Capability Investigation of Carbon Sequestration in Two Species (Artemisia sieberi Besser and Stipa barbata Desf.) Under Different Treatments of Vegetation Management (Saveh, Iran)
Authors
- M. Alizadeh 1, 2
- M. Mahdavi 3
- M. H. Jouri 4
Abstract
The rangelands, as one of the largest dynamic biomes in the world,
have very capabilities. Regulation of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere,
particularly carbon dioxide as the main greenhouse gases, is one of these cases.
The attention to rangeland, as cheep and reachable resources to sequestrate the
carbon dioxide, increases after the Industrial Revolution. Rangelands comprise the
large parts of Iran as a steppic area. Rudshur (Saveh), as area index of steppic
area, was selected under three sites including long-term exclosure, medium-term
exclosure, and grazable area due to the capability of carbon dioxide’s
sequestration of dominated species. Canopy cover’s percentage of two dominated
species (Artemisia sieberi Besser and Stipa barbata Desf.) was determined via
establishing of random 1 square meter plot. The sampling of above and below
ground biomass style was obtained by complete random. After determination of
ash percentage in the laboratory; conversion ratio of plant biomass to organic
carbon was calculated by ignition method. Results of the paired t-test showed that
the amount of carbon sequestration in above ground and underground biomass of
Artemisia sieberi Besser and Stipa barbata Desf. is different in three regions. It,
of course, has not any difference between under and surface ground’s biomass of
Artemisia sieberi Besser in long-term exclosure. The independent t-test results
indicate differences between underground biomass corresponding each other in
the studied sites. Carbon sequestration in the Stipa barbata Desf. was totally more
than Artemisia sieberi Besser. Altogether, the average sequestration of the longterm
exclosure was 5.842gr/m², the medium-term exclosure was 4.115gr/m², and
grazable area was 5.975gr/m² so that there is not valuable statistical difference in
terms of total amount of carbon sequestration to three sites.
