Mossy, flower-rich forest floors help trees store more carbon
Zhang Y, Zhang R, Chang SX, Chen HYH, Taylor AR
Soil Health
Next time you walk past a patch of ferns or moss under a tree canopy, know that a diverse ground layer is quietly boosting how much carbon the trees above are pulling out of the air.
Scientists looked at forests across Canada and found something surprising: the mix of low-growing plants on the forest floor, things like herbs and mosses, is tied to how much carbon the big trees overhead soak up and store. Forests with more types of these small plants saw their trees pack away 6 to 15% more carbon over a decade, and the effect was strongest in places that were warm, dry, or short on nitrogen. The soil itself didn't show this same boost, so the benefit seems to be specifically about helping trees grow and store carbon, not about the ground.
Key Findings
Herb and bryophyte (moss) species richness were positively linked to decadal tree carbon accumulation, with no such consistent link found for soil carbon.
Increasing herb species richness from minimum to median levels corresponded to a 15% increase in tree carbon accumulation; for bryophytes, the increase was 6%.
The positive effect of understory diversity on tree carbon was strongest at sites that were warmer, drier, and nitrogen-limited, based on analysis of Canada's National Forest Inventory database.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A forest's small plants, like mosses and wildflowers growing beneath the trees, do more than add beauty. Forests with richer herb and moss diversity on the ground store more carbon in their trees over time, especially in warm, dry, or nutrient-poor spots.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Understory diversity is positively associated with overstory carbon sequestration.
Forests are a major terrestrial carbon sink, and higher overstory diversity is often associated with greater carbon accrual in trees and soils. Yet the contribution of the understory vegetation, th...
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