and Firestone 2004). The effect of woody plant invasion on rhizosphere priming is
still unknown and could have a significant impact on C balance.
Acknowledgements This study summarises the work done in different research projects funded
by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Spain (Carbopas, REN2002-04300-C02-02;
VULCA, CGL2005-08133-CO3; GRACCIE Consolider Program, CSD2007-00067) and by the
European Commission (GHG-Europe project, FP7-ENV-2009-1, project No. 244122). J.G.P. and
P.C. are financially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, through
Juan de la Cierva and Ramón y Cajal contracts, respectively.
References
Améztegui A, Brotons L, Coll L (2010) Land-use changes as major drivers of mountain pine
(Pinus uncinata Ram.) expansion in the Pyrenees. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 19:632–641
Anthelme F, Villaret JC, Brun JJ (2007) Shrub encroachment in the Alps gives rise to the
convergence of sub-alpine communities on a regional scale. J Veg Sci 18:355–362
Badia D, Martí C, Sánchez JR, Fillat F, Aguirre J, Gómez D (2008) Influence of livestock soil
eutrophication on floral composition in the Pyrenees mountains. J Mt Sci 5:63–72
Balesdent J (1996) The significance of organic separates to carbon dynamics and its modelling in
some cultivated soils. Eur J Soil Sci 47:485–493
Baptist F, Yoccoz NG, Choler P (2010) Direct and indirect control by snow cover over
decomposition in alpine tundra along a snowmelt gradient. Plant Soil 328:397–410
Bardgett RD, Bowman WD, Kaufmann R, Schmidt SK (2005) A temporal approach to linking
aboveground and belowground ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 20:534–641
Baritz R, Seufert G, Montanarella L, Van Ranst E (2010) Carbon concentrations and stocks in
forest soils of Europe. For Ecol Manag 260:262–277
Bartolomé J, Lopez ZG, Broncano MJ, Plaixats J (2005) Grassland colonization by Erica scoparia
(L.) in the Montseny Biosphere Reserve (Spain) after land-use changes. Agr Ecosyst Environ
111:253–260
Bazot S, Mikola J, Nguyen C, Robin C (2005) Defoliation-induced changes in carbon allocation
and root soluble carbon concentration in field-grown Lolium perenne plants: do they affect
carbon availability, microbes and animal trophic groups in soil? Funt Ecol 19:886–896
Berninger F, Susiluoto S, Gianelle D, Bahn M, Wohlfahrt G, Sutton M, Garcia-Pausas J,
Gimeno C, Sanz MJ, Dore S, Rogiers N, Furger M, Eugster W, Balzarolo M, Sebastià MT,
Tenhunen J, Staszewski T, Cernusca A (2015) Management and site effects on carbon balances
of European mountain meadows and rangelands. Boreal Environ Res 20:748–760
Blankinship JC, Hart SC (2012) Consequences of manipulated snow cover on soil gaseous
emission and N retention in the growing season: a meta-analysis. Ecosphere 3, art 1
Budge K, Leifeld J, Hiltbrunner E, Fuhrer J (2011) Alpine grassland soils contain large proportion
of labile carbon but indicate long turnover times. Biogeosciences 8:1911–1923
Casals P, Garcia-Pausas J, Romanyà J, Camarero L, Sanz MJ, Sebastià MT (2004) Effects of
livestock management on carbon stocks and fluxes in grassland ecosystems in the Pyrenees. In:
Lüscher et al A (eds) in land use systems in grassland dominated regions, Grassland science in
Europe, vol 9. Swiss Grassland Society (AGFF), Zürich, pp 136–138
Casals P, Garcia-Pausas J, Montané F, Romanya J, Rovira P (2010) Root decomposition in grazed
and abandoned dry Mediterranean dehesa and mesic mountain grasslands estimated by
standard labelled roots. Agr Ecosyst Environ 139:759–765
Chen J, Zhuo X, Wang J, Hruska T, Shi W, Cao J, Zhang B, Xu G, Chen Y, Luo Y (2016) Grazing
exclusion reduced soil respiration but increased its temperature sensitivity in a Meadow
Grassland on the Tibetan Plateau. Ecol Evol 6:675–687
9 Are Soil Carbon Stocks in Mountain Grasslands …
225
still unknown and could have a significant impact on C balance.
