Relationship of physiological plant functional traits with soil carbon stock in the temperate forest of Garhwal Himalaya

Abstract

The composition of species can play an essential role in reducing the atmospheric carbon dioxide. Forest trees are an important part of the functioning of the terrestrial ecosystem, predominantly in the cycling of carbon. However, tree physiology is much less studied than crop physiology for several reasons: a large number of species, difficulty in measuring photosynthesis of tall trees or forest species. This study aims to establish the relationship between physiological plant functional traits (photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid content) with soil carbon stock in Pinus rox-burghii forest of Garhwal Himalaya. The present findings revealed that photosynthesis rate, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid content positively correlated to the soil carbon stock. The different regression models also showed that photosynthesis rate with water-use efficiency, stomatal conductance and carotenoid content is a good predictor of soil carbon stock in Pinus roxburghii forest. Physiological plant functional characteristics are thus crucial for regulating the carbon cycle and ecosystem functioning in Garh-wal Himalaya.