Hostname: page-component-669899f699-chc8l Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-30T10:08:57.722Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mitigating the greenhouse gas balance of ruminant production systems through carbon sequestration in grasslands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2009

J. F. Soussana ,
T. Tallec  and
V. Blanfort
J. F. Soussana*
Affiliation:
INRA UR0874, UREP Grassland Ecosystem Research, 234, Avenue du Brézet, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63100, France
T. Tallec
Affiliation:
INRA UR0874, UREP Grassland Ecosystem Research, 234, Avenue du Brézet, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63100, France
V. Blanfort
Affiliation:
INRA UR0874, UREP Grassland Ecosystem Research, 234, Avenue du Brézet, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63100, France CIRAD UR 8, Livestock Systems, Campus International de Baillarguet, Cedex 5, Montpellier, F-34398, France
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Soil carbon sequestration (enhanced sinks) is the mechanism responsible for most of the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential in the agriculture sector. Carbon sequestration in grasslands can be determined directly by measuring changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and indirectly by measuring the net balance of C fluxes. A literature search shows that grassland C sequestration reaches on average 5 ± 30 g C/m2 per year according to inventories of SOC stocks and −231 and 77 g C/m2 per year for drained organic and mineral soils, respectively, according to C flux balance. Off-site C sequestration occurs whenever more manure C is produced by than returned to a grassland plot. The sum of on- and off-site C sequestration reaches 129, 98 and 71 g C/m2 per year for grazed, cut and mixed European grasslands on mineral soils, respectively, however with high uncertainty. A range of management practices reduce C losses and increase C sequestration: (i) avoiding soil tillage and the conversion of grasslands to arable use, (ii) moderately intensifying nutrient-poor permanent grasslands, (iii) using light grazing instead of heavy grazing, (iv) increasing the duration of grass leys; (v) converting grass leys to grass-legume mixtures or to permanent grasslands. With nine European sites, direct emissions of N2O from soil and of CH4 from enteric fermentation at grazing, expressed in CO2 equivalents, compensated 10% and 34% of the on-site grassland C sequestration, respectively. Digestion inside the barn of the harvested herbage leads to further emissions of CH4 and N2O by the production systems, which were estimated at 130 g CO2 equivalents/m2 per year. The net balance of on- and off-site C sequestration, CH4 and N2O emissions reached 38 g CO2 equivalents/m2 per year, indicating a non-significant net sink activity. This net balance was, however, negative for intensively managed cut sites indicating a source to the atmosphere. In conclusion, this review confirms that grassland C sequestration has a strong potential to partly mitigate the GHG balance of ruminant production systems. However, as soil C sequestration is both reversible and vulnerable to disturbance, biodiversity loss and climate change, CH4 and N2O emissions from the livestock sector need to be reduced and current SOC stocks preserved.

Keywords

climate changeCO2N2OCH4soil organic carbon
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 4 , Issue 3 , March 2010 , pp. 334 - 350
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Allard, V, Soussana, JF, Falcimagne, R, Berbigier, P, Bonnefond, JM, Ceschia, E, D’hour, P, Hénault, C, Laville, P, Martin, C, Pinarès-Patino, C 2007. The role of grazing management for the net biome productivity and greenhouse gas budget (CO2, N2O and CH4) of semi-natural grassland. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 121, 47–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ammann, C, Flechard, CR, Leifeld, J, Neftel, A, Fuhrer, J 2007. The carbon budget of newly established temperate grassland depends on management intensity. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 121, 5–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baldocchi, D, Meyers, T 1998. On using eco-physiological, micrometeorological and biogeochemical theory to evaluate carbon dioxide, water vapor and trace gas fluxes over vegetation: a perspective. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 90, 1–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baldock, JA, Skjemstad, JO 2000. Role of the matrix and minerals in protecting natural organic materials against biological attack. Organic Geochemistry 31, 697–710.