Carbon storage patterns in typical subalpine meadows with varying vegetation cover in Southwestern China

Carbon storage in subalpine meadows is an important component of ecosystem services and sustainability. However, little is known regarding the carbon stocks of major herbaceous vegetation types in the subalpine meadow ecosystems of subtropical South China. Field surveys, remote sensing, and carbon stock measurements were used to quantify the total ecosystem carbon stock (TECS) of Belamcanda chinensis (BC), Phragmites australis (PA), Ligularia sibirica (LS), Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum (PL), BC + LS, and BC + LS + PL communities in the Wulipo Nature Reserve, Chongqing. The TECS included the total above-ground carbon stocks, the below-ground root (as deep as 30 cm), and the entire soil profile (as deep as 1 m). The TECS significantly increased with plant community distribution area and carbon density. The BC community had the highest above- and below-ground vegetation carbon densities of 323.16 g m −2 and 482.51 g m −2 , respectively. With the exception of PA, the root carbon densities of all other meadow vegetation species exceeded their above-ground carbon densities. Soil carbon stock in the 0–30 cm portion of the profile accounted for 45–56 % and gradually decreased in the remaining two layers. Soil carbon stocks constituted more than 98 % of the TECS across all plant communities. Thus, plant community distribution patterns formed through plant competition and mutualism significantly affected the carbon stocks of regional ecosystems. Large carbon stocks, coupled with other ecosystem services, suggest value in the conservation and restoration of the subalpine meadow zone through climate change mitigation strategies.