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The grassland carbon cycle: mechanisms, responses to global changes, and potential contribution to carbon neutrality

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The grassland carbon cycle: mechanisms, responses to global changes, and potential contribution to carbon neutrality. / Liu, Lingli; Sayer, Emma J.; Deng, Meifeng et al.
In: Fundamental Research, Vol. 3, No. 2, 31.03.2023, p. 209-218.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Liu, L, Sayer, EJ, Deng, M, Li, P, Liu, W, Wang, X, Yang, S, Huang, J, Luo, J, Su, Y, Grünzweig, JM, Jiang, L, Hu, S & Piao, S 2023, 'The grassland carbon cycle: mechanisms, responses to global changes, and potential contribution to carbon neutrality', Fundamental Research, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 209-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fmre.2022.09.028

APA

Liu, L., Sayer, E. J., Deng, M., Li, P., Liu, W., Wang, X., Yang, S., Huang, J., Luo, J., Su, Y., Grünzweig, J. M., Jiang, L., Hu, S., & Piao, S. (2023). The grassland carbon cycle: mechanisms, responses to global changes, and potential contribution to carbon neutrality. Fundamental Research, 3(2), 209-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fmre.2022.09.028

Vancouver

Liu L, Sayer EJ, Deng M, Li P, Liu W, Wang X et al. The grassland carbon cycle: mechanisms, responses to global changes, and potential contribution to carbon neutrality. Fundamental Research. 2023 Mar 31;3(2):209-218. Epub 2022 Oct 22. doi: 10.1016/j.fmre.2022.09.028

Author

Liu, Lingli ; Sayer, Emma J. ; Deng, Meifeng et al. / The grassland carbon cycle : mechanisms, responses to global changes, and potential contribution to carbon neutrality. In: Fundamental Research. 2023 ; Vol. 3, No. 2. pp. 209-218.

Bibtex

@article{ae8c28f696a64950aabd76c7e9dcd38b,
title = "The grassland carbon cycle: mechanisms, responses to global changes, and potential contribution to carbon neutrality",
abstract = "Grassland is one of the largest terrestrial biomes, providing critical ecosystem services such as food production, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation. Global climate change and land-use intensification have been causing grassland degradation and desertification worldwide. As one of the primary medium for ecosystem energy flow and biogeochemical cycling, grassland carbon (C) cycling is the most fundamental process for maintaining ecosystem services. In this review, we first summarize recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning spatial and temporal patterns of the grassland C cycle, discuss the importance of grasslands in regulating inter- and intra-annual variations in global C fluxes, and explore the previously unappreciated complexity in abiotic processes controlling the grassland C balance, including soil inorganic C accumulation, photochemical and thermal degradation, and wind erosion. We also discuss how climate and land-use changes could alter the grassland C balance by modifying the water budget, nutrient cycling and additional plant and soil processes. Further, we examine why and how increasing aridity and improper land use may induce significant losses in grassland C stocks. Finally, we identify several priorities for future grassland C research, including improving understanding of abiotic processes in the grassland C cycle, strengthening monitoring of grassland C dynamics by integrating ground inventory, flux monitoring, and modern remote sensing techniques, and selecting appropriate plant species combinations with suitable traits and strong resistance to climate fluctuations, which would help design sustainable grassland restoration strategies in a changing climate.",
keywords = "Climate changes, Land-use change, Soil, Biotic and abiotic interactions, Grassland degradation, Grassland restoration, Carbon accounting, Carbon storage and sequestration mechanisms",
author = "Lingli Liu and Sayer, {Emma J.} and Meifeng Deng and Ping Li and Weixing Liu and Xin Wang and Sen Yang and Junsheng Huang and Jie Luo and Yanjun Su and Gr{\"u}nzweig, {Jos{\'e} M.} and Lin Jiang and Shuijin Hu and Shilong Piao",
year = "2023",
month = mar,
day = "31",
doi = "10.1016/j.fmre.2022.09.028",
language = "English",
volume = "3",
pages = "209--218",
journal = "Fundamental Research",
issn = "2667-3258",
publisher = "Elsevier BV",
number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - The grassland carbon cycle

T2 - mechanisms, responses to global changes, and potential contribution to carbon neutrality

AU - Liu, Lingli

AU - Sayer, Emma J.

AU - Deng, Meifeng

AU - Li, Ping

AU - Liu, Weixing

AU - Wang, Xin

AU - Yang, Sen

AU - Huang, Junsheng

AU - Luo, Jie

AU - Su, Yanjun

AU - Grünzweig, José M.

AU - Jiang, Lin

AU - Hu, Shuijin

AU - Piao, Shilong

PY - 2023/3/31

Y1 - 2023/3/31

N2 - Grassland is one of the largest terrestrial biomes, providing critical ecosystem services such as food production, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation. Global climate change and land-use intensification have been causing grassland degradation and desertification worldwide. As one of the primary medium for ecosystem energy flow and biogeochemical cycling, grassland carbon (C) cycling is the most fundamental process for maintaining ecosystem services. In this review, we first summarize recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning spatial and temporal patterns of the grassland C cycle, discuss the importance of grasslands in regulating inter- and intra-annual variations in global C fluxes, and explore the previously unappreciated complexity in abiotic processes controlling the grassland C balance, including soil inorganic C accumulation, photochemical and thermal degradation, and wind erosion. We also discuss how climate and land-use changes could alter the grassland C balance by modifying the water budget, nutrient cycling and additional plant and soil processes. Further, we examine why and how increasing aridity and improper land use may induce significant losses in grassland C stocks. Finally, we identify several priorities for future grassland C research, including improving understanding of abiotic processes in the grassland C cycle, strengthening monitoring of grassland C dynamics by integrating ground inventory, flux monitoring, and modern remote sensing techniques, and selecting appropriate plant species combinations with suitable traits and strong resistance to climate fluctuations, which would help design sustainable grassland restoration strategies in a changing climate.

AB - Grassland is one of the largest terrestrial biomes, providing critical ecosystem services such as food production, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation. Global climate change and land-use intensification have been causing grassland degradation and desertification worldwide. As one of the primary medium for ecosystem energy flow and biogeochemical cycling, grassland carbon (C) cycling is the most fundamental process for maintaining ecosystem services. In this review, we first summarize recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning spatial and temporal patterns of the grassland C cycle, discuss the importance of grasslands in regulating inter- and intra-annual variations in global C fluxes, and explore the previously unappreciated complexity in abiotic processes controlling the grassland C balance, including soil inorganic C accumulation, photochemical and thermal degradation, and wind erosion. We also discuss how climate and land-use changes could alter the grassland C balance by modifying the water budget, nutrient cycling and additional plant and soil processes. Further, we examine why and how increasing aridity and improper land use may induce significant losses in grassland C stocks. Finally, we identify several priorities for future grassland C research, including improving understanding of abiotic processes in the grassland C cycle, strengthening monitoring of grassland C dynamics by integrating ground inventory, flux monitoring, and modern remote sensing techniques, and selecting appropriate plant species combinations with suitable traits and strong resistance to climate fluctuations, which would help design sustainable grassland restoration strategies in a changing climate.

KW - Climate changes

KW - Land-use change

KW - Soil

KW - Biotic and abiotic interactions

KW - Grassland degradation

KW - Grassland restoration

KW - Carbon accounting

KW - Carbon storage and sequestration mechanisms

U2 - 10.1016/j.fmre.2022.09.028

DO - 10.1016/j.fmre.2022.09.028

M3 - Journal article

VL - 3

SP - 209

EP - 218

JO - Fundamental Research

JF - Fundamental Research

SN - 2667-3258

IS - 2

ER -