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balesdent, J, Balabane, M 1996. Major contribution of roots to soil carbon storage inferred from maize cultivated soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 28, 1261–1263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellamy, PH, Loveland, PJ, Bradley, RI, Lark, RM, Kirk, GJD 2005. Carbon losses from all soils across England and Wales 1978–2003. Nature 437, 245–248.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beniston, M 2004. The 2003 heat wave in Europe: a shape of things to come? An analysis based on Swiss climatological data and model simulations. Geophysical Research Letters 31, L02202, doi:10.1029/2003GL018857.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Betts, RA, Cox, PM, Collins, M, Harris, PP, Huntingford, C, Jones, CD 2004. The role of ecosystem–atmosphere interactions in simulated Amazonian precipitation decrease and forest dieback under global climate warming. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 78, 157–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bird, SB, Herrick, JE, Wander, MM, Wright, SF 2002. Spatial heterogeneity of aggregate stability and soil carbon in semi-arid rangeland. Environmental Pollution 116, 445–455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boeckx, P, Van Cleemput, O 2001. Estimates of N2O and CH4 fluxes from agricultural lands in various regions in Europe. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 60, 35–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bony, S, Colman, R, Kattsov, VM, Allan, RP, Bretherton, CS, Dufresne, JL, Hall, A, Hallegatte, S, Holland, MM, Ingram, W, Randall, DA, Soden, DJ, Tselioudis, G, Webb, MJ 2006. How well do we understand and evaluate climate change feedback processes? Journal of Climate 19, 3445–3482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bossuyt, H, Six, J, Hendrix, PF 2005. Protection of soil carbon by microaggregates within earthworm casts. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 37, 251–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Byrne, KA, Kiely, G, Leahy, P 2005. CO2 fluxes in adjacent new and permanent temperate grasslands. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 135, 82–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Byrne, KA, Kiely, G, Leahy, P 2007. Carbon sequestration determined using farm scale carbon balance and eddy covariance. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 121, 357–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cannell, MGR, Milne, R, Hargreaves, KJ, Brown, TAW, Cruickshank, MM, Bradley, RI, Spencer, T, Hope, D, Billett, MF, Adger, WN, Subak, S 1999. National inventories of terrestrial carbon sources and sinks: the UK experience. Climatic Change 42, 505–530.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chevallier, T, Voltz, M, Blanchart, E, Chotte, JL, Eschenbrenner, V, Mahieu, M, Albrecht, A 2000. Spatial and temporal changes of soil C after establishment of a pasture on a long-term cultivated vertisol (Martinique). Geoderma 94, 43–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ciais, P, Reichstein, M, Viovy, N, Granier, A, Ogee, J, Allard, V, Aubinet, M, Buchmann, N, Bernhofer, C, Carrara, A, Chevallier, F, De Noblet, N, Friend, AD, Friedlingstein, P, Grunwald, T, Heinesch, B, Keronen, P, Knohl, A, Krinner, G, Loustau, D, Manca, G, Matteucci, G, Miglietta, F, Ourcival, JM, Papale, D, Pilegaard, K, Rambal, S, Seufert, G, Soussana, JF, Sanz, MJ, Schulze, ED, Vesala, T, Valentini, R 2005. Europe-wide reduction in primary productivity caused by the heat and drought in 2003. Nature 437, 529–533.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clayton, H, McTaggart, IP, Parker, J, Swan, L, Smith, KA 1997. Nitrous oxide emissions from fertilised grassland: a 2-year study of the effects of N fertiliser form and environmental conditions. Biology and Fertility of Soils 25, 252–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CLIMSOIL 2008. Review of existing information on the interrelations between soil and climate change. Final report of the ClimSoil project, contract number 070307/2007/486157/SER/B1. European Commission, December 2008.Google Scholar
