Implications of climate change on mitigation potential estimates for forest sector in India

Climate change is projected to impact forest ecosystems, including biodiversity and Net Primary Productivity (NPP). National level carbon forest sector mitigation potential estimates are available for India; however impacts of projected climate change are not included in the mitigation potential estimates. Change in NPP (in gC/m²/yr) is taken to represent the impacts of climate change. Long term impacts of climate change (2085) on the NPP of Indian forests are available; however no such regional estimates are available for short and medium terms. The present study based on GCM climatology scenarios projects the short, medium and long term impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems especially on NPP using BIOME4 vegetation model. We estimate that under A2 scenario by the year 2030 the NPP changes by (−5) to 40% across different agro-ecological zones (AEZ). By 2050 it increases by 15% to 59% and by 2070 it increases by 34 to 84%. However, under B2 scenario it increases only by 3 to 25%, 3.5 to 34% and (−2.5) to 38% respectively, in the same time periods. The cumulative mitigation potential is estimated to increase by up to 21% (by nearly 1 GtC) under A2 scenario between the years 2008 and 2108, whereas, under B2 the mitigation potential increases only by 14% (646 MtC). However, cumulative mitigation potential estimates obtained from IBIS—a dynamic global vegetation model suggest much smaller gains, where mitigation potential increases by only 6% and 5% during the period 2008 to 2108.     

A Simulation of Temporal and Spatial Variations in Carbon at Landscape Level: A Case Study for Lake Abitibi Model Forest in Ontario,Canada

Using a case study of the Lake Abitibi Model Forest (LAMF), this study aims to assess the temporal and spatial variability in carbon storage during 1990–2000, and to present a comprehensive estimation of the carbon budget for LAMF's ecosystems. As well, it provided the information needed by local forest managers to develop ecological and carbon-based indicators and monitor the sustainability of forest ecosystems. Temporal and spatial carbon dynamics were simulated at the landscape level using ecosystem model TRIPLEX1.0 and Geographical Information System (GIS). The simulated net primary productivity (NPP) and carbon storage in forest biomass and soil were compared with field data and results from other studies for Canada's boreal forests. The results show that simulated NPP ranged from 3.26 to 3.34 tC ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in the 1990s and was consistent with the range measured during the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Studies (BOREAS) in central Canada. Modeled NPP was also compared with the estimation from remote sensing data. The density of total above-and belowground biomass was 125.3, 111.8, and 106.5 tC ha⁻¹ for black spruce, trembling aspen, and jack pine in the LAMF ecosystem, respectively. The total carbon density of forested land was estimated at 154.4 tC ha⁻¹ with the proportion of 4:6 for total biomass and soil. The analysis of net carbon balance of ecosystem suggested that the LAMF forest ecosystem was acting as a carbon sink with an allowable harvest in the 1990s.     

Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics: Case Studies in the Former Soviet Union,the Conterminous United States,Mexico and Brazil

This research assessed land-use impacts on C flux at a national level in four countries: former Soviet Union, United States, Mexico and Brazil, including biotic processes in terrestrial ecosystems (closed forests, woodlands, and croplands), harvest of trees for wood and paper products, and direct C emission from fires. The terrestrial ecosystems of the four countries contain approximately 40% of the world's terrestrial biosphere C pool, with the FSU alone having 27% of the global total. Average phytomass C densities decreased from south to north while average soil C densities in all three vegetation types generally increased from south to north. The C flux from land cover conversion was divided into a biotic component and a land-use component. We estimate that the total net biotic flux (Tg/yr) was positive (= uptake) in the FSU (631) and the U.S. (332), but negative in Mexico (−37) and Brazil (−16). In contrast, total flux from land use was negative (= emissions) in all four countries (TgC/yr): FSU −343; U.S. −243; Mexico −35; and Brazil −235. The total net effect of the biotic and land-use factors was a C sink in the FSU and the U.S. and a C source in both Brazil and Mexico. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Soil Carbon in the Forests of Russia

