Simple measures of climate, soil properties and plant traits predict national scale grassland soil carbon stocks

1. Soil carbon (C) storage is a key ecosystem service. Soil C stocks play a vital role in soil fertility and climate regulation, but the factors that control these stocks at regional and national scales are unknown, particularly when their composition and stability are considered. As a result, their mapping relies on either unreliable proxy measures or laborious direct measurements. 2. Using data from an extensive national survey of English grasslands we show that surface soil (0-7cm) C stocks in size fractions of varying stability can be predicted at both regional and national scales from plant traits and simple measures of soil and climatic conditions. 3. Soil C stocks in the largest pool, of intermediate particle size (50-250 µm), were best explained by mean annual temperature (MAT), soil pH and soil moisture content. The second largest C pool, highly stable physically and biochemically protected particles (0.45-50 µm), was explained by soil pH and the community abundance weighted mean (CWM) leaf nitrogen (N) content, with the highest soil C stocks under N rich vegetation. The C stock in the small active fraction (250-4000 µm) was explained by a wide range of variables: MAT, mean annual precipitation, mean growing season length, soil pH and CWM specific leaf area; stocks were higher under vegetation with thick and/or dense leaves. 4. Testing the models describing these fractions against data from an independent English region indicated moderately strong correlation between predicted and actual values and no systematic bias, with the exception of the active fraction, for which predictions were inaccurate. 5. Synthesis and Applications: Validation indicates that readily available climate, soils and plant survey data can be effective in making local- to landscape-scale (1-100,000 km2) soil C stock predictions. Such predictions are a crucial component of effective management strategies to protect C stocks and enhance soil C sequestration

Ecologically sustainable fertility management for the maintenance of species-rich hay meadows: A 12-year fertilizer and lime experiment

Increased use of artificial fertilizers has caused widespread loss of species-rich grasslands throughout Britain and mainland Europe. Species-rich meadows are traditionally managed by hay cutting, use of farmyard manure (FYM) and occasional liming, but sustainable fertility management to maintain their botanical diversity is ill defined. This study measured vegetation responses to fertilizers and lime applied over 12years to species-rich upland and lowland mesotrophic hay meadows in the UK. Treatments consisted of three rates of FYM applied annually or triennially, inorganic fertilizers giving equivalent amounts of N, P and K to two of the annual and two of the triennial FYM treatments, and lime applied either alone or with annual or triennial FYM. Farmyard manure at 24tonnesha(-1)year(-1) reduced total species richness and the richness of positive indicator species at both meadows and increased aggregate cover of negative indicator species. Lower rates of FYM application were also detrimental at the lowland meadow, but not at the upland one. Inorganic fertilizers were no more damaging to plant species richness than equivalent FYM treatments. At the upland meadow, vegetation quality was maintained by continuing past FYM inputs (12tha(-1)year(-1)), but improved at lower rates. At the lowland meadow, which has no recent history of fertilizer use, rates equivalent to only 4tonnes FYM ha(-1)year(-1) were sustainable. Evidence was slight of vegetation adapting to increased inputs at either meadow. Between-meadow differences in vulnerability to treatments apparently reflected differences in site-specific factors, particularly past management, rather than differences in plant community type.Synthesis and applications. Relatively modest fertility inputs can reduce the ecological value of meadows with no recent history of such inputs, whereas moderate inputs of fertilizer and lime will be ecologically sustainable in meadows adapted to a long history of application. Decisions on sustainable levels of fertilizer use to maintain or enhance botanical diversity of grassland should be based on knowledge of soil physical and chemical status and past fertility management. Inorganic fertilizers are no more damaging than farmyard manure when applied at equivalent amounts of N, P and K. Relatively modest fertility inputs can reduce the ecological value of meadows with no recent history of such inputs, whereas moderate inputs of fertilizer and lime will be ecologically sustainable in meadows adapted to a long history of application. Decisions on sustainable levels of fertilizer use to maintain or enhance botanical diversity of grassland should be based on knowledge of soil physical and chemical status and past fertility management. Inorganic fertilizers are no more damaging than farmyard manure when applied at equivalent amounts of N, P and K

Data from: Simple measures of climate, soil properties and plant traits predict national scale grassland soil carbon stocks

1. Soil carbon (C) storage is a key ecosystem service. Soil C stocks play a vital role in soil fertility and climate regulation, but the factors that control these stocks at regional and national scales are unknown, particularly when their composition and stability are considered. As a result, their mapping relies on either unreliable proxy measures or laborious direct measurements. 2. Using data from an extensive national survey of English grasslands, we show that surface soil (0–7 cm) C stocks in size fractions of varying stability can be predicted at both regional and national scales from plant traits and simple measures of soil and climatic conditions. 3. Soil C stocks in the largest pool, of intermediate particle size (50–250 μm), were best explained by mean annual temperature (MAT), soil pH and soil moisture content. The second largest C pool, highly stable physically and biochemically protected particles (0·45–50 μm), was explained by soil pH and the community abundance-weighted mean (CWM) leaf nitrogen (N) content, with the highest soil C stocks under N-rich vegetation. The C stock in the small active fraction (250–4000 μm) was explained by a wide range of variables: MAT, mean annual precipitation, mean growing season length, soil pH and CWM specific leaf area; stocks were higher under vegetation with thick and/or dense leaves. 4. Testing the models describing these fractions against data from an independent English region indicated moderately strong correlation between predicted and actual values and no systematic bias, with the exception of the active fraction, for which predictions were inaccurate. 5. Synthesis and applications. Validation indicates that readily available climate, soils and plant survey data can be effective in making local- to landscape-scale (1–100 000 km2) soil C stock predictions. Such predictions are a crucial component of effective management strategies to protect C stocks and enhance soil C sequestration

2011 all data

This file contains all data from the 2011 analyses including pot and treatment ID, biomass, chemistry and microbial data. See Readme file attached to the 2005 data for more details

Data used in Manning et al 2015 J.Appl Ecol

This file contains both the model fitting and validation datasets used in the paper 'Simple measures of climate, soil properties and plant traits predict national scale grassland soil carbon stocks' by Manning et al 2015. For details of units etc see the explanation tab. For methods details see the paper itself and the supplementary materials. For enquiries contact Peter Manning. [email protected]