Indirect partitioning of soil respiration in a series of evergreen forest ecosystems

A simple estimation of heterotrophic respiration can be obtained analytically as the y-intercept of the linear regression between soil-surface CO₂ efflux and root biomass. In the present study, a development of this indirect methodology is presented by taking into consideration both the temporal variation and the spatial heterogeneity of heterotrophic respiration. For this purpose, soil CO₂ efflux, soil carbon content and main stand characteristics were estimated in seven evergreen forest ecosystems along an elevation gradient ranging from 250 to 1740 m. For each site and for each sampling date the measured soil CO₂ efflux (R _S) was predicted with the model R _S = a × S _C + b × R _D ± ε, where S _C is soil carbon content per unit area to a depth of 30 cm and R _D is the root density of the 2–5 mm root class. Regressions with statistically significant a and b coefficients allowed the indirect separation of the two components of soil CO₂ efflux. Considering that the different sampling dates were characterized by different soil temperature, it was possible to investigate the temporal and thermal dependency of autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration. It was estimated that annual autotrophic respiration accounts for 16–58% of total soil CO₂ efflux in the seven different evergreen ecosystems. In addition, our observations show a decrease of annual autotrophic respiration at increasing availability of soil nitrogen. Section Editor: A. Hodge     

Management intensification effects on autotrophic and heterotrophic soil respiration in subtropical grasslands

Sustainable management of grassland ecosystems for improved productivity can enhance their potential to sequester atmospheric CO₂ in the soil. However, land-use management influences the quantity and quality of carbon (C) inputs which may, in turn, affect microbial activity and soil C decomposition rates. Understanding the potential changes in magnitude of soil C loss through respiration is critical for a comprehensive assessment of land-use conversion and grassland management impacts on terrestrial C dynamics. Thus, this study was designed to assess the effect of land-use management intensification on soil respiration in subtropical grasslands. Experimental sites consisted of a gradient of management intensities ranging from native rangeland (lowest), silvopasture (intermediate), to sown pasture (highest). Increasing management intensity from native rangeland to sown pasture elevated soil respiration. There was a significant effect of ‘season vs. management’ interaction on total soil respiration (R_S), with greater increases in R_S from summer to winter in sown pasture (∼200%) compared to native rangeland and silvopasture (∼91%). The temperature sensitivity of R_S and heterotrophic soil respiration (R_H) increased with management intensification, with a highest Q₁₀ of 1.55 and 2.29, in sown pasture, compared to Q₁₀ values of 1.09 and 1.48 in native rangelands. These results suggested that potential increases in soil C stock with intensification may be susceptible to faster turnover under warming climate scenarios. Improved resilience (and longer residence) of additionally sequestered soil C after intensification may be crucial for long-term ecological resilience, especially with changing climatic conditions. These findings are relevant for sustainable grassland management, especially within subtropical ecoregions, and add to the understanding of changes that may occur in rates of soil C losses as native grasslands are converted to more productive grassland ecosystems.     

Responses of Soil,Heterotrophic, and Autotrophic Respiration to Experimental Open-Field Soil Warming in a Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest

How global warming will affect soil respiration (R _S) and its source components is poorly understood despite its importance for accurate prediction of global carbon (C) cycles. We examined the responses of R _S, heterotrophic respiration (R _H), autotrophic respiration (R _A), nitrogen (N) availability, and fine-root biomass to increased temperature in an open-field soil warming experiment. The experiment was conducted in a cool-temperate deciduous forest ecosystem in northern Japan. As this forest is subjected to strong temporal variation in temperature, on scales ranging from daily to seasonal, we also investigated the temporal variation in the effects of soil warming on R _S, R _H, and R _A. Soil temperature was continuously elevated by about 4.0°C from 2007 to 2014 using heating wires buried in the soil, and we measured soil respiratory processes in all four seasons from 2012 to 2014. Soil warming increased annual R _S by 32–45%, but the magnitude of the increase was different between the components: R _H and R _A were also stimulated, and increased by 39–41 and 17–18%, respectively. Soil N availability during the growing season and fine-root biomass were not remarkably affected by the warming treatment. We found that the warming effects varied seasonally. R _H increased significantly throughout the year, but the warming effect showed remarkable seasonal differences, with the maximum stimulation in the spring. This suggests that warmer spring temperature will produce a greater increase in CO₂ release than warmer summer temperatures. In addition, we found that soil warming reduced the temperature sensitivity (Q ₁₀) of R _S. Although the Q ₁₀ of both R _H and R _A tended to be reduced, the decrease in the Q ₁₀ of R _S was caused mainly by a decrease in the response of R _A to warming. These long-term results indicate that a balance between the rapid and large response of soil microbes and the acclimation of plant roots both play important roles in determining the response of R _S to soil warming, and must be carefully considered to predict the responses of soil C dynamics under future temperature conditions.     