The 50% variation in the estimates of carbon (C) content in the forest soils of Russia at present is caused by confusion of terms and ignorance of the soil geographical representativeness in forests. The GIS-based analysis closes the gap to the estimate published earlier by Alexeyev and Birdsey (1994, p. 170). The average soil carbon density (SCD) for the 0.3 meter (m) layer of the forest soils in Russia is about 8.1 kg C m⁻²; the 1 m layer captures some 11.4 kg C m⁻²; and the 2 m layer holds nearly 12.3 kg C m^{− 2}. The mass of C is about 61.6 Pg C concentrated in the 0.3 m layer of forest soils; the 1 m layer accumulates 87.6 Pg C and the 2 m layer holds about 94.1 Pg C. The C content in soils of the forest zone is much higher for Russia. The SCD is 18.8 kg C m^{− 2} and the soil C pool (SCP) is 223.6 Pg C in 1 m layer. Peat soils contribute a considerable portion of C to the forest zone of the country. The cold climate, permafrost and vegetation residues that are rich in recalcitrant compounds support a high accumulation rate of organic matter and associated nutrients in soils. This conservation is a mechanism to keep the production potential of the boreal ecosystems high in spite of their relatively low actual productivity in present environments.     

西南地区陆地植被生态系统NPP时空演变及驱动力分析

研究西南地区陆地植被生态系统净初级生产力(NPP)的时空演变特征及其驱动力,对区域生态环境保护具有重要的现实意义.利用2000～2021年MODIS NPP、1999～2021年基于站点的气象数据和2000～2020年土地利用类型等数据,结合主成分分析、残差分析、Theil-Sen Median趋势分析和偏相关分析等方法,研究西南地区陆地植被生态系统NPP时空演变及其对驱动力的响应特征.结果表明,时间上,2000～2021年西南地区植被NPP呈波动上升趋势,速率为3.54g·(m²·a)^-1.气候变化和人类活动影响下,农田、草地和森林生态系统NPP均呈上升趋势,但农田生态系统NPP的上升趋势最为显著.空间上,西南地区植被NPP呈上升趋势的面积占比为89.06%,显著上升和极显著上升的区域主要分布在广西南部、四川东部、重庆西部,以及云南和贵州交界处.气候变化和人类活动对西南地区植被生长具有双重影响,气候变化和人类活动影响下农田生态系统NPP呈上升趋势的面积占比均高于草地和森林生态系统.西南地区植被NPP与各气象因子的相关性呈明显地域差异.区域尺...     

Global warming potential of emissions from rice paddies in Northeastern China

In this study, paddy fields in Jilin province which are flooded parcel of arable lands used for growing rice (Oryza sativa Linn.) were selected as the object. Long-term exploitation of paddy fields led to variations of soil organic carbon (SOC) and green house gases (GHGs) emissions which might contribute to global warming. In order to calculate the amount of global warming potentials (GWPs) of emissions from ricepaddies and find the correlations among rice yield, SOC storage and GWP, DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model was used to simulate SOC densities and fluxes of main GHGs emitted from paddy fields. After verification, simulation results were used to calculate SOC storages and 100-year GWPs from 1949 to 2009. Results indicated that SOC densities in depths of 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm and 20–30 cm all kept increasing. Average methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) fluxes were 278.55 kg carbon (kgC) ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ and 2.22 kg nitrogen (kgN) ha⁻¹ a⁻¹. The SOC storage (0–30 cm) had increased from 3.96 × 10⁹kgC in 1949 to 47.85 × 10⁹kgC in 2009. In addition, GWP emission was increasing exponentially in the past 61 years, from 0.16 × 10⁶ Mg carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-equivalents) to 66.36 × 10⁶ Mg CO₂-equivalents. Both SOC storage and GWP presented obviously linear relation to rice yields. Overall, the research suggested that long-term rice yields could be used to estimate the SOC storage and GWP variations.     

