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www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Distribution and altitudinal patterns of carbon and nitrogen storage in various forest ecosystems in the central Yunnan Plateau, China Jianqiang Li*, Qibo Chen, Zhuang Li, Bangxiao Peng, Jianlong Zhang, Xuexia Xing, Binyang Zhao & Denghui Song The carbon (C) pool in forest ecosystems plays a long-term and sustained role in mitigating the impacts of global warming, and the sequestration of C is closely linked to the nitrogen (N) cycle. Accurate estimates C and N storage (SC, SN) of forest can improve our understanding of C and N cycles and help develop sustainable forest management policies in the content of climate change. In this study, the SC and SN of various forest ecosystems dominated respectively by Castanopsis carlesii and Lithocarpus mairei (EB), Pinus yunnanensis (PY), Pinus armandii (PA), Keteleeria evelyniana (KE), and Quercus semecarpifolia (QS) in the central Yunnan Plateau of China, were estimated on the basis of a feld inventory to determine the distribution and altitudinal patterns of SC and SN among various −1 forest ecosystems. The results showed that (1) the forest SC ranged from 179.58 ± 20.57 t hm in QS to 365.89 ± 35.03 t hm−1 in EB. Soil, living biomass and litter contributed an average of 64.73%, 31.72% −1 and 2.86% to forest SC, respectively; (2) the forest SN ranged from 4.47 ± 0.94 t ha in PY to 8.91 ± 1.83 t ha−1 in PA. Soil, plants and litter contributed an average of 86.88%, 10.27% and 2.85% to forest SN, respectively; (3) the forest SC and SN decreased apparently with increasing altitude. The result demonstrates that changes in forest types can strongly afect the forest SC and SN. This study provides baseline information for forestland managers regarding forest resource utilization and C management. C and N are major constituents of plant and soil organic matter and play a fundamental role in nutrient cycling, 1,2 plant growth, and ecological functions . Forest SC is the most important part of the global C pool across various terrestrial ecosystems and plays a long-term and continuous role in mitigating the efects of global warming 3–5. N is a vital and limiting nutrient in forest ecosystems, and C storage is closely linked to the N cycle 6. Furthermore, 7,8 N deposition alters SC and SN . Consequently, accurate identifcation of the spatial patterns of forest SC and SN is important for accessing the global C and N pool. 9,10 Forest SC is estimated to account for approximately 45% of terrestrial ecosystem SC . In forest ecosystems, C is stored in living biomass, litter and soils 11–13. Living biomass has a great capacity to sequester atmospheric C and the aboveground living biomass has been considered as a major C pool14,15. Soil is another indispensable compo- nent of forest ecosystems and acts as an important C pool in terrestrial ecosystems 16,17. Te amount of C stored in soil is approximately double the amount in the atmosphere17,18. Consequently, exploring the distribution pat- terns of SN in forest ecosystems is essential for understanding the C cycle. Many studies have explored the spatial 4,12,16,19,20 distribution of SC in forest ecosystems at a landscape scale using remote sensing and statistical methods ; however, these estimates are not reliable in hilly terrain, because the mountainous and hilly conditions can increase errors of forest vertical structure measured using remote sensors13. Hence, to accurately quantify forest SC at a large scale, it is essential to develop estimates based on ground measurements. Forest inventory data are recognized as one of the most reliable sources of data for global C cycle research 4. Te amount of C stored in forest vegetation and soil is considered to be the result of a long-term balance 20,21 between C absorption and release . Te magnitude of S C and S N in forests depends on stand age, species com- position, climate variability, geographical circumstances, management strategy and natural disturbances22–24. Te School of Ecology and Environment, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China. *email: JQ- [email protected] Scientifc Reports | (2021) 11:6269 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85710-8 1 Vol.:(0123456789) www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Main species composition Mean diameter at Forest type Mean tree age/yr breast height/cm Mean height/m Wood density/ha Tree Shrub Herb Pinus yunnanensis, Rhododendron spic- Quercus aliena Blume, iferum Franch., Quercus Carex doisutepensis PY 35 15.2 10.2 1887 Schima superba Gardn. variabilis Blume, Schreb., Heteropogon et Champ., Pyrus pseu- Vaccinium bracteatum contortus (Linn.) Beauv dopashia Yü Tunb Vaccinium duclouxii Pinus armandii Franch., (Levl.) Hand.