ABSTRACT
Carbon turnover is one of the major biogeochemical cycles on our planet. The carbon cycle determines the performance of many principal environmental functions and ecosystem services, including soil fertility, biodiversity, and climate change (Kudeyarov et al., 2007; FAO, 2013; IPCC, 2013). The largest pool of actively cycling carbon in terrestrial ecosystems is found in the soil that contains about 1500-2000 Pg C in various forms (Swift, 2001; Janzen, 2004). Carbon sequestration is therefore a widely accepted soil function (Blum, 2005; MEA, 2005). Soils are major carbon sinks, but they also have the potential to emit carbon to the atmosphere through carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) effluxes (Houghton, 2003; Chapin et al., 2009; Levy et al., 2012). The storage of soil carbon as well as effluxes are influenced by a wide range of different bioclimatic conditions and land use.