Carbon storage versus fossil fuel substitution: a climate change mitigation option for two different land use categories based on short and long rotation forestry in India

Short rotation bioenergy crops for energy production are considered an effective means to mitigate the greenhouse effect, mainly due to their ability to substitute fossil fuels. Alternatively, carbon can be sequestered and stored in the living biomass. This paper compares the two land use categories (forest land and non-forest land) for two management practices (short rotation vs. long rotation) to study mitigation potential of afforestation and fossil fuel substitution as compared to carbon storage. Significant carbon benefit can be obtained in the long run from using lands for growing short rotation energy crops and substituting fossil fuels by the biomass thus produced, as opposed to sequestering carbon in the biomass of the trees. When growth rates are high and harvest is used in a sustainable manner (i.e., replanting after every harvest), the opportunities for net carbon reductions appear to be fossil fuel substitution, rather than storage in ecosystem biomass. Our results suggest that at year 100 a total of 216 Mg C ha⁻¹ is sequestered for afforestation/reforestation using long rotation sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.f) species, as opposed to offset of 412 Mg C ha⁻¹ for carbon storage and fossil fuel substitution for short rotation poplar (Populus Deltoides Marsh) plantations. The bioenergy option results in a continuous stream of about 3 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ of carbon benefits per year on forest land and 4 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ on non-forest land. Earlier studies have shown that in India waste land availability for establishing energy plantations is in the range of 9.6 to 36.5 Mha. Thus, using the 758 Tg biomass per year generated from 9.6 Mha waste land gives a mitigation potential in the range of 227 to 303 Tg C per year for carbon storage and fossil fuel substitution from poplar plantation for substituting coal based power generation. Depending upon the land availability for plantation, the potential for energy generation is in the range of 11,370 PJ, possibly amounting to a bioenergy supply of 43% of the total projected energy consumption in 2015. Further studies are needed to estimate the mitigation potential of other species with different productivities for overall estimation of the economic feasibility and social acceptability in a tropical country like India.     

Net Ecosystem Production of Boreal Larch Ecosystems on the Yenisei Transect

The study was carried out in the Turukhansk Research Station of Yenisei Transect (65^°46^′N, 89^°25^′E). Larch (Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr.) is the dominant overstory tree species. The research has been conducted on four permanent test plots in same-age mature (110-year old) and overmature (380-year old) post-fire larch stands of green moss and lichen groups of forest type. Carbon cycle parameters were assessed based on a biometric method. Quantitative analysis of carbon pools and fluxes shows that net ecosystem production of north taiga larch stands averages 32% of net primary production. Sink of atmospheric CO₂ makes 1.22 and 0.74 t C ha^{− 1} year^{− 1} for mature and overmature green moss larch stands, and 0.65 and 0.35 t C ha^{− 1} year^{− 1} for lichen type. Net carbon sink in the tree layer make up 9% of net primary production carbon, ground vegetation – 15%, and dead plant residues accumulation – 8% of atmospheric carbon uptake via photosynthesis.     

High-field 1H T1 and T2 NMR relaxation time measurements of H2O in homeopathic preparations of quartz, sulfur, and copper sulfate

Quantitative meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials investigating the specific therapeutic efficacy of homeopathic remedies yielded statistically significant differences compared to placebo. Since the remedies used contained mostly only very low concentrations of pharmacologically active compounds, these effects cannot be accounted for within the framework of current pharmacology. Theories to explain clinical effects of homeopathic remedies are partially based upon changes in diluent structure. To investigate the latter, we measured for the first time high-field (600/500 MHz) ¹H T₁ and T₂ nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation times of H₂O in homeopathic preparations with concurrent contamination control by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Homeopathic preparations of quartz (10c–30c, n = 21, corresponding to iterative dilutions of 100⁻¹⁰–100⁻³⁰), sulfur (13x–30x, n = 18, 10⁻¹³–10⁻³⁰), and copper sulfate (11c–30c, n = 20, 100⁻¹¹–100⁻³⁰) were compared to n = 10 independent controls each (analogously agitated dilution medium) in randomized and blinded experiments. In none of the samples, the concentration of any element analyzed by ICP-MS exceeded 10 ppb. In the first measurement series (600 MHz), there was a significant increase in T₁ for all samples as a function of time, and there were no significant differences between homeopathic potencies and controls. In the second measurement series (500 MHz) 1 year after preparation, we observed statistically significant increased T₁ relaxation times for homeopathic sulfur preparations compared to controls. Fifteen out of 18 correlations between sample triplicates were higher for controls than for homeopathic preparations. No conclusive explanation for these phenomena can be given at present. Possible hypotheses involve differential leaching from the measurement vessel walls or a change in water molecule dynamics, i.e., in rotational correlation time and/or diffusion. Homeopathic preparations thus may exhibit specific physicochemical properties that need to be determined in detail in future investigations. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Carbon Sequestration by Carbonization of Biomass and Forestation: Three Case Studies

