A minimally managed switchgrass ecosystem in a humid subtropical climate is a source of carbon to the atmosphere

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dc.contributor.authorAhlswede, Benjamin J.en
dc.contributor.authorO'Halloran, Thomas L.en
dc.contributor.authorForsythe, Jeremy D.en
dc.contributor.authorThomas, R. Quinnen
dc.date.accessioned2021-12-04T18:41:41Zen
dc.date.available2021-12-04T18:41:41Zen
dc.date.issued2021-11-06en
dc.date.updated2021-12-04T18:41:39Zen
dc.description.abstractBioenergy has been identified as a key component of climate change mitigation. Therefore, quantifying the net carbon balance of bioenergy feedstocks is crucial for accurate projections of climate mitigation benefits. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) has many characteristics of an ideal bioenergy crop with high yields, low maintenance, and deep roots with potential for belowground carbon sequestration. However, the assessments of net annual carbon exchange between switchgrass fields and the atmosphere are rare. Here we present observations of net carbon fluxes in a minimally managed switchgrass field in Virginia (Ameriflux site US-SB2) over 5 years (3–7 years since establishment). Average annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon was near zero (60 g C m−2 year−1) but the net ecosystem carbon balance that includes harvested carbon (HC) was a net source of carbon to the atmosphere (313 g C m−2 year−1). The field alternated between a large and small source of carbon annually, with the interannual variability most strongly correlated with the day of the last frost and the interaction of temperature and precipitation. Overall, the consistent source of carbon to the atmosphere at US-SB2 differs substantially from other eddy covariance studies that report switchgrass fields to be either neutral or a sink of carbon when accounting for both NEE and HC. This study illustrates that predictions of net carbon climate benefits from bioenergy crops cannot assume that the ecosystem will be a net sink of carbon from the atmosphere. Background climate, management, and land-use history may determine whether widespread deployment of switchgrass as a bioenergy feedstock results in realized climate change mitigation.en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.extent13 page(s)en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12897en
dc.identifier.eissn1757-1707en
dc.identifier.issn1757-1693en
dc.identifier.orcidThomas, Robert [0000-0003-1282-7825]en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/106834en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherWileyen
dc.relation.urihttp://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000714878400001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=930d57c9ac61a043676db62af60056c1en
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectAgronomyen
dc.subjectBiotechnology & Applied Microbiologyen
dc.subjectEnergy & Fuelsen
dc.subjectAgricultureen
dc.subjectbioenergyen
dc.subjectbiomassen
dc.subjectcarbonen
dc.subjectclimateen
dc.subjecteddy covarianceen
dc.subjectnet ecosystem exchangeen
dc.subjectswitchgrassen
dc.subjectENERGY-BALANCE CLOSUREen
dc.subjectFLUXen
dc.subjectBIOENERGYen
dc.subjectEXCHANGEen
dc.subjectPARAMETERIZATIONen
dc.subjectUNCERTAINTYen
dc.subject1001 Agricultural Biotechnologyen
dc.titleA minimally managed switchgrass ecosystem in a humid subtropical climate is a source of carbon to the atmosphereen
dc.title.serialGlobal Change Biology Bioenergyen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.otherArticleen
dc.type.otherEarly Accessen
dc.type.otherJournalen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Techen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Natural Resources & Environmenten
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Natural Resources & Environment/Forest Resources and Environmental Conservationen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/University Research Institutesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/University Research Institutes/Fralin Life Sciencesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/All T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Natural Resources & Environment/CNRE T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/University Research Institutes/Fralin Life Sciences/Durelle Scotten

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