Conant, RT, Paustian, K, Elliott, ET 2001. Grassland management and conversion into grassland: effects on soil carbon. Ecological Applications 11, 343–355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conant, RT, Easter, M, Paustian, K, Swan, A, Williams, S 2007. Impacts of periodic tillage on soil C stocks: a synthesis. Soil and Tillage Research 95, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crutzen, PJ, Mosier, AR, Smith, KA, Winiwarter, W 2007. N2O release from agro-biofuel production negates global warming reduction by replacing fossil fuels. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussion 7, 11191–11205.Google Scholar
Davison, B, Brunner, A, Ammann, C, Spirig, C, Jocher, M, Neftel, A 2008. Cut-induced VOC emissions from agricultural grasslands. Plant Biology 10, 76–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Mazancourt, C, Loreau, M, Abbadie, L 1998. Grazing optimization and nutrient cycling: when do herbivores enhance plant production? Ecology 79, 2242–2252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delgado, CL 2005. Rising demand for meat and milk in developing countries: implications for grasslands-based livestock production. In ‘Grassland: a global resource’, Proceedings of the XXth International Grassland Congress, Dublin, Ireland (ed. DA McGilloway), pp. 29–39. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dueck, TA, de Visser, R, Poorter, H, Persijn, S, Gorissen, A, de Visser, W, Shapendonk, A, Vergahen, J, Snel, J, Harren, FJM, Ngai, AKY, Verstappen, F, Bouwmeester, H, Voesenek, LACJ, Van Der Werf, A 2007. No evidence for substantial aerobic methane emission by terrestrial plants: a 13C-labelling approach. New Phytologist 175, 29–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Emmerich, WE 2003. Carbon dioxide fluxes in a semiarid environment with high carbonate soils. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 116, 91–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Faverdin, P, Maxin, G, Chardon, X, Brunschwig, P, Vermorel, M 2007. A model to predict the carbon balance of a dairy cow. In ‘Elevage et environnement’, Proceedings of the XIVth symposium Rencontres Recherches Ruminants, Paris, France, p. 66.Google Scholar
Fearnside, PM 2000. Global warming and tropical land-use change: Greenhouse gas emissions from biomass burning, decomposition and soils in forest conversion, shifting cultivation and secondary vegetation. Climatic Change 46, 115–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Firbank, LG, Smart, SM, Crabb, J, Crabb, J, Critchley, CNR, Fowbert, JW, Fuller, RJ, Gladders, P, Green, DB, Henderson, I, Hill, MO 2003. Agronomic and ecological costs and benefits of set-aside in England. Agriculture Ecosystem and Environment 95, 73–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitter, AH, Graves, JD, Wolfenden, J, Self, GK, Brown, TK, Bogie, D, Mansfield, TA 1997. Root production and turnover and carbon budgets of two contrasting grasslands under ambient and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. New Phytologist 137, 47–255.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flanagan, LB, Wever, LA, Carlson, PJ 2002. Seasonal and interannual variation in carbon dioxide exchange and carbon balance in a northern temperate grassland. Global Change Biology 8, 599–615.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flechard, CR, Ambus, P, Skiba, U, Rees, RM, Hensen, A, van Amstel, A, van den Pol-van Dasselaar, A, Soussana, JF, Jones, M, Clifton-Brown, J, Raschi, A, Horvath, L, Neftel, A, Jocher, M, Ammann, C, Leifeld, J, Fuhrer, J, Calanca, P, Thalman, E, Pilegaard, K, Di Marco, C, Campbell, C, Nemitz, E, Hargreaves, KJ, Levy, PE, Ball, BC, Jones, SK, van de Bulk, WCM, Groot, T, Blom, M, Domingues, R, Kasper, G, Allard, V, Ceschia, E, Cellier, P, Laville, P, Henault, C, Bizouard, F, Abdalla, M, Williams, M, Baronti, S, Berreti, F, Grosz, B 2007. Effects of climate and management intensity on nitrous oxide emissions in grassland systems across Europe. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 121, 135–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flechard, CR, Neftel, A, Jocher, M, Ammann, C, Fuhrer, J 2005. Bi-directional soil/atmosphere N2O exchange over two mown grassland systems with contrasting management practices. Global Change Biology 11, 2114–2127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Follett, RF, Samson-Liebig, SE, Kimble, JM, Pruessner, E, Waltman, SW 2001. Carbon sequestration under the conservation reserve program in the historic grazing land soils of the United States of America. In Soil C sequestration and the greenhouse effect (ed. R Lal), pp. 57, 27–40. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI.Google Scholar