We proposed the carbon sink project called “Carbon Sequestration by Forestation and Carbonization (CFC),” which involves biomass utilization and land conservation by incorporating the products of biomass carbonization into the agents for soil improvement, water purification, etc. Our purpose was to demonstrate the potential of the CFC scheme for carbon sequestration, particularly carbon storage in soil. Case studies were conducted in both developing and developed countries. 1. In southern Sumatra, Indonesia, 88,369 Mg-C year⁻¹ of wood residue from a plantation forest and excess bark from a pulp mill would be converted into 15,571 Mg-C year⁻¹ of the net carbon sink by biochar for soil improvement. The fixed carbon recovery of the system is 21.0%. 2. In a semiarid region in western Australia, the carbonization of wood residue was incorporated with multipurpose projects of a mallee eucalyptus plantation that involved the function of salinity prevention. During the project period of 35 years, the total carbon sink would reach 1,035,450 Mg-C with 14.0% by aboveground biomass, 33.1% by belowground biomass and 52.8% by biochar in soil. 3. In southern Kyushu, Japan, the study was focused on the effective use of surplus heat from a garbage incinerator for carbonizing woody materials. Sawdust of 936.0 Mg-C year⁻¹ would be converted into the net carbon sink of 298.5 Mg-C year⁻¹ by carbonization, with the fixed carbon recovery of the system being 31.9%. Consequently, the CFC project could encourage the creation of a carbon sink in soil. However, we recognize that the quality standard of biochar, the stability of biochar in soil, and the methods for monitoring biochar utilization must be clarified before incorporating biochar carbon into the carbon credit system. Throughout this article (except for diagrams and in citation details) carbonized biomass is, with the authors'agreement, called ‘biochar’ in lieu of the commonly used but misleading word ‘charcoal’ (Editor).     

Contrasting factors controlling microbial respiratory activity in the sediment of two adjacent Mediterranean wetlands

Electron transport system (ETS) activity of sediments as an indication of microbial metabolic activity was examined in two adjacent Mediterranean wetlands (southern Spain). We determined the spatio-temporal variation in ETS, and we explored the potential biological [organic matter (OM), chlorophyll a (Chl a), aerobic and anaerobic bacteria] drivers of sediment ETS activity. ETS activity was notably higher in the eutrophic Lake Nueva (34.91 μl O₂ g⁻¹ D.W. h⁻¹) than in the hypertrophic Lake Honda (24.99 μl O₂ g⁻¹ D.W. h⁻¹). Strong spatial differences were observed in ETS in both study sites. Highest ETS values were achieved at the surface sediment at the deepest sampling station in each lake and a notable reduction in ETS with sediment depth was observed. By using linear regression and multiple regression analysis, OM was identified as the best predictor of ETS in Lake Honda while Chl a was the best predictor in Lake Nueva. The strong influence of OM supply on ETS activity in sediment from Lake Honda was the consequence of the labile nature of sedimentary OM, while a more refractory OM (with a higher contribution of vascular plants) comprised most of the sedimentary OM from Lake Nueva. By contrast, a large contribution of phytobenthos (supported by a higher lake water transparency) to ETS has been recognized in sediments from Lake Nueva. In summary, the results of this study revealed that the relative importance of planktonic primary producers (phytoplankton), benthic algae and vascular plants in the study sites could explain the differences observed in the intensity of sediment ETS as well as in their drivers.     

