Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T14:29:50.485Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Variation in soil organic carbon stocks in Singapore with forest succession and land management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2022

Michael Kleine ,
Subhadip Ghosh ,
Ernst Leitgeb Open the ORCID record for Ernst Leitgeb [Opens in a new window] ,
Ambros Berger ,
Hassan bin Ibrahim ,
Thomas Gschwantner ,
Lai Fern Ow  and
Kerstin Michel
Michael Kleine*
Affiliation:
Austrian Natural Resources Management and International Cooperation Agency, Karlsgasse 9/2, 1040Vienna, Austria
Subhadip Ghosh
Affiliation:
Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, National Parks Board, Singapore259569, Republic of Singapore School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale2351, Australia
Ernst Leitgeb
Affiliation:
Department of Forest Ecology and Soil, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131Vienna, Austria
Ambros Berger
Affiliation:
Department of Forest Inventory, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131Vienna, Austria
Hassan bin Ibrahim
Affiliation:
International Biodiversity Conservation, National Parks Board, Singapore259569, Republic of Singapore
Thomas Gschwantner
Affiliation:
Department of Forest Inventory, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131Vienna, Austria
Lai Fern Ow
Affiliation:
Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, National Parks Board, Singapore259569, Republic of Singapore
Kerstin Michel
Affiliation:
Department of Forest Ecology and Soil, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131Vienna, Austria
*
Author for correspondence: Michael Kleine, Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Land-use changes and forest management decisions can profoundly alter soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether existing SOC stocks in the forests of Singapore can be related to successional stages of forest vegetation following disturbances. A forest classification system was developed using information about land use history and vegetation data from 21 inventory plots collected within the framework of Singapore’s IPCC-compatible greenhouse gas reporting system. The forest successional classes obtained were related to SOC stocks (0–50 cm) determined on the same plots. The inventory plots were assigned to four classes. Primary forests (Class 1) were dominated by late succession native species. Secondary forests representing natural forest succession (Class 2) contained younger native trees and a few large trees. Secondary forests after tree plantation/fruit orchard (Class 3) and after agricultural crop cultivation (Class 4) were characterised by large proportions of exotic tree species. Maximum stocks of SOC declined from Class 1 (127.7 Mg ha−1) to Class 4 (35.2 Mg ha−1). The results of a principal component analysis confirmed our forest classification. Plant-related parameters can be successfully used to classify the forests in Singapore, which also show clear differences in SOC.

Keywords

above-ground biomassclassification systemland-usetropical forests
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 38 , Issue 5 , September 2022 , pp. 275 - 284
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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.)

