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Phytolith carbon sequestration in bamboos of different ecotypes: a case study in China

  • Article
  • Geochemistry
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

Occlusion of carbon (C) within phytoliths (PhytOC) is becoming one of the most promising terrestrial C sequestration mechanisms. This study explored the production of PhytOC within 35 bamboo species belonging to three ecotypes using methods of microwave digestion. The aim of this study is to explore the present and potential C sequestration rate within phytoliths of bamboo species from three ecotypes. PhytOC content in bamboos of three ecotypes ranges from 0.07 % to 0.42 %. The mean PhytOC production flux decreases as: clustered bamboo (0.050 ± 0.016 t CO2 ha−1 a−1) ≈ mixed bamboo (0.049 ± 0.016 t CO2 ha−1 a−1) > scattered bamboo (0.038 ± 0.020 t CO2 ha−1 a−1). The phytolith carbon sequestration in Chinese bamboo is estimated to be 0.293 ± 0.127 Tg (1 Tg = 1012 g) CO2 a−1; approximately 75 %, 3 %, and 22 % of which is contributed from scattered, mixed and clustered bamboo, respectively. Taking the PhytOC production flux of 0.18 ± 0.12 t CO2 ha−1 a−1 and current annual area increasing rate of 3 %, global bamboo phytoliths would sequester 11.9 ± 7.9 Tg CO2 a−1 by 2050. Consequently, bamboo forests have significant potential to mitigate the increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2 by maximizing PhytOC production flux and expanding bamboos.

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41103042), the Field Frontier Project of Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2045200295), the Training Program for the Top Young Talents of Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University (2034070001), the Program for the Third Layer of 151 Talents Project of Zhejiang Province (2035110003), the Program for the Distinguished Young and middle-aged Academic Leaders of Higher Education Institutions of Zhejiang Province (PD2013240).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University, Lin’an, 311300, China

    Beilei Li, Zhaoliang Song, Hailong Wang, Fengshan Guo & Xiaomin Yang

  2. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University, Lin’an, 311300, China

    Zhaoliang Song & Hailong Wang

  3. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China

    Zhaoliang Song

  4. School of Forestry and Bio-technology, Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University, Lin’an, 311300, China

    Renyi Gui & Ruisheng Song

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  1. Beilei Li
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  2. Zhaoliang Song
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  4. Fengshan Guo
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Correspondence to Zhaoliang Song.

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Li, B., Song, Z., Wang, H. et al. Phytolith carbon sequestration in bamboos of different ecotypes: a case study in China. Chin. Sci. Bull. 59, 4816–4822 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-014-0474-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-014-0474-4

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