Life Sciences Commons^™

Controls On Soil Organic Carbon And Nitrogen In Inner Mongolia, China: A Cross-Continental Comparison Of Temperate Grasslands, S. E. Evans, Ingrid Burke, William K. Lauenroth

Ingrid Burke

Most global ecosystem models assume that controls over soil organic matter are alike in climatically similar regions. In this study, we tested the generality of controls over soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil organic nitrogen (SON) in temperate grasslands. We measured organic matter pools in Inner Mongolia, China, along the Northeast China Transect, and analyzed the relationship of SOC and SON to climate, soil texture, and land use variables. We then compared our data to values simulated by a regression model developed in the U.S. Great Plains and also to Century model simulations. We found that, as in the U.S. …