Follett, RF, Kimble, J, Leavitt, SW, Pruessner, E 2004. Potential use of soil C isotope analyses to evaluate paleoclimate. Soil Science 169, 471–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Follett, RF, Schuman, GE 2005. Grazing land contributions to carbon sequestration. In ‘Grassland: a global resource’, Proceedings of the XXth International Grassland Congress, Dublin, Ireland (ed. DA McGilloway), pp. 265–277. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fontaine, S, Mariotti, A, Abbadie, L 2003. The priming effect of organic matter: a question of microbial competition? Soil Biology and Biochemistry 35, 837–843.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fontaine, S, Barot, S, Barre, P, Bdioui, N, Mary, B, Rumpel, C 2007. Stability of organic carbon in deep soil layers controlled by fresh carbon supply. Nature 450, 277–281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
FAO 2006. Livestock’s long shadows: environmental issues and options. FAO, Rome.Google Scholar
Frank, AB, Dugas, WA 2001. Carbon dioxide fluxes over a northern, semiarid, mixed-grass prairie. Agriculture and Forest Meteorology 108, 317–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ganjegunte, GK, Vance, GF, Preston, CM, Schuman, GE, Ingram, LJ, Stahl, PD, Welker, JM 2005. Soil organic carbon composition in a northern mixed-grass prairie: effects of grazing. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69, 1746–1756.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilmanov, T, Soussana, JF, Aires, L, Allard, V, Amman, C, Balzarolo, M, Barcza, Z, Bernhofer, C, Campbell, CL, Cernusca, A, Cescatti, A, Clifton-Brown, J, Dirks, BOM, Dore, S, Eugster, W, Fuhrer, J, Gimeno, C, Gruenwald, T, Haszpra, L, Hensen, A, Ibrom, A, Jacobs, AFG, Jones, MB, Lanigan, G, Laurila, T, Lohila, A, Manca, G, Marcolla, B, Nagy, Z, Pilegaard, K, Pinter, K, Raschi, A, Rogiers, N, Sanz, MJ, Stefani, P, Sutton, M, Tuba, Z, Valentini, R, Williams, ML, Wohlfahrt, G 2007. Partitioning European grassland net ecosystem CO2 exchange into gross primary productivity and ecosystem respiration using light response function analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 121, 93–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilmanov, TG, Tieszen, LL, Wylie, BK, Flanagan, LB, Frank, AB, Haferkamp, MR, Meyers, TP, Morgan, JA 2005. Integration of CO2 flux and remotely-sensed data for primary production and ecosystem respiration analyses in the Northern Great Plains: potential for quantitative spatial extrapolation. Global Ecology and Biogeography 14, 271–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goidts, E, van Wesemael, B 2007. Regional assessment of soil organic carbon changes under agriculture in Southern Belgium (1955–2005). Geoderma 141, 341–354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hector, A, Schmid, B, Beierkuhnlein, C, Caldeira, MC, Diemer, M, Dimitrakopoulos, PG, Finn, JA, Freitas, H, Giller, PS, Good, J, Harris, R, Hogberg, P, Huss-Danell, K, Joshi, J, Jumpponen, A, Korner, C, Leadley, PW, Loreau, M, Minns, A, Mulder, CPH, O’Donovan, G, Otway, SJ, Pereira, JS, Prinz, A, Read, DJ, Scherer-Lorenzen, M, Schulze, ED, Siamantziouras, ASD, Spehn, EM, Terry, AC, Troumbis, AY, Woodward, FI, Yachi, S, Lawton, JH 1999. Plant diversity and productivity experiments in European grasslands. Science 286, 1123–1127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hendriks, DMD, van Huissteden, J, Dolman, AJ, van der Molen, MK 2007. The full greenhouse gas balance of an abandoned peat meadow. Biogeosciences 4, 411–424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunt, JE, Kelliher, FM, McSeveny, TM, Ross, DJ, Whitehead, D 2004. Long-term carbon exchange in a sparse, seasonally dry tussock grassland. Global Change Biology 10, 1785–1800.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IPCC 1996. Revised guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories. IPCC, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
IPCC 2001. Climate change 2001: the scientific basis (Contribution of Working Group I to the third assessment report of the IPCC). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
IPCC 2006. Good practice guidance on land use change and forestry in national greenhouse gas inventories. IPCC, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Tokyo, Japan.Google Scholar