Acknowledgements This study summarises the work done in different research projects funded
by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Spain (Carbopas, REN2002-04300-C02-02;
VULCA, CGL2005-08133-CO3; GRACCIE Consolider Program, CSD2007-00067) and by the
European Commission (GHG-Europe project, FP7-ENV-2009-1, project No. 244122). J.G.P. and
P.C. are financially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, through
Juan de la Cierva and Ramón y Cajal contracts, respectively.
References
Améztegui A, Brotons L, Coll L (2010) Land-use changes as major drivers of mountain pine
(Pinus uncinata Ram.) expansion in the Pyrenees. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 19:632–641
Anthelme F, Villaret JC, Brun JJ (2007) Shrub encroachment in the Alps gives rise to the
convergence of sub-alpine communities on a regional scale. J Veg Sci 18:355–362
Badia D, Martí C, Sánchez JR, Fillat F, Aguirre J, Gómez D (2008) Influence of livestock soil
eutrophication on floral composition in the Pyrenees mountains. J Mt Sci 5:63–72
Balesdent J (1996) The significance of organic separates to carbon dynamics and its modelling in
some cultivated soils. Eur J Soil Sci 47:485–493
Baptist F, Yoccoz NG, Choler P (2010) Direct and indirect control by snow cover over
decomposition in alpine tundra along a snowmelt gradient. Plant Soil 328:397–410
Bardgett RD, Bowman WD, Kaufmann R, Schmidt SK (2005) A temporal approach to linking
aboveground and belowground ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 20:534–641
Baritz R, Seufert G, Montanarella L, Van Ranst E (2010) Carbon concentrations and stocks in
forest soils of Europe. For Ecol Manag 260:262–277
Bartolomé J, Lopez ZG, Broncano MJ, Plaixats J (2005) Grassland colonization by Erica scoparia
(L.) in the Montseny Biosphere Reserve (Spain) after land-use changes. Agr Ecosyst Environ
111:253–260
Bazot S, Mikola J, Nguyen C, Robin C (2005) Defoliation-induced changes in carbon allocation
and root soluble carbon concentration in field-grown Lolium perenne plants: do they affect
carbon availability, microbes and animal trophic groups in soil? Funt Ecol 19:886–896
Berninger F, Susiluoto S, Gianelle D, Bahn M, Wohlfahrt G, Sutton M, Garcia-Pausas J,
Gimeno C, Sanz MJ, Dore S, Rogiers N, Furger M, Eugster W, Balzarolo M, Sebastià MT,
Tenhunen J, Staszewski T, Cernusca A (2015) Management and site effects on carbon balances
of European mountain meadows and rangelands. Boreal Environ Res 20:748–760
Blankinship JC, Hart SC (2012) Consequences of manipulated snow cover on soil gaseous
emission and N retention in the growing season: a meta-analysis. Ecosphere 3, art 1
Budge K, Leifeld J, Hiltbrunner E, Fuhrer J (2011) Alpine grassland soils contain large proportion
of labile carbon but indicate long turnover times. Biogeosciences 8:1911–1923
Casals P, Garcia-Pausas J, Romanyà J, Camarero L, Sanz MJ, Sebastià MT (2004) Effects of
livestock management on carbon stocks and fluxes in grassland ecosystems in the Pyrenees. In:
Lüscher et al A (eds) in land use systems in grassland dominated regions, Grassland science in
Europe, vol 9. Swiss Grassland Society (AGFF), Zürich, pp 136–138
Casals P, Garcia-Pausas J, Montané F, Romanya J, Rovira P (2010) Root decomposition in grazed
and abandoned dry Mediterranean dehesa and mesic mountain grasslands estimated by
standard labelled roots. Agr Ecosyst Environ 139:759–765
Chen J, Zhuo X, Wang J, Hruska T, Shi W, Cao J, Zhang B, Xu G, Chen Y, Luo Y (2016) Grazing
exclusion reduced soil respiration but increased its temperature sensitivity in a Meadow
Grassland on the Tibetan Plateau. Ecol Evol 6:675–687
9 Are Soil Carbon Stocks in Mountain Grasslands …
225