Trees as carbon sinks and sources in the European Union

The carbon (C) sinks and sources of trees that may be accounted for under Article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol during the first commitment period from 2008 to 2012 were estimated for the countries of the European Union (EU) based on existing forest inventory data. Two sets of definitions for the accounted activities, afforestation, reforestation and deforestation, were applied. Applying the definitions by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the trees were estimated to be a C source in eight and a C sink in seven countries, and in the whole EU a C source of 5.4 Tg year⁻¹. Applying the definitions by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), the trees were estimated to be a C source in three and a C sink in 12 countries, and in the whole EU a C sink of 0.1 Tg year⁻¹. These estimates are small compared with the C sink of trees in all EU forests, 63 Tg year⁻¹, the anthropogenic CO₂ emissions of the EU, 880 Tg C year⁻¹, and the reduction target of the CO₂ emissions, 8%. In individual countries, the estimated C sink of the trees accounted for under Article 3.3 was at largest 8% and the C source 12% compared with the CO₂ emissions.     

1981-2015年神农架林区森林生态系统净初级生产力估算

湖北省神农架林区是全国唯一以林区命名的行政单位,拥有全球中纬度地区唯一一块保存完好的原始森林,量化其森林生态系统NPP（net primary productivity,净初级生产力）对县域生态系统评估工作十分重要.基于CEVSA2（carbon exchange between vegetation,soil and atmosphere 2）模型模拟1981-2015年神农架林区森林生态系统NPP,并利用中国生态系统研究网络神农架站观测数据和野外调查数据进行验证,进而分析其NPP时空变化特征及其主要环境影响因子.结果表明:①1981-2015年神农架林区森林生态系统年均NPP为628.27 g/m2（以C计）,空间分布表现为中部较低、东部以及周边较高,具有明显的空间异质性.②1981-2015年神农架林区年均NPP的增长速率为2.58 g/（m2·a）（R2=0.65,P < 0.001）;运用Mann-Kendall突变检验法发现,1998年前后是NPP增长速率变化的突变点,虽然1998年前后两个时段NPP均呈上升趋势,但1999-2015年NPP增长率较1981-1998年下降了7.01%;从空间上来看,林区中部和北部NPP增长率[4~6 g/（m2·a）]相对较高,南部和东部部分地区NPP呈下降趋势,其变化速率在-3~0 g/（m2·a）之间.③神农架林区NPP年际变化与年均温、总辐射年际变化均呈正相关,与年降水量年际变化呈负相关,其中年均温年际变化对NPP年际变化的解释率最高,为43%（P < 0.01）;在空间尺度上,林区森林生态系统约67.83%区域的NPP年际变化由年均温年际变化控制,主要分布在林区中部和东南部,可见年均温是该地区森林生态系统NPP的主要影响因素.      

基于InVEST模型的北京山区森林生态系统碳储量评估分析

本文基于北京山区遥感影像数据和标准样地调查数据,利用In VEST模型碳储量模块,评估分析了北京山区森林生态系统的碳储量。结果表明,北京山区森林生态系统的平均碳密度为99. 95 Mg/hm~2,其中乔木层、灌木层、草本层、凋落物层和土壤层平均碳密度分别为10. 51、3. 16、0. 86、8. 61、76. 81 Mg/hm~2。植被碳密度与土壤碳密度呈现显著正相关关系,土壤碳密度与凋落物碳密度呈现显著正相关关系。各林分类型平均碳密度表现为落叶针叶林(153. 99 Mg/hm~2)针阔混交林(132. 45Mg/hm~2)落叶阔叶林(125. 10 Mg/hm~2)常绿针叶林(111. 78 Mg/hm~2)灌木林(72. 26 Mg/hm~2)。北京山区森林生态系统总碳储量为77. 41 Tg,其中乔木层、灌木层、草本层、凋落物层和土壤层的碳储量分别为8. 14、2. 45、0. 67、6. 67、59. 48 Tg。各林分类型总碳储量表现为落叶阔叶林(43. 23 Tg)灌木林(25. 90 Tg)常绿针叶林(6. 21 Tg)针阔混交林(1. 42 Tg)落叶针叶林(0. 65 Tg)。落叶阔叶林和灌木林是北京山区森林生态系统碳储量的主要贡献者,分别占55. 84%和33. 46%。在北京山区各个区县中,怀柔区碳储量最高(15. 37 Tg),平谷区碳储量最低(4. 89 Tg)。北京山区森林生态系统碳储量分布不均,总体表现为北京山区北部区县较高,西部区县偏低,中部和东部最低。     