IPCC 2007. Climate change 2007: the scientific basis (Contribution of Working Group I to the third assessment report of the IPCC). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Jaksic, V, Kiely, G, Albertson, J, Oren, R, Katul, G, Leahy, P, Byrne, KA 2006. Net ecosystem exchange of grassland in contrasting wet and dry years. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 139, 323–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Janssens, IA, Freibauer, A, Ciais, P, Smith, P, Nabuurs, GJ, Folberth, G, Schlamadinger, B, Hutjes, RWA, Ceulemans, R, Schulze, ED, Valentini, R, Dolman, AJ 2003. Europe’s terrestrial biosphere absorbs 7 to 12% of European anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Science 300, 1538–1542.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, MB, Donnelly, A 2004. Carbon sequestration in temperate grassland ecosystems and the influence of management, climate and elevated CO2. New Phytologist 164, 423–439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keppler, F, Hamilton, JTG, Brass, M, Rockmann, T 2006. Methane emissions from terrestrial plants under aerobic conditions. Nature 439, 187–191.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klein, JA, Harte, J, Zhao, XQ 2005. Dynamic and complex microclimate responses to warming and grazing manipulations. Global Change Biology 11, 1440–1451.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klumpp, K, Soussana, JF, Falcimagne, R 2007. Effects of past and current disturbance on carbon cycling in grassland mesocosms. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 121, 59–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klumpp, K, Soussana, JF 2009. Using functional traits to predict grassland ecosystem change: a mathematical test of the response-and-effect approach. Global Change Biology, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01905.x (in press; available on line).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lal, R 1999. Long-term tillage and wheel traffic effects on soil quality for two central Ohio soils. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 14, 67–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lal, R 2004. Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science 304, 1623–1627.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leahy, P, Kiely, G, Scanlon, TM 2004. Managed grasslands: a greenhouse gas sink or source? Geophysical Research Letters 31, L20507, doi:10.1029/2004GL021161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lehner, B, Doll, P, Alcamo, J, Henrichs, T, Kaspar, F 2006. Estimating the impact of global change on flood and drought risks in Europe: a continental, integrated analysis. Climatic Change 75, 273–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lemaire, G, Chapman, D 1996. Tissue flows in grazed plant communities. In The ecology and management of grazing systems (ed. J Hodgson and AW Illius), pp. 3–35. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Lettens, S, Van Orshovena, J, van Wesemael, B, De Vos, B, Muys, B 2005b. Stocks and fluxes of soil organic carbon for landscape units in Belgium derived from heterogeneous data sets for 1990 and 2000. Geoderma 127, 11–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lettens, S, van Orshoven, J, van Wesemael, B, Muys, B, Perrin, D 2005a. Soil organic carbon changes in landscape units of Belgium between 1960 and 2000 with reference to 1990. Global Change Biology 11, 2128–2140.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levy, PE, Mobbs, DC, Jones, SK, Milne, R, Campbell, C, Sutton, MA 2007. Simulation of fluxes of greenhouse gases from European grasslands using the DNDC model. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 121, 186–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lloyd, CR 2006. Annual carbon balance of a managed wetland meadow in the Somerset Levels, UK. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 138, 168–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loiseau, P, Soussana, JF 1999. Elevated CO2, temperature increase and N supply effects on the accumulation of below-ground carbon in a temperate grassland ecosystem. Plant and Soil 212, 123–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lovett, DK, Shalloo, L, Dillon, P, O’Mara, FP 2006. A systems approach to quantify greenhouse gas fluxes from pastoral dairy production as affected by management regime. Agricultural Systems 88, 156–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, C, Morgavi, DP, Doreau, M 2009. Methane mitigation in ruminants: from microbe to the farm scale. Animal (in press).Google Scholar