References

Borchard, N, Bulusu, M, Meyer, N, Rodionov, A, Herawati, H, Blagodatsky, S, Cadisch, G, Welp, G, Amelung, W and Martius, C (2019) Deep soil carbon storage in tree-dominated land use systems in tropical lowlands of Kalimantan. Geoderma 354, 113864.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chave, J, Réjou-Méchain, M, Búrquez, A, Chidumayo, E, Colgan, MS, Delitti, WBC, Duque, A, Eid, T, Fearnside, PM, Goodman, RC, Henry, M, Martínez-Yrízar, A, Mugasha, WA, Muller-Landau, HC, Mencuccini, M, Nelson, BW, Ngomanda, A, Nogueira, EM, Ortiz-Malavassi, E, Pélissier, R, Ploton, P, Ryan, CM, Saldarriaga, JG and Vieilledent, G (2014) Improved allometric models to estimate the aboveground biomass of tropical trees. Global Change Biology 20, 3177–3190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chazdon, RL (2008) Chance and Determinism in Tropical Forest Succession. P. In Carson, W and Schnitzer, S (eds.), Tropical Forest Community Ecology. New York: Wiley-Blackwell. pp 384–408.Google Scholar
Chiti, T, Grieco, E, Perugini, L, Rey, A and Valentini, R (2014) Effect of the replacement of tropical forests with tree plantations on soil organic carbon levels in the Jomoro district, Ghana. Plant and Soil 375, 47–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corlett, RT (1991) Vegetation. In Chia, LS, Rahman, A and Tay, BH (eds.), The Biophysical Environment of Singapore. Singapore: Singapore University Press, pp. 134–154.Google Scholar
Davison, G (2005) Urban forest rehabilitation: a case study from Singapore. Keep Asia Green: Volume I, South East Asia 1, 171–181. IUFRO, Vienna.Google Scholar
Defence Science and Technology Agency (2009) Geology of Singapore. P. (Defence Science and Technology Agency, Ed.). Singapore.Google Scholar
Department of Statistics (2019) Yearbook of Statistics Singapore: Climate and Air quality. Department of Statistics, Republic of Singapore.Google Scholar
Don, A, Schumacher, J and Freibauer, A (2011) Impact of tropical land-use change on soil organic carbon stocks: a meta-analysis. New York: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Google Scholar
Ewel, J (1980) Tropical succession: manifold routes to maturity. Biotropica 12, 2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guillaume, T, Damris, M and Kuzyakov, Y (2015) Losses of soil carbon by converting tropical forest to plantations: erosion and decomposition estimated by δ13C. Global Change Biology 21, 3548–3560.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, FC and McCulloch, CE (1990) Multivariate analysis in ecology and systematics: panacea or pandora’s box? Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 21, 129–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, IL, DeWalt, SJ, Lopez, OR, Bunnefeld, L, Pattison, Z and Dent, DH (2019) Above- and belowground carbon stocks are decoupled in secondary tropical forests and are positively related to forest age and soil nutrients respectively. Science of the Total Environment 697, 133987.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lal, R (2004) Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science 304, 1623–1627.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lal, R (2005) Soil carbon sequestration for sustaining agricultural production and improving the environment with particular reference to Brazil. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 26, 23–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lat, KK, Goay, KH, Lau, SG, Chiam, SL and Chew, KC (2016) A new lithostratigraphical framework proposed for singapore. Geotechnical Engineering Journal of the SEAGS and AGSSEA 47, 70–73.Google Scholar
Leitgeb, E, Ghosh, S, Dobbs, M, Englisch, M and Michel, K (2019) Distribution of nutrients and trace elements in forest soils of Singapore. Chemosphere 222, 62–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lemmens, RHMJ, Soerianegara, I and Wong, WC (eds.) (1995) Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 5 (2). Timber trees: Minor commercial timbers. Backhuys Publisher, Leiden, 655 pp.Google Scholar
Leuschner, C, Moser, G, Hertel, D, Erasmi, S, Leitner, D, Culmsee, H, Schuldt, B and Schwendenmann, L (2013) Conversion of tropical moist forest into cacao agroforest: consequences for carbon pools and annual C sequestration. Agroforestry Systems 87, 1173–1187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Y, Liu, X, Xu, W, Bongers, FJ, Bao, W, Chen, B, Chen, G, Guo, K, Lai, J, Lin, D, Mi, X, Tian, X, Wang, X, Yan, J, Yang, B, Zheng, Y and Ma, K (2020) Effects of diversity, climate and litter on soil organic carbon storage in subtropical forests. Forest Ecology and Management 476, 118479.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maury-Lechon, G and Curtet, L (1998) Biogeography and Evolutionary Systematics of Dipterocarpaceae. A Review of Dipterocarps: Taxonomy, ecology and silviculture. In Appanah, S and Turnbull, JM (eds.), Journal of Biogeography. Center for International Forestry Research, Indonesia, pp. 5–44.Google Scholar
