Assessment and current dynamics of nutrients with reference to nitrogen attributes in subalpine forests of Western Himalaya, India.

Nitrogen is an essential macronutrient necessary for a variety of physiological processes in plants, available in numerous fractions, each of which has direct relationship with the area's environmental circumstances since it causes the formation of these fractions. Seasonal and altitudinal variations in nitrogen concentration were found to have a significant impact. The soil of the western Himalaya is rich in a variety of nutrients, notably nitrogen, which was a current source of worry. The study was conducted in north western Himalaya, and different fractions of nitrogen, viz., available nitrogen, total nitrogen, ammonical nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen, were estimated with reference to different parameters. Annual retention potential was evaluated among various fractions, which yielded positive results, with Site 1 demonstrating the highest retention potential across all seasons. At various depths and seasons of the year, ammonical and nitrate nitrogen levels fluctuated. The findings revealed that the soil is rich in nitrogen fractions with variation directly related to changes in carbon dioxide concentration. Site 1 had the highest values of all the fractions and Site 4 the lowest, whereas the C/N ratio varied between sites. The study determined that nitrogen fractions were present in sufficient quantities and play an important role in the maintenance and growth of natural forests as well as in the reduction of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Soil carbon pool and dynamics of different fractions in subalpine temperate coniferous forests of Western Himalaya, India.

Natural forests have the ability to sequester atmospheric carbon for a long time and fix it into the soil through a variety of processes such as decomposition and root respiration. The changing environment of alpine forests alters the characteristics of soil carbon, causing it to be divided into several components. The current study looked at soil carbon fractions and how they changed over time, both annually and seasonally, at different depths and along an altitudinal gradient. Seasonal sampling was carried out at three depths, with standard procedures employed to estimate the results of soil carbon fractions. The results showed that the surface layer (10 cm) had the highest value of all soil qualities such as SOC, Fraction I, Fraction II, Fraction III, SOM and active pool of carbon than the subsurface (20 cm and 30 cm) layers with autumn dominating the seasons. Site 1 had the highest value and Site 4 lowest, indicating that altitudinal variance had a direct relationship with distinct soil fractions. On an annual basis, the corresponding soil carbon fraction variation was examined, revealing the maximum retention capability at 30 cm of depth. According to the findings, the soils of the Western Himalayas have a high potential for carbon sequestration and conversion into various fractions, with significant annual and seasonal change due to changing environmental conditions.

Dynamics of carbon storage and status of standing vegetation in temperate coniferous forest ecosystem of north western Himalaya India.

Natural ecosystems, which operate as a sink, play an important role in determining the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and have a large storage capacity, assisting in mitigation of problem that has a negative impact on the human population. Forests are one of the most important carbon sinks in the terrestrial ecosystem, with the best example being the Western Himalaya, where healthy and sustainable vegetation is prized. Standard methodology was adopted for assessing the different parameters of carbon related information to enumerate the status of carbon storage and its trend in sustaining the ecosystem of the area. The current research displays the annual increment and carbon dynamics in various vegetation components and levels. Trees, shrubs, and herbs help to fix atmospheric carbon in a variety of forms, including AGC, BGC, and TC. The concentration of carbon-fixing potential was measured on an annual and seasonal basis, with herbs having the highest mean annual increment, followed by shrubs and trees. Pinus wallichiana had the largest annual carbon stock change among trees, followed by Cedrus deodara, Picea smithiana, and Abies pindrow. P. wallichiana topped the increase percentage with 60.58%, followed by C. deodara 33.35%, P. smithiana 5.61%, and A. pindrow 0.45%. Litter was also investigated as a potential source of mitigation, with the best results observed during the autumn months. Natural coniferous forests provide a regulating ecological service in the region by maintaining carbon dioxide levels in the form of biomass, according to the study.