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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Agroecosystems Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #334325
Title: Soil carbon change in reconstructed tallgrass prairies

Author
item Cambardella, Cynthia
item SCHILLING, KEITH - University Of Iowa
item ISENHART, THOMAS - Iowa State University
item DROBNEY, PAULINE - Us Fish And Wildlife Service

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2015
Publication Date: 11/15/2015
Citation: Cambardella, C.A., Schilling, K., Isenhart, T., Drobney, P. 2015. Soil carbon change in reconstructed tallgrass prairies. In: Proceedings of ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, November 15-18, 2015, Minneapolis, MN. Available: https://scisoc.confex.com/crops/2015am/webprogram/Paper94976.html

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Reconstructing former cropland to tallgrass prairie can increase soil carbon (C) and enhance C sequestration to mitigate increases in atmospheric CO2. This large-scale study was conducted at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (NSNWR) in Jasper County, south-central IA. Tracts of cropped land at NSNWR have been reconstructed to native prairie every year since 1992, creating a sequence of landscapes defined by prairie age (chronosequence). Our objectives were to (1) use the chronosequence of prairies to define the relationship between prairie age and soil C and (2) use this relationship to calculate the annual rate of soil C change when former cropland is converted to tallgrass prairie. We used a stratified random sampling design to identify sampling locations within 20 reconstructed prairies on Tama/Otley silty-clay loam soil (Typic Argiudolls). Soil cores were collected to a depth of 120 cm in 5 depth increments using a hydraulically-driven soil coring tool in May 2000, 2005 and 2010. Soil C concentration (g C kg-1) was quantified using dry combustion in a Fison NA 15000 Elemental Analyzer (ThermoQuest Corp., Austin, TX). Soil C content (Mg C ha-1) was calculated based on equivalent soil mass using a cubic spline approach. Relationships between soil C content and prairie age were developed through regression analysis. Regression parameters were used to estimate the rate of change in soil C content for prairies within the chronosequence. Soil C content and prairie age were significantly related at 0-10 cm (p = 0.0434) in May 2000, when only 7% of the prairies were greater than 7 years old. In May 2005, when 68% of the prairies were greater than 7 years old, soil C content and prairie age were significantly related for 0-10cm (p = 0.0015) and 10-20 cm (p = 0.0506). The rate of change in soil C content to a depth of 40 cm in May 2010, when 85% of the prairies were greater than 7 years old, was 0.73 Mg C ha-1 y-1 (p = 0.0220), with 48% of the change in soil C content occurring in the top 10 cm of soil. Soil C change for reforested sites in IA was estimated at 0.20 Mg ha-1 y-1 to a depth of 30 cm.