Naslov
Structure and composition of woody belowground biomass in geoxyle grasslands and open woodlands in south-central Angola

Autori
Čorkalo, Marko

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Ocjenski radovi, diplomski rad, diplomski

Fakultet
Prirodoslovno-matematički fakultet, Biološki odsjek

Mjesto
Zagreb

Datum
18.05

Godina
2023

Stranica
87

Mentor
Finckh, Manfred ; Essert, Sara

Ključne riječi
belowground bud bank ; carbon storage ; underground trees

Sažetak
Geoxyles, despite their ecological importance in relation to biodiversity, carbon storage, and disturbance resistance, are often overlooked due to their life strategy of keeping most of their biomass underground. This study fills a research gap by examining the structure and composition of woody belowground biomass (BGB) distribution patterns in geoxyle grassland and open woodland vegetation types across south-central Angola, using eight different sampling sites to capture environmental variability. A direct destructive sampling approach was employed to accurately measure BGB and corresponding carbon stocks and investigated the influence of environmental factors on BGB allocation, with a particular emphasis on soil analysis. The results revealed that disturbances and climate seasonality were crucial for geoxyle occurrence and high levels of recorded BGB, while soil fertility and seasonality were identified as the primary drivers of belowground geoxyle functional types and their diversity. The findings of this study will contribute to a better understanding of BGB dynamics in geoxyle- rich ecosystems and provide valuable information for conservation and climate change mitigation efforts. The importance of further research in this area is highlighted, as the destruction of these habitats due to agriculture and land-use changes could result in significant losses of BGB and contribute to global warming.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA