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Land use and land cover changes in coastal and inland wetlands cause soil carbon and nitrogen loss
Tan, L.; Ge, Z.; Ji, Y.; Lai, D.Y.F.; Temmerman, S.; Li, S.; Li, X.; Tang, J. (2022). Land use and land cover changes in coastal and inland wetlands cause soil carbon and nitrogen loss. Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr. 31(12): 2541-2563. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13597
In: Global Ecology and Biogeography. Blackwell Science: Oxford. ISSN 1466-822X; e-ISSN 1466-8238, more
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
Keywords
    Marine/Coastal; Brackish water; Fresh water; Terrestrial
Author keywords
    greenhouse effect; land use change; meta-analysis; soil carbon; soil nitrogen; wetlands
Authors  Top 
  • Tan, L.
  • Ge, Z.
  • Ji, Y.
  • Lai, D.Y.F.
  • Temmerman, S., more
  • Li, S.
  • Li, X.
  • Tang, J.
Abstract
    Aim

    Natural wetlands are widely considered important for mitigation of climate change, but they have been impacted by land use and land cover change (LULCC), often resulting in ecosystem degradation and significant changes in soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics. However, the impact of various LULCC types on wetland soil C and N dynamics remains unclear.

    Location

    Global.

    Time period

    1982–2021.

    Major taxa studied

    Wetland.

    Methods

    We present a global meta-analysis using a database of 487 sites compiled from the literature, demonstrating the response of soil C and N concentrations and stocks in coastal wetlands, riparian wetlands and peatlands to various types of LULCCs, including agricultural lands, drained wetlands, aquaculture ponds, pastures and constructed wetlands.

    Results

    The conversion of coastal wetlands, riparian wetlands and peatlands to most LULCC types decreased the mean soil C and N concentrations and stocks by 17.8 ± 10.3, 25.3 ± 13.4 and 23.2 ± 6.3%, respectively. The loss of wetland soil C owing to LULCC is estimated to cause a potential CO2 emission of 1.8–22.8 Mg CO2 equivalent emission/ha/year, except for conversion to constructed wetlands. The soil C and N contents were more sensitive to LULCCs, relative to the stocks. We also found that the patterns of soil C and N variations were closely related to the conversion time since completion of LULCC. After LULCC, the response of soil C and N variables was sensitive to changes in plant biomass, soil water conditions, bulk density, pH and NH4+-N concentration, with the major controlling factors varying with the conversion age.

    Main conclusions

    Our results highlight the important role of LULCC in triggering soil C and N loss in natural wetlands, which enhances the greenhouse effect. As such, our study calls for sustainable land management strategies aiming at wetland conservation as a powerful tool to mitigate climate warming.

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