Precipitation variability does not affect soil respiration and nitrogen dynamics in the understorey of a Mediterranean oak woodland

Background and aims

Future climate scenarios for the Mediterranean imply increasing precipitation variability. This study presents a large-scale water manipulation experiment simulating changes in precipitation variability, aiming at a better understanding of the effects of rainfall patterns on soil C and N cycling and understorey productivity in a Mediterranean oak woodland.

Methods

We used rain-out shelters to achieve (1) a normal dry period (7 days), and (2) a dry period increased three-fold (21 days), without altering total annual precipitation inputs.

Results

The temporal patterns of soil respiration (R _s) and soil inorganic N were not affected by treatment. However, water infiltration and N leaching increased with large infrequent watering events. R _s and soil NH₄ ⁺-N correlated with soil temperature, with soil NO₃ ^?-N being influenced by leaching.

Conclusions

The lack of significant treatment effects on either R _s or soil inorganic N can be explained by (1) minor differences in plant productivity between the treatments, suggesting equal plant N demand, and (2) the absence of moisture dependence of R _s and soil NH₄ ⁺-N. Increased N leaching with large infrequent precipitation events may have longer-term consequences for ecosystem functioning. Our results contribute to an improved understanding of possible climate change effects on key ecosystem processes in Mediterranean ecosystems.     

Effects of Forest Age on Soil Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Respiration Differ between Evergreen and Deciduous Forests

We examined the effects of forest stand age on soil respiration (SR) including the heterotrophic respiration (HR) and autotrophic respiration (AR) of two forest types. We measured soil respiration and partitioned the HR and AR components across three age classes ∼15, ∼25, and ∼35-year-old Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica (Mongolia pine) and Larix principis-rupprechtii (larch) in a forest-steppe ecotone, northern China (June 2006 to October 2009). We analyzed the relationship between seasonal dynamics of SR, HR, AR and soil temperature (ST), soil water content (SWC) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, a plant greenness and net primary productivity indicator). Our results showed that ST and SWC were driving factors for the seasonal dynamics of SR rather than plant greenness, irrespective of stand age and forest type. For ∼15-year-old stands, the seasonal dynamics of both AR and HR were dependent on ST. Higher Q₁₀ of HR compared with AR occurred in larch. However, in Mongolia pine a similar Q₁₀ occurred between HR and AR. With stand age, Q₁₀ of both HR and AR increased in larch. For Mongolia pine, Q₁₀ of HR increased with stand age, but AR showed no significant relationship with ST. As stand age increased, HR was correlated with SWC in Mongolia pine, but for larch AR correlated with SWC. The dependence of AR on NDVI occurred in ∼35-year-old Mongolia pine. Our study demonstrated the importance of separating autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration components of SR when stimulating the response of soil carbon efflux to environmental changes. When estimating the response of autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration to environmental changes, the effect of forest type on age-related trends is required.     