中国农业植被净初级生产力模拟(Ⅱ)——模型的验证与净初级生产力估算

利用我国若干代表性区域6种主要作物(水稻、小麦、玉米、棉花、大豆、油菜)生产力的田间试验及统计数据,对中国农业植被净初级生产力模型Crop鄄C进行了验证。结果表明,该模型能利用常规的气象和土壤资料、化肥氮施用量等较好地模拟我国6种作物主产区的净初级生产力,模拟值与观测值的相关系数(R2)为0.80(n=786)。将Crop鄄C模型与GIS空间数据库耦合,估计了1980-2000年中国农业植被净初级生产力。模拟结果表明,自1980年以来,中国农业植被净初级生产力呈增加趋势,从1980年的472.9TgC增加到2000年的607.2TgC,秦岭淮河以北的华北地区和西北部分地区增加最为明显。     

气候变化和人类活动对我国典型草原区植被恢复的影响

草原区作为影响我国陆地生态系统碳水循环和生态安全的重点区域,对气候变化和人类活动极为敏感.然而,有关气候变化和人类活动对该区域植被恢复相对贡献的认识尚存分歧.以生态系统净初级生产力(NPP)为评价指标,通过对比MODIS观测的实际NPP和基于Thornthwaite Memorial模型估算的潜在NPP的趋势差异,量化了2000～2020年气候变化和人类活动对我国典型草原区(北方温性草原区和青藏高原高寒草原区)植被恢复的相对作用.结果表明,研究区内93%的草地植被呈恢复趋势,NPP平均增加速率达(以C计)2.12 g·(m²·a)^-1(P<0.01),其中,近一半植被恢复区受气候变化和人为活动共同控制,约36%和10%植被恢复区分别受气候变化和人类活动的独立控制;此外,不同草地类型气候变化主导植被恢复的面积占比差异大,主要表现为高寒草地明显高于温性草地,气候条件越干旱,气候主导面积占比越大.人类活动不是北方温性草原区和青藏高原高寒草原区植被恢复的主要原因,但在气候条件恶化地区,人类活动可降低甚至抵消气候变化对植被的负面影响.未来需加强长...     

武陵山区植被净初级生产力遥感模拟与分析

论文利用碳水耦合的BEPS遥感过程模型对2010年武陵山区植被NPP进行模拟估算,并利用森林样点实测数据、各县粮食产量统计资料、MODIS NPP产品和已发表文献中各植被类型的NPP模拟值与实测值进行验证。在分析了NPP空间分布格局及其年内变化趋势的基础上,文中还重点分析了NPP与高程、坡度和坡向等主要地形因子间的关系。结果表明：① 2010年武陵山区植被NPP平均值为555.17 g C/(m²·a),年总NPP为92.96 Tg C,与MODIS NPP产品相比,论文模拟的NPP高低值分布更加合理,而且包含了更多地形信息;② 月NPP随季节而变化,2010年研究区所有植被类型的NPP季节变化均呈双峰形态,其中灌丛和常绿阔叶林的季节变化幅度最大,农作物的变化幅度最小;③ NPP随高程增加有着明显的先增后减的变化趋势,NPP随坡度增加则呈现出先增后减然后再上升的规律,而在所有坡向中,南坡的平均NPP最高,北坡的NPP最低。     

Magnetic properties of the microorganism Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis

Magnetotactic microorganisms use the interaction of internal biomineralized nanoparticles with the geomagnetic field to orientate. The movement of the magnetotactic multicellular prokaryote Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis under an applied magnetic field was observed. A method using digital image processing techniques was used to track the organism trajectory to simultaneously obtain its body radius, velocity, U-turn diameter, and the reorientation time. The magnetic moment was calculated using a self-consistent method. The distribution of magnetic moments and radii present two well-characterized peaks at (9 ± 2) × 10⁻¹⁵ and (20 ± 3) × 10⁻¹⁵ A m² and (3.6 ± 0.1) and (4.3 ± 0.1) μm, respectively. For the first time, simultaneous determination of the distribution of the organism radii and magnetic moment was obtained from the U-turn method by a new digital imaging processing. The bimodal distributions support an organism reproduction process model based on electron microscopy observations. These results corroborate the prokaryote multicellular hypothesis for Candidatus M. multicellularis.     