Meehl, GA, Tebaldi, C 2004. More intense, more frequent, and longer lasting heat waves in the 21st century. Science 305, 994–997.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morgan, JA, Pataki, DE, Korner, C, Clark, H, Del Grosso, SJ, Grunzweig, JM, Knapp, AK, Mosier, AR, Newton, PCD, Niklaus, PA, Nippert, JB, Nowak, RS, Parton, WJ, Polley, HW, Shaw, MR 2004. Water relations in grassland and desert ecosystems exposed to elevated atmospheric CO2. Oecologia 140, 11–25.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nelson, JDJ, Schoenau, JJ, Malhi, SS 2008. Soil organic carbon changes and distribution in cultivated and restored grassland soils in Saskatchewan. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystem 82, 137–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nieveen, JP, Campbell, DI, Schipper, LA, Blair, IANJ 2005. Carbon exchange of grazed pasture on a drained peat soil. Global Change Biology 11, 607–618.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nemani, RR, Keeling, CD, Hashimoto, H, Jolly, WM, Piper, SC, Tucker, CJ, Myneni, RB, Running, SW 2003. Climate-driven increases in global terrestrial net Primary production from 1982 to 1999. Science 300, 1560–1563.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ogle, SM, Conant, RT, Paustian, K 2004. Deriving grassland management factors for a carbon accounting method developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Environmental Management 33, 474–484.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ojima, DS, Parton, WJ, Schimel, DS, Scurlock, JMO, Kittel, TGF 1993. Modeling the effects of climatic and CO2 changes on grassland storage of soil C. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 70, 643–657.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olesen, JE, Schelde, K, Weiske, A, Weisbjerg, MR, Asman, WAH, Djurhuus, J 2006. Modelling greenhouse gas emissions from European conventional and organic dairy farms. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 112, 207–220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paustian, K, Cole, CV, Sauerbeck, D, Sampson, N 1998. CO2 mitigation by agriculture: an overview. Climatic Change 40, 135–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Personeni, E, Loiseau, P 2004. How does the nature of living and dead roots affect the residence time of carbon in the root litter continuum? Plant and Soil 267, 129–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Personeni, E, Loiseau, P 2005. Species strategy and N fluxes in grassland soil – a question of root litter quality or rhizosphere activity? European Journal of Agronomy 22, 217–229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petersen, BM, Olesen, JE, Heidmann, T 2002. A flexible tool for simulation of soil carbon turnover. Ecological Modelling 151, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, RL, Beeri, O 2008. Scaling-up knowledge of growing-season net ecosystem exchange for long-term assessment of North Dakota grasslands under the Conservation Reserve Program. Global Change Biology 14, 1008–1017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Piao, S, Fang, J, Ciais, P, Peylin, P, Huang, Y, Sitch, S, Wang, T 2009. The carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems in China. Nature 458, 1009–1013.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Picon-Cochard, P, Teyssonneyre, F, Besle, JM, Soussana, JF 2004. Effects of elevated CO2 and cutting frequency on the productivity and herbage quality of a semi-natural grassland. European Journal of Agronomy 20, 363–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pinares-Patino, CS, D’Hour, P, Jouany, JP, Martin, C 2007. Effects of stocking rate on methane and carbon dioxide emissions from grazing cattle. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 121, 30–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potter, KN, Torbert, HA, Johnson, HB, Tischler, CR 1999. Carbon storage after long-term grass establishment on degraded soils. Soil Science 164, 718–725.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rémy, JC, Marin-La Flèche, A 1976. L’entretien organique des terres. Coût d’une politique de l’humus. Entreprises Agricoles 11, 63–67.Google Scholar
Reynolds, SG, Batello, C, Baas, S, Mack, S 2005. Grassland and forage to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty. In ‘Grassland: a global resource’, Proceedings of the XXth International Grassland Congress, Dublin, Ireland (ed. DA McGilloway), pp. 323–338. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Riedo, M, Grub, A, Rosset, M, Fuhrer, J 1998. A pasture simulation model for dry matter production and fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, water and energy. Ecological Modelling 105, 141–183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, GP, Paul, EA, Harwood, RR 2000. Greenhouse gases in intensive agriculture: contributions of individual gases to the radiative forcing of the atmosphere. Science 289, 1922–1925.