Soil carbon stocks and fluxes in a warm-temperate oak chronosequence in China

Soil respiration (R_S) and soil carbon stocks, as well as stand properties were investigated in a warm-temperate oak chronosequence in order to understand the age effect on soil CO₂ efflux. The chronosequence consisted of three 40-year-old, 48-year-old, 80-year-old, and 143-year-old oak stands, respectively. R_S measurements were conducted using a Li-8100 soil CO₂ flux system from October 2008 to October 2009. Temporal variations of R_S of all the four forests largely depended on soil temperature of 5 cm depth (T₅) (R²?=?0.738?C0.825). The mean R_S for 40-year-old, 48-year-old, 80-year-old, and 143-year-old forests were 2.37, 2.59, 2.99, and 3.32 ??mol CO₂ m^-2 s^-1 respectively. Both top soil organic carbon (SOC) and light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) stocks were significantly correlated to R_S variation, while only significant different LFOC among stands was found. This indicated that cumulated labile organic carbon was a better indicator on R_S variation, which was further illustrated by a better relationship between R ₁₀ and LFOC than that of R₁₀ and SOC. We found that the variation of mean R_S among stands was well correlated with basal area (BA). Marginal correlation between R_S and fine root biomass (FR) demonstrated the relationship between R_S and belowground metabolism. We also found total porosity (TP) negatively influenced the mean R_S and this negative effect may mainly be attributed to the capillary porosity (CP). Forest growth and yield could be contributed to R_S variation among stands. Forest succession also changed soil labile carbon stock and soil physical properties that influenced the CO₂ efflux.     

Annual variation in soil respiration and its component parts in two structurally contrasting woody savannas in Central Brazil

Background and aims

Due to the high spatial and temporal variation in soil CO₂ efflux, terrestrial carbon budgets rely on a detailed understanding of the drivers of soil respiration from a diverse range of ecosystems and climate zones. In this study we aim to evaluate the independent influence of vegetation structure and climate on soil CO₂ efflux within cerrado ecosystems.

Methods

We examine the seasonal and diel variation of soil CO₂ efflux, including its autotrophic and heterotrophic components, within two adjacent and structurally contrasting woody savannas in central Brazil.

Principle results

We found no significant difference in the annual soil CO₂ efflux between the two stands (p?=?0.53) despite a clear disparity in both LAI (p?<?0.01) and leaf litterfall (p?<?0.01). The mean annual loss of carbon from the soil was 17.32(±1.48) Mg C?ha^?1 of which approximately 63% was accounted for by autotrophic respiration. The relative contribution of autotrophic respiration varied seasonally between 55% in the wet season to 79% of the total soil CO₂ efflux in the dry season. Furthermore, seasonal fluctuations of all the soil respiration components were strongly correlated with soil moisture (R ²?=?0.79–0.90, p?<?0.01).

Conclusions

Across these two structurally distinct cerrado stands, seasonal variations in rainfall, was the main driver of soil CO₂ efflux and its components. Consequently, soil respiration within these ecosystems is likely to be highly sensitive to any changes in seasonal precipitation patterns.     

Thawing permafrost increases old soil and autotrophic respiration in tundra: Partitioning ecosystem respiration using δ13C and ∆14C

Ecosystem respiration (R_eco) is one of the largest terrestrial carbon (C) fluxes. The effect of climate change on R_eco depends on the responses of its autotrophic and heterotrophic components. How autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration sources respond to climate change is especially important in ecosystems underlain by permafrost. Permafrost ecosystems contain vast stores of soil C (1672 Pg) and are located in northern latitudes where climate change is accelerated. Warming will cause a positive feedback to climate change if heterotrophic respiration increases without corresponding increases in primary production. We quantified the response of autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration to permafrost thaw across the 2008 and 2009 growing seasons. We partitioned R_eco using Δ¹⁴C and δ¹³C into four sources–two autotrophic (above – and belowground plant structures) and two heterotrophic (young and old soil). We sampled the Δ¹⁴C and δ¹³C of sources using incubations and the Δ¹⁴C and δ¹³C of R_eco using field measurements. We then used a Bayesian mixing model to solve for the most likely contributions of each source to R_eco. Autotrophic respiration ranged from 40 to 70% of R_eco and was greatest at the height of the growing season. Old soil heterotrophic respiration ranged from 6 to 18% of R_eco and was greatest where permafrost thaw was deepest. Overall, growing season fluxes of autotrophic and old soil heterotrophic respiration increased as permafrost thaw deepened. Areas with greater thaw also had the greatest primary production. Warming in permafrost ecosystems therefore leads to increased plant and old soil respiration that is initially compensated by increased net primary productivity. However, barring large shifts in plant community composition, future increases in old soil respiration will likely outpace productivity, resulting in a positive feedback to climate change.     

