e., density, texture, water content, pH, organic C, total N, available nutrients and earthworm density/biomass) and especially GHG fluxes. Results showed that MT acted as a sink for N₂O (-0.010 mg N₂O m^-2 d^-1) and CH₄ (-0.257 mg CH₄ m^-2 d^-1) fluxes and also produced lower CO₂ concentrations (0.095 mg CO₂ m^-2 d^-1) than PB (0.207 mg CO₂ m^-2 d^-1) and UA (0.098 mg CO₂ m^-2 d^-1). As a consequence, a separation into pits/mounds would be important for a precise budgeting of greenhouse gases.

Key Words: carbon dioxide, methane, microsite, nitrous oxide, oriental beech, uprooted tree

Citation: Kooch, Y., Darabi, S. M. and Hosseini, S. M. 2015. Effects of pits and mounds following windthrow events on soil features and greenhouse gas fluxes in a temperate forest. Pedosphere. 25(6): 853-867.

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