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Quantification of C uptake in subarctic birch forest after setback by an extreme insect outbreak

Heliasz, Michal LU ; Johansson, Torbjörn LU ; Lindroth, Anders LU orcid ; Mölder, Meelis LU ; Mastepanov, Mikhail LU ; Friborg, Thomas ; Callaghan, Terry V. and Christensen, Torben LU (2011) In Geophysical Research Letters 38.
Abstract
The carbon dynamics of northern natural ecosystems contribute significantly to the global carbon balance. Periodic disturbances to these dynamics include insect herbivory. Larvae of autumn and winter moths (Epirrita autumnata and Operophtera brumata) defoliate mountain birch (Betula pubescens) forests in northern Scandinavia cyclically every 9-10 years and occasionally (50-150 years) extreme population densities can threaten ecosystem stability. Here we report impacts on C balance following a 2004 outbreak where a widespread area of Lake Tornetrask catchment was severely defoliated. We show that in the growing season of 2004 the forest was a much smaller net sink of C than in a reference year, most likely due to lower gross photosynthesis.... (More)
The carbon dynamics of northern natural ecosystems contribute significantly to the global carbon balance. Periodic disturbances to these dynamics include insect herbivory. Larvae of autumn and winter moths (Epirrita autumnata and Operophtera brumata) defoliate mountain birch (Betula pubescens) forests in northern Scandinavia cyclically every 9-10 years and occasionally (50-150 years) extreme population densities can threaten ecosystem stability. Here we report impacts on C balance following a 2004 outbreak where a widespread area of Lake Tornetrask catchment was severely defoliated. We show that in the growing season of 2004 the forest was a much smaller net sink of C than in a reference year, most likely due to lower gross photosynthesis. Ecosystem respiration in 2004 was smaller and less sensitive to air temperature at nighttime relative to 2006. The difference in growing season uptake between an insect affected and non-affected year over the 316 km(2) area is in the order of 29 x 10(3) tonnes C equal to a reduction of the sink strength by 89%. Citation: Heliasz, M., T. Johansson, A. Lindroth, M. Molder, M. Mastepanov, T. Friborg, T. V. Callaghan, and T. R. Christensen (2011), Quantification of C uptake in subarctic birch forest after setback by an extreme insect outbreak, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L01704, doi:10.1029/2010GL044733. (Less)
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organization
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Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Geophysical Research Letters
volume
38
publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
external identifiers
  • wos:000286323300001
  • scopus:78751542066
ISSN
1944-8007
DOI
10.1029/2010GL044733
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a777a2cd-bcd9-441b-a496-83300668aa8b (old id 1882565)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:46:04
date last changed
2024-01-09 18:24:59
@article{a777a2cd-bcd9-441b-a496-83300668aa8b,
  abstract     = {{The carbon dynamics of northern natural ecosystems contribute significantly to the global carbon balance. Periodic disturbances to these dynamics include insect herbivory. Larvae of autumn and winter moths (Epirrita autumnata and Operophtera brumata) defoliate mountain birch (Betula pubescens) forests in northern Scandinavia cyclically every 9-10 years and occasionally (50-150 years) extreme population densities can threaten ecosystem stability. Here we report impacts on C balance following a 2004 outbreak where a widespread area of Lake Tornetrask catchment was severely defoliated. We show that in the growing season of 2004 the forest was a much smaller net sink of C than in a reference year, most likely due to lower gross photosynthesis. Ecosystem respiration in 2004 was smaller and less sensitive to air temperature at nighttime relative to 2006. The difference in growing season uptake between an insect affected and non-affected year over the 316 km(2) area is in the order of 29 x 10(3) tonnes C equal to a reduction of the sink strength by 89%. Citation: Heliasz, M., T. Johansson, A. Lindroth, M. Molder, M. Mastepanov, T. Friborg, T. V. Callaghan, and T. R. Christensen (2011), Quantification of C uptake in subarctic birch forest after setback by an extreme insect outbreak, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L01704, doi:10.1029/2010GL044733.}},
  author       = {{Heliasz, Michal and Johansson, Torbjörn and Lindroth, Anders and Mölder, Meelis and Mastepanov, Mikhail and Friborg, Thomas and Callaghan, Terry V. and Christensen, Torben}},
  issn         = {{1944-8007}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{American Geophysical Union (AGU)}},
  series       = {{Geophysical Research Letters}},
  title        = {{Quantification of C uptake in subarctic birch forest after setback by an extreme insect outbreak}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2010GL044733}},
  doi          = {{10.1029/2010GL044733}},
  volume       = {{38}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}