Carbon stock estimation in halophytic wooded savannas of Uruguay:An ecosystem approachOACSTPCD

Savannas constitute a mixture of trees and shrub patches with a more continuous herbaceous understory.The contribution of this biome to the soil organic carbon(SOC)and above-ground biomass(AGB)carbon(C)stock globally is significant.However,they are frequently subjected to land use changes,promoting increases in CO_(2) emissions.In Uruguay,subtropical wooded savannas cover around 100,000 ha,of which approximately 28%is circumscribed to sodic soils(i.e.,subtropical halophytic wooded savannas).Nevertheless,there is little background about the contribution of each ecosystem component to the C stock as well as site-specific allometric equations.The study was conducted in 5 ha of subtropical halophytic wooded savannas of the national protected area Esteros y Algarrobales del Rio Uruguay.This work aimed to estimate the contribution of the main ecosystem components(e.g.,soil,trees,shrubs,and herbaceous plants)to the C stock.Site-specific allometric equations for the most frequent tree species and shrub genus were fitted based on basal diameter(BD)and total height(H).The fitted equations accounted for between 77%and 98%of the aerial biomass variance of Netuma affinis and Vachellia caven.For shrubs(Baccharis sp.),the adjusted equation accounted for 86%of total aerial biomass.C stock for the entire system was 116.71±11.07 Mg·ha^(-1),of which 90.7%was allocated in the soil,8.3%in the trees,0.8%in the herbaceous plants,and 0.2%in the shrubs.These results highlight the importance of subtropical halophytic wooded savannas as C sinks and their relevance in the mitigation of global warming under a climate change scenario.