Ecological Mechanisms of Carbon Sequestration in Vegetated Coastal Wetland Ecosystem: Exploring the Roles of Biodiversity and Environmental Changes

Vegetated coastal wetlands, also called blue carbon ecosystems, are significant carbon sinks that play a vital role in global climate change mitigation. Understanding the ecological mechanisms of carbon sequestration in these ecosystems is essential to effectively manage and conserve them. This review focuses on macroecological mechanisms of carbon transfer and microecological mechanisms of carbon stabilization in vegetated coastal wetland ecosystems. Macroecological mechanisms include the horizontal and vertical carbon transport coupled to plant ecophysiology and community diversity, while microecological mechanisms include processes related to soil organic matter dynamics, such as decomposition, stabilization, and mineralization. Key scientific issues surrounding these mechanisms include transformation between carbon sink and source, stabilization mechanisms of organic carbon, and environmental effects at multiple time scales. A comprehensive research framework is also presented, which integrates spatial-temporal pattern, macroecological mechanism, microecological mechanism, and ecological engineering. Addressing these key scientific questions within the proposed framework can provide valuable insights into the significant role of biodiversity in blue carbon ecosystems, as well as significant implications for management and conservation of vegetated coastal wetlands under global climate changes.