Belowground Carbon Allocation of Natural Quercus mongolica Forests Estimated from Litterfall and Soil Respiration Measurements

From published data of mature forests worldwide, Raich and Nadelhoffer suggested that total belowground carbon allocation (TBCA) could be estimated from the difference between annual rates of soil respiration and aboveground litterfall. Here we analyze new measurements of IRGA-based soil respiration and litterfall of natural mature oak forests dominated by Quercus mongolica in Korea. Rates of in situ soil respiration and aboveground litter production are highly and positively correlated. Our results disagree with the Raich and Nadelhoffer model far world forests. A regression analysis of the data from Q. mongolica forests produced the following relationship: annual soil respiration : 141 + 2.08 annual litterfall. The least squares regression line has a more gentle slope (2.08) than the slope (2.92) described by Raich and Nedelhoffer for mature forests worldwide. The regression slope of our study indicates that, on average, soil respiration is about two times the aboveground litterfall-C, which further implies that TBCA is similar with annual aboveground litterfall-C at natural Q. mongolica forests in Korea. The non-zero Y-intercept (141) of the regression indicates that TBCA may be greater than litterfall-C where litterfall rate are relativery low. Over a gradient of litterfall-C ranging from 200-370 g C , TBCA increased from 350-530 g C .