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Forests
Volume 9
Issue 1
10.3390/f9010037
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Article

Tree Stress and Mortality from Emerald Ash Borer Does Not Systematically Alter Short-Term Soil Carbon Flux in a Mixed Northeastern U.S. Forest

by
Jaclyn Hatala Matthes
1,*,
Ashley K. Lang
2,
Fiona V. Jevon
2 and
Sarah J. Russell
1
1
Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02481, USA
2
Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College St., Hanover, NH 03755, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Forests 2018, 9(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/f9010037
Received: 22 December 2017 / Revised: 11 January 2018 / Accepted: 13 January 2018 / Published: 16 January 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Understanding and Managing Emerald Ash Borer Impacts on Ash Forests)
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Abstract

Invasive insect pests are a common disturbance in temperate forests, but their effects on belowground processes in these ecosystems are poorly understood. This study examined how aboveground disturbance might impact short-term soil carbon flux in a forest impacted by emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) in central New Hampshire, USA. We anticipated changes to soil moisture and temperature resulting from tree mortality caused by emerald ash borer, with subsequent effects on rates of soil respiration and methane oxidation. We measured carbon dioxide emissions and methane uptake beneath trees before, during, and after infestation by emerald ash borer. In our study, emerald ash borer damage to nearby trees did not alter soil microclimate nor soil carbon fluxes. While surprising, the lack of change in soil microclimate conditions may have been a result of the sandy, well-drained soil in our study area and the diffuse spatial distribution of canopy ash trees and subsequent canopy light gaps after tree mortality. Overall, our results indicate that short-term changes in soil carbon flux following insect disturbances may be minimal, particularly in forests with well-drained soils and a mixed-species canopy. View Full-Text
Keywords: emerald ash borer; forest disturbance; Fraxinus; soil respiration; methane oxidation emerald ash borer; forest disturbance; Fraxinus; soil respiration; methane oxidation
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MDPI and ACS Style

Matthes, J.H.; Lang, A.K.; Jevon, F.V.; Russell, S.J. Tree Stress and Mortality from Emerald Ash Borer Does Not Systematically Alter Short-Term Soil Carbon Flux in a Mixed Northeastern U.S. Forest. Forests 2018, 9, 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/f9010037

AMA Style

Matthes JH, Lang AK, Jevon FV, Russell SJ. Tree Stress and Mortality from Emerald Ash Borer Does Not Systematically Alter Short-Term Soil Carbon Flux in a Mixed Northeastern U.S. Forest. Forests. 2018; 9(1):37. https://doi.org/10.3390/f9010037

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matthes, Jaclyn H., Ashley K. Lang, Fiona V. Jevon, and Sarah J. Russell. 2018. "Tree Stress and Mortality from Emerald Ash Borer Does Not Systematically Alter Short-Term Soil Carbon Flux in a Mixed Northeastern U.S. Forest" Forests 9, no. 1: 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/f9010037

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