-Mazz., Eurya obliquifolia Cyclobalanopsis glauca Ophiopogon bodinieri PA 30 12.0 10.6 2029 Hemsl., Ternstroemia (Tunberg) Oersted, Levl., Arthraxon hispidus gymnanthera (Wight et Ternstroemia gymnan- (Trin.) Makino Arn.) Beddome thera (Wight et Arn.) Beddome Quercus semecarpifolia Vaccinium bracteatum Smith., Quercus fabri Gentiana cephalantha Tunb., Rhododendron Hance, Ternstroemia Franch. ex Hemsl., QS 40 5.9 3.3 3586 moulmainense Hook. f., gymnanthera (Wight et Smilax ferox Wall. ex Gaultheria fragrantis- Arn.) Beddome, Lyonia Kunth sima Wall ovalifolia (Wall.) Drude Keteleeria evelyniana Mast., Quercus acutis- Jasminum grandiforum Ageratina adenophora sima Carr., Rhododen- L., Myrica esculenta (Sprengel) R. M. King KE 50 21.2 7.6 1475 dron delavay Franch., Buch.-Ham., Rhododen- & H. Robinson, Cyperus Rhododendron minuti- dron minutiforum Hu glomeratus Nees forum Franch., Quercus aliena Blume Castanopsis carlesii Camellia mairei (Levl.) (Hemsl.) Hayata., Melch., Lithocarpus Lithocarpus mairei mairei (Schottky) Reh- (Schottky) Rehder, der, Vaccinium bractea- Camellia mairei (Levl.) tum Tunb., Rhododen- Indocalamus longiauritus EB 60 9.7 11.1 3085 Melch., Dichotomanthes dron spiciferum Franch., Handel-Mazzetti, Ophi- tristaniicarpa Kurz, Eurya yunnanensis Hsu, opogon bodinieri Levl Rhododendron delavayi Symplocos anomala Franch., Vaccinium brac- Brand, Ternstroemia teatum Tunb., Betula gymnanthera (Wight et utilis D. Don Arn.) Beddome Table 1. Stand information of various study forests in Mopan Mountain in the central Yunnan Plateau. 25 distribution patterns of SC and SN also difer among spatial landscape patterns, plant species and plant organs . Mopan Mountain in the central Yunnan Plateau is located in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the southern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Te area belongs to a subtropical mountain climate region26, and vegetation patterns shif vertically due to changes in altitude. Te main forest vegetation types are subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, subtropical mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, coniferous forest and alpine forest. In this region, forests cover more than 72.6% of the land area, and they represent the most important forest resources in the central Yunnan Plateau and in Yunnan Province. Te main objectives of this study are to (1) assess the spatial variation in forest biomass based on a feld inventory; (2) characterize the spatial variation in C and N density and storage in forest ecosystems; and (3) explore the impact of altitude on biomass and S N and SC in Mopan Mountain. Tis study will provide baseline information for forestland managers regarding forest resource utilization and C and N management. Materials and methods Study area. Tis study was conducted in Mopan Mountain National Forest Park (23°46′18″N–23°54′34″N, 101°16′06″E–101°16′12″E) in the central Yunnan Plateau of Yunnan province, southwestern China. Te total area of the forest is about 7348.5 ha with an altitude from 1260 to 2614 m a.s.l. Te area belongs to a subtropical mountain climate region. Te temperature ranges from – 2.2 to 33 °C with a mean annual temperature 15 °C, and the annual rainfall is approximately 1050 mm. Precipitation shows strong seasonal variation with approximately 85% occurring in the rainy season from May to October and the lef 15% occurring in the dry season from November to the next April26. Te study sites were occupied by subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, coniferous forest and alpine forest dominated respectively by C. carlesii and Lithocarpus mairei (EB), Pinus yunnanensis (PY), Pinus armandii (PA), Keteleeria evelyniana (mixed with the Quercus species, KE) and Quercus semecarpifolia (QS). Te characteristics of these forests are listed in Table 1. Study design and sampling. Study design. To test the variation in SC and SN among various forests, 16 sample plots in each forest were chosen for analysis. Tese 16 sample plots contained one 100 m × 100 m and ffeen 30 m × 30 m tree plots, and each tree plot had three shrub and three herb plots. Te sizes of the shrub and herb plots were 5 m × 5 m and 1 m × 1 m, respectively17. Te sample plots were distributed across the altitude range as follows: for QS, from 2467 to 2611 m; for PY, from 2012 to 2151 m; for PA, from 2035 to 2381 m; for KE, from 1865 to 2265 m; and for EB, from 1450 to 2436 m. Scientifc Reports | (2021) 11:6269 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85710-8 2 Vol:.(1234567890) www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Plant census and sampling. In each tree plot, census of plant individuals which diameter at breast height was more than 1 cm was performed. In addition, in each shrub and herb plot, the species name and abundance were recorded2,17,27. All plant individuals in each plot were collected with diferent parts for C and N testing, i.e., trees with roots, trunks, leaves, branches and bark; shrubs with roots, stems and leaves; and herbs with above- and belowground part. Litter sampling. Triplicate plots with a size of 1 m × 1 m were established in the tree plots for ground litter sampling28.