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Ecosystems can be grouped into biomes, which reflect natural geographic differences in
soils and climate, and consequently different vegetation types (Woodward
et al.
2004).
These biomes differ greatly in their capacity to assimilate and store carbon (De Deyn
et
al.
2008). In addition to the balance between carbon gains through growth and losses
through respiration, ecosystem carbon balance is also regulated by several other factors
including fire, herbivores, erosion and leaching. This section looks at carbon stores and
capacity in each biome as well as at peatlands, coasts and oceans and examines the effects
that human activities have on those biomes and their role in the carbon cycle.
CARBON MANAGEMENT IN
NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS