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Influence of waterlogging on carbon stock variability at hillslope scale in a beech forest (Fougères forest — West France)

Influence de l’hydromorphie sur la variabilité des stocks de carbone à l’échelle de versants dans une hêtraie (forêt de Fougères — Ouest de la France)

Annals of Forest Science volume 65, page 202 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

The Kyoto protocol [39] directs the signatory countries including France to establish an inventory of carbon stocks in forests. Precise estimates of carbon stocks are hampered by local spatial variability, in particular in wetland areas [25]. The aims of this work are: (i) to estimate the spatial variability of carbon stocks on two hillslopes presenting respectively, a transition between a well-drained zone and a wetland area over a short-distance, and a very progressive transition; (ii) to correlate this variability with soil waterlogging and topographic variations and (iii) to evaluate carbon stock prediction by modelling waterlogging intensity as soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks increase significantly with waterlogging. However, SOC stocks in redoximorphic soils are highly variable, particularly in zones where carbon is redistributed due to erosion and sedimentation. In the litter and the vegetation, the age and density of the stand are the main explanatory factors of C variability. Topographic modelling of the waterlogging intensity could improve the spatial estimation of SOC stocks but not of the C stocks in the humus and vegetation.

Résumé

Influence de l’hydromorphie sur la variabilité des stocks de carbone à l’échelle de versants dans une hêtraie de plaine (forêt de Fougères, Bretagne). Le protocole de Kyoto [39] a amené les pays signataires dont la France à établir un inventaire précis des stocks de carbone dans les forêts. Cependant, la variabilité spatiale observée dans les zones hydromorphes limite la précision de l’évaluation [25]. Les objectifs de ce travail ont été de : (i) décrire la variabilité spatiale des stocks de carbone à l’échelle de deux versants en forêt de Fougères présentant respectivement une transition rapide et une transition progressive entre une zone bien drainée et une zone hydromorphe; (ii) relier cette variabilité à des facteurs explicatifs potentiels (hydromorphie des sols, topographie) et (iii) de déterminer l’apport d’une modélisation topographique de l’hydromorphie sur la prédiction des stocks de carbone. L’effet de l’hydromorphie se traduit par une augmentation significative des stocks de carbone dans les sols. Cependant, les stocks de carbone des sols hydromorphes sont caractérisés par une forte variabilité, en particulier en zones fortement soumises à l’érosion et à la sédimentation. Dans la végétation et les humus, l’âge et la densité du peuplement sont les facteurs influençant le plus la variabilité des stocks. Ainsi, la modélisation topographique de l’intensité de l’hydromorphie permet d’améliorer la précision des estimations des stocks de carbone dans les sols, mais n’a pas d’intérêt pour prédire les stocks des autres compartiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR 1069 Sol Agronomie Spatialisation (SAS), INRA, AgroCampus Rennes, France

    Thomas Eglin, Christian Walter, Stéphane Follain & Hervé Squividant

  2. Unité Biogéochimie des Écosystèmes Forestiers (BEF), INRA, Champenoux, France

    Claude Nys & Arnaud Legout

  3. UMR Ecobio, Université Rennes I, Rennes, France

    Françoise Forgeard

Authors
  1. Thomas Eglin
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  2. Christian Walter
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  3. Claude Nys
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  4. Stéphane Follain
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  5. Françoise Forgeard
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  6. Arnaud Legout
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  7. Hervé Squividant
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Correspondence to Thomas Eglin.

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Eglin, T., Walter, C., Nys, C. et al. Influence of waterlogging on carbon stock variability at hillslope scale in a beech forest (Fougères forest — West France). Ann. For. Sci. 65, 202 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2007085

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Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X