Transformation of Organic Matter of the Larch Forest Soils in the Northern Taiga of Nizhne-Tungusskoe Plateau, Central Siberia

The evaluation of biospheric role of the boreal forests in the accumulation of carbon is connected with the evaluation of organic matter (OM) pool in soils. The research sites were larch forests, they are situated on Nizhne-Tungusskoe Plateau. Larch forests of feather-moss and lichen types (110 and 380 years old) were formed on 'ochric podbur' soils. Litter stocks are 3.5–4.5 kg m^{− 2} with thickness 10–25 cm. Cryomezomorphic northern taiga soils contains 38–73 t (carbon) ha^{− 1}. Pool of fast mineralized OM has average value 38.1 t (carbon) ha^{− 1}, including 20.5 and 6.4 t (Carbon) ha^{− 1} of labile compounds on surface and in the soil, and 11.2 t (carbon) ha^{− 1} of mobile OM. Microbial mass reaches 1.78–3.47 t (carbon) ha^{− 1}, its proportion is 3.6–4.9% of the total OM carbon. Zoomass of feather-moss larch forest is 0.20–0.61 * 10^{− 2}, in lichen larch forest −0.01–0.07 * 10^{− 2} t (carbon) ha^{− 1}. A pool of resistant to biological decomposition and bonded to mineral soil matrix OM is 17.7 t (carbon) ha^{− 1} and it varies from 18.6 to 29.0 in feather-moss larch forest, and from 6.4 to 17.0 t (carbon) ha^{− 1} in lichen larch forest. Two-years field experiment has been performed to determine transformation rates of various plant litter fractions and to clarify the role of soil biota in these processes. The results showed participation of all biota groups in the decomposition of plant residues caused weight loss of larch-needles and root mortmass. Isolation of organic matter from all-size invertebrate groups leads to some decrease of decomposition activity.     

Carbon budget of the Canadian forest product sector

Although many factors influencing the forest C cycle are beyond direct human control, decisions made in forestry and the forest product sector (FPS) can either mitigate or aggravate the net C balance of terrestrial ecosystems. The Canadian Budget Model of the Forest Product Sector (CBM-FPS) described here, was designed to work with a national scale model of forest ecosystem dynamics (the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector, CBM-CFS). The CBM-FPS accounts for harvested forest biomass C from the time that it enters the manufacturing process until it is released into the atmosphere. It also accounts for the use and production of energy by the FPS, and emission of CO₂ during FPS processing. The CBM-FPS accounting framework uses the characteristics of different forest product types to estimate changes in the storage of C in forest products; it tracks C from the transportation of the harvested raw material through various processing steps in sawmills or pulp mills, to its final destination (product, pulp, landfill, atmosphere or recycled). Because not all harvested biomass C is released into the atmosphere in the year it is harvested, the model tracks C retained in various short- and long-lived products, and in landfills. Model results are in general agreement with available data from 1920–1989. Average changes in net C stocks in the FPS, estimated as the difference between harvest C input to the FPS and total losses from the forest product sector is estimated to be 23.5 Tg C yr⁻¹ for the 1985–1989 period. The total FPS pool size at the end of this period is estimated to be 837 Tg C, of which only a fraction (32%) is retained in Canada. The total FPS C stock is small compared to that in the forest ecosystems from which they derive (estimated to contain 86 Pg C in 1989). Nevertheless, the changes in these C stocks contribute significantly to a reduction of the total net atmospheric exchange of the total forest sector (ecosystem and product sector) for that period.