The Effect of Restoration on Soil Organic Carbon in Californian Grasslands

Student Name: Kaitlyn Gee

UCD Department: Plant Sciences

UCD Mentor: Dr. Emillio Laca

The atmospheric carbon sequestration abilities of plants, and in specific of grasses, are important on a local and global scale. However, little is known about the difference in carbon sequestration rates of perennial and annual grasses. The goal of this study is to discover if and to what extent grassland restoration, which is commonly achieved by seeding native perennial grasses, increases carbon sequestration through the analysis of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Two sets of soil samples were taken, one set with samples from restored and nearby unrestored sites, and one with pairs of adjacent annual and perennial samples. The soils were processed and analyzed for carbon content in external laboratories. Statistical analysis using JMP revealed that the unrestored sites generally have higher amounts of SOC, although there is a positive relationship between perennial grasses and carbon presence. We conclude that the varying management practices and land use histories greatly shape SOC stocks in grasslands and that there is preliminary evidence that perennial grasses are more effective than annuals in storing carbon.