Soil respiration in six temperate forests in China

Scaling soil respiration (R_S), the major CO₂ source to the atmosphere from terrestrial ecosystems, from chamber‐based measurements to ecosystems requires studies on variations and correlations of R_S from various biomes and across geographic regions. However, few studies on R_S are available for Chinese temperate forest despite the importance of this forest in the national and global carbon budgets. In this study, we conducted 18‐month R_S measurements during 2004–2005 in six temperate forest types, representing the typical secondary forest ecosystems across various site conditions in northeastern China: Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica Fisch.), aspen‐birch (Populous davidiana Dode and Betula platyphylla Suk.), mixed deciduous (no dominant tree species), hardwood (dominated by Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr., Juglans mandshurica Maxim., and Phellodendron amurense Rupr.) forests, Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc.) and Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii Rupr.) plantations. Our specific objectives were to: (1) explore relationships of R_S against soil temperature and water content for the six forest ecosystems, (2) quantify annual soil surface CO₂ flux and its relations to belowground carbon storage, (3) examine seasonal variations in R_S and related environmental factors, and (4) quantify among‐ and within‐ecosystem variations in R_S. The R_S was positively correlated to soil temperature in all forest types, and was significantly influenced by the interactions of soil temperature and water content in the pine, larch, and mixed deciduous forests. The sensitivity of R_S to soil temperature at 10 cm depth (Q₁₀) ranged from 2.61 in the oak forest to 3.75 in the aspen‐birch forests. The Q₁₀ tended to increase with soil water content until reaching a threshold, and then decline. The annual R_S for the larch, pine, hardwood, oak, mixed deciduous, and aspen‐birch forests averaged 403, 514, 781, 785, 786, and 813 g C m^?2 yr^?1, respectively. The annual R_S of the broadleaved forests was 72% greater than that of the coniferous forests. The annual R_S was positively correlated to soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration at O horizon (R²=0.868) and total biomass of roots <0.5 cm in diameter (R²=0.748). The coefficient of variation (CV) of R_S among forest types averaged 25% across the 18‐month measurements. The CV of R_S within plots varied from 20% to 27%, significantly (P<0.001) greater than those among plots (9–15%), indicating the importance of the fine‐scaled heterogeneity in R_S. This study emphasized that variations in soil respiration and potential sampling bias should be appropriately tackled for accurate soil CO₂ flux estimates.     

Soil CO2 efflux and soil carbon balance of a tropical rubber plantation

Natural rubber is a valuable source of income in many tropical countries and rubber trees are increasingly planted in tropical areas, where they contribute to land-use changes that impact the global carbon cycle. However, little is known about the carbon balance of these plantations. We studied the soil carbon balance of a 15-year-old rubber plantation in Thailand and we specifically explored the seasonal dynamic of soil CO₂ efflux (F _S) in relation to seasonal changes in soil water content (W _S) and soil temperature (T _S), assessed the partitioning of F _S between autotrophic (R _A) and heterotrophic (R _H) sources in a root trenching experiment and estimated the contribution of aboveground and belowground carbon inputs to the soil carbon budget. A multiplicative model combining both T _S and W _S explained 58 % of the seasonal variation of F _S. Annual soil CO₂ efflux averaged 1.88 kg C m^?2 year^?1 between May 2009 and April 2011 and R _A and R _H accounted for respectively 63 and 37 % of F _S, after corrections of F _S measured on trenched plots for root decomposition and for difference in soil water content. The 4-year average annual aboveground litterfall was 0.53 kg C m^?2 year^?1 while a conservative estimate of belowground carbon input into the soil was much lower (0.17 kg C m^?2 year^?1). Our results highlighted that belowground processes (root and rhizomicrobial respiration and the heterotrophic respiration related to belowground carbon input into the soil) have a larger contribution to soil CO₂ efflux (72 %) than aboveground litter decomposition.     