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robles, MD, Burke, IC 1998. Soil organic matter recovery on conservation reserve program fields in southeastern Wyoming. Soil Science Society of America Journal 62, 725–730.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogiers, N, Conen, F, Furger, M, Stöcklis, R, Eugster, W 2008. Impact of past and present land-management on the C-balance of a grassland in the Swiss Alps. Global Change Biology 14, 2613–2625.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Röscher, C, Temperton, VM, Scherer-Lorenzen, M, Schmitz, M, Schumacher, J, Schmid, B, Buchmann, N, Weisser, WW, Schulze, ED 2005. Overyielding in experimental grassland communities – irrespective of species pool or spatial scale. Ecology Letters 8, 419–429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salètes, S, Fiorelli, JL, Vuichard, N, Cambou, J, Olesen, JE, Hacala, S, Sutton, M, Furhrer, J, Soussana, JF 2004. Greenhouse gas balance of cattle breeding farms and assessment of mitigation option. In Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture Conference, Leipzig, Germany (10–12 February 2004), pp. 203–208.Google Scholar
Schär, C, Jendritzky, G 2004. Climate change: hot news from summer 2003. Nature 432, 559–560.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schils, RLM, Olesen, JE, del Prado, A, Soussana, JF 2007. A review of a farm level modelling approach for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from ruminant livestock systems. Livestock Science 112, 240–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schlesinger, WH 1990. Evidence from chronosequence studies for a low carbon-storage potential of soils. Nature 348, 232–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siemens, J 2003. The European carbon budget: a gap. Science 302, 1681–1681.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Six, J, Callewaert, P, Lenders, S, De Gryze, S, Morris, SJ, Gregorich, EG, Paul, EA, Paustian, K 2002. Measuring and understanding carbon storage in afforested soils by physical fractionation. Soil Science Society of America Journal 66, 1981–1987.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skiba, U, Smith, KA 2000. The control of nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural and natural soils. Chemosphere Global Change Science 2, 379–386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, JU, Smith, P, Wattenbach, M, Zaehle, S, Hiederer, R, Jones, RJA, Montanarella, L, Rounsevell, M, Reginster, I, Ewert, F 2005. Projected changes in mineral soil carbon of European croplands and grasslands, 1990–2080. Global Change Biology 11, 2141–2152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, P, Chapman, SJ, Scott, WA, Black, HIJ, Wattenbach, M, Milne, R, Campbell, CD, Lilly, A, Ostle, N, Levy, PE, Lumsdon, DG, Millard, P, Towers, W, Zaehle, Z, Smith, JU 2007. Climate change cannot be entirely responsible for soil carbon loss observed in England and Wales, 1978–2003. Global Change Biology 13, 2605–2609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sommer, SG, Petersen, SO, Moller, HB 2004. Algorithms for calculating methane and nitrous oxide emissions from manure management. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 69, 143–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soussana, JF, Hartwig, UA 1996. The effects of elevated CO2 on symbiotic N2 fixation: a link between the carbon and nitrogen cycles in grassland ecosystems. Plant and Soil 187, 321–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soussana, JF, Casella, E, Loiseau, P 1996. Long-term effects of CO2 enrichment and temperature increase on a temperate grass sward. 2. Plant nitrogen budgets and root fraction. Plant and Soil 182, 101–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soussana, JF, Allard, V, Pilegaard, K, Ambus, C, Campbell, C, Ceschia, E, Clifton-Brown, J, Czobel, S, Domingues, R, Flechard, C, Fuhrer, J, Hensen, A, Horvath, L, Jones, M, Kasper, G, Martin, C, Nagy, Z, Neftel, A, Raschi, A, Baronti, S, Rees, RM, Skiba, U, Stefani, P, Manca, G, Sutton, M, Tuba, Z, Valentini, R 2007. Full accounting of the greenhouse gas (CO2, N2O, CH4) budget of nine European grassland sites. