The DOI matches its Crossref record; 90 of the 90 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Animating the Carbon Cycle
Open accessAbstract
Understanding the biogeochemical processes regulating carbon cycling is central to mitigating atmospheric CO₂ emissions. The role of living organisms has been accounted for, but the focus has traditionally been on contributions of plants and microbes. We develop the case that fully “animating” the carbon cycle requires broader consideration of the functional role of animals in mediating biogeochemical processes and quantification of their effects on carbon storage and exchange among terrestrial and aquatic reservoirs and the atmosphere. To encourage more hypothesis-driven experimental research that quantifies animal effects we discuss the mechanisms by which animals may affect carbon exchanges and storage within and among ecosystems and the atmosphere. We illustrate how those mechanisms lead to multiplier effects whose magnitudes may rival those of more traditional carbon storage and exchange rate estimates currently used in the carbon budget. Many animal species are already directly managed. Thus improved quantitative understanding of their influence on carbon budgets may create opportunity for management and policy to identify and implement new options for mitigating CO₂ release at regional scales.
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“Nevertheless, the degree of precision and accuracy in our estimates are on par with estimates of other sources and fates of carbon in the global carbon budget (Schmitz et al. 2014) and therefore give reasonable approximations of the potential direction and order of magnitude of the impact that wolves may once have had on boreal forest and grassland carbon cycling (Fig. 1).”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Schmitz et al. 2014
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“Intact boreal forest currently covers 1.89 × 10 6 km 2 of North America (Schmitz et al. 2014).”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Schmitz et al. 2014
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“We linearly interpolated the reported soil respiration rates assuming moose densities that ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 moose/km 2 (mcInnes et al. 1992, Schmitz et al. 2014) to yield the estimates of soil respiration of 3.25 and 3.875 × 10 4 g C•km -2 •yr -1 with and without wolves, respectively.”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Schmitz et al. 2014
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“Assuming a conversion of 41 KJ/g C (see Appendix A in Supplemental material in Schmitz et al. 2014), this leads to moose respiration rates of 5.2 × 10 5 g C•km -2 •yr -2 with wolves and 8 × 10 5 g C•km -2 •yr -1 without wolves.”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Schmitz et al. 2014
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“Trees are comprised of approximately 50% carbon (Schmitz et al. 2014); thus, wolves indirectly increase the carbon uptake in NPP by 24.5-52.5 g C•m -2 •yr -1 in boreal forest.”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Schmitz et al. 2014
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Citations
Cites
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Self-citationSoil organic carbon pools in the northern circumpolar permafrost region
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Self-citation
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Self-citationManaging uncertainty in soil carbon feedbacks to climate change
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Self-citationMarine reserves can mitigate and promote adaptation to climate change
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Self-citationCTFS ‐Forest GEO : a worldwide network monitoring forests in an era of global change
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Metadata
- Authors
- Schmitz, O. J., Raymond, P. A., Estes, J. A., Kurz, W. A., Holtgrieve, G. W., Ritchie, M. E., Schindler, D. E., Spivak, A. C., Wilson, R. W., Bradford, M. A., Christensen, V., Deegan, L., Smetacek, V., Vanni, M. J., & Wilmers, C. C.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
- Canadian Forest Service (CA)
- University of Washington (US)
- Syracuse University (US)
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (US)
- University of Exeter (GB)
- Marine Biological Laboratory (US)
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE)
- Miami University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Schmitz, Oswald J.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Ecosystems
- Published
- 2013-09-19
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 344-359
- ISSN
- 1432-9840 (ISSN-L)
- 1435-0629
- OpenAlex
- W2007742376
- Cited by
- 236
- References
- 86
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 11
- FWCI
- 24.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Ecosystems (publishedVersion)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung (Alfred-Wegener-Institut) (acceptedVersion)
- Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (submittedVersion)
- Open Access Server of the Woods Hole Scientific Community (Woods Hole Scientific Community) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Yale University
- Directorate for Biological Sciences
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/F009364/1)
- Natural Environment Research Council (NE/H010041/1)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Ecology and biodiversity studies
- Keywords
- carbon cycle, carbon storage, carbon exchange, terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, atmospheric CO2, carbon balance, multiplier effect, animal management, climate change mitigation policy
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