Ngo, KM, Turner, BL, Muller-Landau, HC, Davies, SJ, Larjavaara, M, Nik Hassan, NF BIN and Lum, S (2013) Carbon stocks in primary and secondary tropical forests in Singapore. Forest Ecology and Management 296, 81–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NParks (2014) Our ecosystems – forests. https://www.nparks.gov.sg/biodiversity/our-ecosystems/terrestrial. Accessed August 4, 2021.Google Scholar
Pain, A, Marquardt, K, Lindh, A and Hasselquist, NJ (2021) What is secondary about secondary tropical forest? Rethinking forest landscapes. Human Ecology 49, 239–247.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parotta, JA (1990) Paraserianthes falcataria (L.) Nielsen. Batai. Moluccan sau. Leguminosae (Mimosoideae) Legume family. USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station, Institute of Tropical Forestry, SO-ITF-SM (31), 5 p.Google Scholar
Paz, CP, Goosem, M, Bird, M, Preece, N, Goosem, S, Fensham, R and Laurance, S (2016) Soil types influence predictions of soil carbon stock recovery in tropical secondary forests. Forest Ecology and Management 376, 74–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
R Core Team (2020) A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. https://www.R-project.org/.Google Scholar
Rahman, A (1991) Soils. In Chia, LS, Rahman, A and Tay, DBH (eds.), The Biophysical Environment of Singapore. Singapore: Singapore University Press, pp. 89–133.Google Scholar
Russel, AE, Raich, JW, Valverde-Barrantes, OJ and Fisher, RF (2007) Tree species effects on soil properties in experimental plantations in tropical moist forest. Soil Science Society of America Journal 71, 1389–1397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saner, P, Loh, YY, Ong, RC and Hector, A (2012) Carbon stocks and fluxes in tropical lowland dipterocarp rainforests in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. PLoS ONE 7, e29642.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sayer, EJ, Lopez-Sangil, L, Crawford, JA, Bréchet, LM, Birkett, AJ, Baxendale, C, Castro, B, Rodtassana, C, Garnett, MH, Weiss, L and Schmidt, MWI (2019) Tropical forest soil carbon stocks do not increase despite 15 years of doubled litter inputs. Scientific Reports 9, 18030.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulte, A and Schöne, D (1996) Dipterocarp forest ecosystem theory based on matter balance and biodiversity. In Schulte, A and Schöne, D (eds.), Dipterocarp Forest Ecosystems: Towards Sustainable Management. Singapore: World Scientific, pp. 3–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soerianegara, I and Lemmens, RHMJ (eds.) (1994) Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 5 (1). Timber trees: Major commercial timbers. PROSEA Network Office, Bogor Indonesia, 610 pp.Google Scholar
Sosef, MSM, Hong, LT and Prawirohatmodjo, S (eds.) (1998) Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 5 (3). Timber trees: Lesser known timbers. Backhuys Publisher, Leiden, 859 pp.Google Scholar
Subashree, K, Dar, JA and Sundarapandian, S (2019) Variation in soil organic carbon stock with forest type in tropical forests of Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 191, 690.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Syafinie, AM and Ainuddin, NA (2015) Aboveground biomass and carbon stock estimation in logged-over lowland tropical forest in Malaysia. International Journal of Agriculture 1, 1–14.Google Scholar
The National Archives UK (1945) Map: Malaya - Singapore and Johore Bahru, https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/maps_building_plans/record-details/9ddf6fc9-d90f-11e9-90d4-001a4a5ba61b, accessed January 4, 2022.Google Scholar
Toma, T, Warsudi, W, Osone, Y, Sutedjo, S, Sato, T and Sukartiningsih, S (2017) Sixteen years changes in tree density and aboveground biomass of a logged and burned dipterocarp forest in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 18, 1159–1167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wee, YC and Corlett, RT (1987) The City and the Forest: Plant Life in Urban Singapore. Singapore University Press, Singapore. 186 ppGoogle Scholar
Whitmore, TC (1984) Tropical rain forests of the Far East (second edi). Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. xvi + 352.Google Scholar
Wiesmeier, M, Urbanski, L, Hobley, E, Lang, B, von Lützow, M, Marin-Spiotta, E, van Wesemael, B, Rabot, E, Ließ, M, Garcia-Franco, N, Wollschläger, U, Vogel, HJ and Kögel-Knaber, I (2019) Soil organic carbon storage as a key function of soils: a review of drivers and indicators at various scales. Geoderma 333, 149–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yee, ATK, Chong, KY, Neo, L and Tan, HTW (2016) Updating the classification system for the secondary forests of Singapore. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 32, 11–21.Google Scholar
Yee, ATK, Corlett, R, Liew, SC and Tan, H (2011) The vegetation of Singapore―an updated map. The Gardens’ Bulletin, Singapore, 63, 205–212.Google Scholar
Zanne, AE, Lopez-Gonzalez, G, Coomes, DA, Ilic, J, Jansen, S, Lewis, SL, Miller, RB, Swenson, NG, Wiemann, MC and Chave, J (2009) Data from: Towards a worldwide wood economics spectrum, Dataset. Dryad.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Kleine et al. supplementary material

Tables S1-S3

Download Kleine et al. supplementary material(File)
File 19.5 KB