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 121, 121–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soussana, JF, Loiseau, P, Vuichard, N, Ceschia, E, Balesdent, J, Chevallier, T, Arrouays, D 2004. Carbon cycling and sequestration opportunities in temperate grasslands. Soil Use and Management 20, 219–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suyker, AE, Verma, SB 2001. Year-round observations of the net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide in a native tallgrass prairie. Global Change Biology 7, 279–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teyssonneyre, F, Picon-Cochard, C, Falcimagne, R, Soussana, JF 2002. Effects of elevated CO2 and cutting frequency on plant community structure in a temperate grassland. Global Change Biology 8, 1034–1046.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, CD, Cameron, A, Green, RE, Bakkenes, M, Beaumont, LJ, Collingham, YC, Erasmus, BF, De Siqueira, MF, Grainger, A, Hannah, L, Hughes, L, Huntley, B, Van Jaarsveld, AS, Midgley, GF, Miles, L, Ortega-Huerta, MA, Peterson, AT, Phillips, OL, Williams, SE 2004. Extinction risk from climate change. Nature 427, 145–148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomsen, IK, Olesen, JE 2000. C and N mineralization of composted and anaerobically stored ruminant manure in differently textured soils. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Cambridge 135, 151–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thuiller, W, Lavorel, S, Araujo, MB, Sykes, MT, Prentice, IC 2005. Climate change threats to plant diversity in Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102, 8245–8250.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tilman, D, Lehman, CL, Thomson, KT 1997. Plant diversity and ecosystem productivity: theoretical considerations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 94, 1857–1861.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tilman, D, Reich, PB, Knops, JMH 2006a. Biodiversity and ecosystem stability in a decade-long grassland experiment. Nature 441, 629–632.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tilman, D, Reich, PB, Knops, JMH 2006b. Carbon-negative biofuels from low-input high diversity grassland biomass. Science 314, 1598–1600.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tubiello, F, Soussana, JF, Howden, SM, Easterling, W 2007. Crop and pasture response to climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 104, 19686–19690.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
US-EPA 2006. Global anthropogenic non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions: 1990–2020 (EPA 430-R-06-003), US-EPA, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Van der Werf, GR, Randerson, JT, Giglio, L, Collatz, GJ, Kasibhatla, PS, Arellano, AF 2006. Interannual variability in global biomass burning emissions from 1997 to 2004. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 6, 3423–3441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Oost, K, Quine, TA, Govers, G, De Gryze, S, Six, J, Harden, JW, Ritchie, JC, McCarty, GW, Heckrath, G, Kosmas, C, Giraldez, JV, da Silva, JRM, Merckx, R 2007. The impact of agricultural soil erosion on the global carbon cycle. Science 318, 626–629.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Velthof, GL, Oenema, O 1997. Nitrous oxide emission from dairy farming systems in the Netherlands. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 45, 347–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vleeshouwers, LM, Verhagen, A 2002. Carbon emission and sequestration by agricultural land use: a model study for Europe. Global Change Biology 8, 519–530.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vuichard, N, Ciais, P, Viovy, N, Calanca, P, Soussana, JF 2007a. Estimating the greenhouse gas fluxes of European grasslands with a process-based model: 2. Simulations at the continental level. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 21, GB1005, doi:10.1029/2005GB002612.Google Scholar
Vuichard, N, Soussana, JF, Ciais, P, Viovy, N, Ammann, C, Calanca, P, Clifton-Brown, J, Fuhrer, J, Jones, M, Martin, C 2007b. Estimating the greenhouse gas fluxes of European grasslands with a process-based model: 1. Model evaluation from in situ measurements. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 21, GB1004, doi:10.1029/2005GB002611.Google Scholar
Xu, LK, Baldocchi, DD 2004. Seasonal variation in carbon dioxide exchange over a Mediterranean annual grassland in California. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 123, 79–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zavaleta, ES, Shaw, MR, Chiariello, NR, Mooney, HA, Field, CB 2003. Additive effects of simulated climate changes, elevated CO2, and nitrogen deposition on grassland diversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 100, 7650–7654.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed