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The effects of management and plant diversity on carbon storage in coffee agroforestry systems in Costa Rica

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Abstract

Agroforestry systems can mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, conserve biodiversity and generate income. Whereas the provision of ecosystem services by agroforestry is well documented, the functional relationships between species composition, diversity and carbon (C)-storage remain uncertain. This study aimed to analyze the effects of management (conventional vs. organic), woody plant diversity and plant composition on aboveground and belowground C-storage in coffee agroforestry systems. It was expected that organic farms would store more C, and that an increase in plant diversity would enhance C-storage due to complementarity effects. Additionally, it was expected that steep slopes decrease C-storage as a result of topsoil erosion. Woody plants were identified on 1 ha plots within 14 coffee farms (7 conventional and 7 organic). C-stocks in trees, coffee plants and roots were estimated from allometric equations. C-stocks in litter and topsoil (0–25 cm) were estimated by sampling. On average, farms stored 93 ± 29 Mg C ha−1. Soil organic carbon accounted for 69 % of total C. Total C-stocks were 43 % higher on organic farms than on conventional farms (P < 0.05). Conventional and organic farms differed in vegetation structure, but not in species diversity. It was found that the combined effect of farm type, species richness, species composition and slope explained 83 % of the variation in total C-storage across all farms (P < 0.001). Coffee agroforestry in general and organic farms in particular may contribute to GHG mitigation and biodiversity conservation in a synergistic manner which has implications for the effective allocation of resources for conservation and climate change mitigation strategies in the agricultural sector.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank CoopeAtenas and APROCAFE for their friendly cooperation throughout this study. I am very grateful for the advice on data analysis from Gerardo Avalos. John DeLeo provided technical support for locating and mapping the study plots. The following SFS students collaborated in data collection and laboratory work: Abby Conroy, Rose Mankiewicz, Matt Tannenbaum, Jesi Felton, Jeff Desmarais, Lizzie Fox, Jeremy Weyl, Shannon Zaret, Dan Silvia, Brian Waterman, Alyssa Inman, Carolyn Chu, Chris Wagner, Patrick Boleman, Brian Gaulzetti, Chamae Monroe, Eddie Miller, Kalyn Campbell, Tessa Sanchez, Angela Marshall, Abby Beissinger, Elena Neibaur, Jacqueline Ford, Jeremy Thweatt, Elizabeth Friedrich, Marta Behling, Sheila Jarnes, Thomas Beneke, Anjel Carbajal, Anna Farb, Eunice Ko, Jennifer Burns, Julia VanderWoude, Elizabeth Keeffe, Matthew Gibbs, Rachael Wright, Romina Clemente, Beatriz Luraschi, Alexandra Beskrowni, Sarah Cafran, Daniel Grover, Miriam Gunderson, Samantha John, Erin Johnson, Caitlin Kirk, Pin Pravalprukskul and Radost Stanimirova. I am especially grateful for the invaluable assistance in the field from Mark Bennet. Rafael Acuña helped with plant identification at the University of Costa Rica. I would further like to thank Gerardo Avalos, Kate Henderson and three anonymous reviewers for their comments on the manuscript. Ana Contessa helped with the farmer interviews. I gratefully acknowledge the key financial and logistical support provided by the School for Field Studies (SFS) Center for Sustainable Development Studies in Atenas, Costa Rica.

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    Achim Häger

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Häger, A. The effects of management and plant diversity on carbon storage in coffee agroforestry systems in Costa Rica. Agroforest Syst 86, 159–174 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-012-9545-1

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