The dynamic response of soil respiration to land‐use changes in subtropical China

Assessing the impact of land‐use changes on soil respiration (R_S) is of vital significance to understand the interactions between belowground metabolism and regional carbon budgets. In this study, the monthly in situ R_S was examined between 09:00 and 12:00 hours over a 3‐year period within a representative land‐use sequence in the subtropical region of China. The land‐use sequence contained natural forest (control treatment), secondary forest, two plantations, citrus orchard and sloping tillage land. Results showed that the R_S exhibited a distinct seasonal pattern, and it was dominantly controlled by the soil temperature. After the land‐use conversion, the apparent temperature sensitivity of R_S (Q₁₀) was increased from 2.10 in natural forest to 2.71 in sloping tillage land except for an abnormal decrease to 1.66 in citrus orchard. Contrarily, the annual R_S was reduced by 32% following the conversion of natural forest to secondary forest, 46–48% to plantations, 63% to citrus orchard and 50% to sloping tillage land, with the average reduction of 48%. Such reduction of annual R_S could be explained by the decrease of topsoil organic carbon and light‐fraction organic carbon storages, live biomass of fine root (<2 mm) and annual litter input, which indirectly/directly correlated with plant productivity. Our results suggest that substrate availability (e.g., soil organic carbon and nutrients) and soil carbon input (e.g., fine root turnover and litterfall) through plant productivity may drive the R_S both in natural and managed ecosystems following strong disturbance events.     

How do soil microbes exert impact on soil respiration and its temperature sensitivity?

Understanding how soil microorganisms influence the direction and magnitude of soil carbon feedback to global warming is vital to predict future climate change. Although microbial activities are major contributors to soil respiration (R_S) and its temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀), the mechanisms underpinning microbial influence on R_S and Q₁₀ remain unclear. Coupling variation partitioning analysis (VPA), correlation analysis and multiple stepwise linear regression analysis, we illustrate that bacteria mainly affect R_S and its temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) by shifting bacterial community composition (denoted by principal coordinates analysis). We also found that soil water content (SWC) and available nutrient (AN) were the factor key to changing bacterial community composition (P < 0.05). Co-occurrence network demonstrated that Mod 0 ecological cluster composed of copiotrophic taxa groups was significantly associated with R_S and Q₁₀ (P < 0.01, R > 0.5), including Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Illuminating the mechanisms underpinning the influence of soil microbes on R_S and Q₁₀ values is fundamental to understanding mechanistic soil-climate carbon cycles.     

Constraining estimates of global soil respiration by quantifying sources of variability

Quantifying global soil respiration (R_SG) and its response to temperature change are critical for predicting the turnover of terrestrial carbon stocks and their feedbacks to climate change. Currently, estimates of R_SG range from 68 to 98 Pg C year^?1, causing considerable uncertainty in the global carbon budget. We argue the source of this variability lies in the upscaling assumptions regarding the model format, data timescales, and precipitation component. To quantify the variability and constrain R_SG, we developed R_SG models using Random Forest and exponential models, and used different timescales (daily, monthly, and annual) of soil respiration (R_S) and climate data to predict R_SG. From the resulting R_SG estimates (range = 66.62–100.72 Pg), we calculated variability associated with each assumption. Among model formats, using monthly R_S data rather than annual data decreased R_SG by 7.43–9.46 Pg; however, R_SG calculated from daily R_S data was only 1.83 Pg lower than the R_SG from monthly data. Using mean annual precipitation and temperature data instead of monthly data caused +4.84 and ?4.36 Pg C differences, respectively. If the timescale of R_S data is constant, R_SG estimated by the first‐order exponential (93.2 Pg) was greater than the Random Forest (78.76 Pg) or second‐order exponential (76.18 Pg) estimates. These results highlight the importance of variation at subannual timescales for upscaling to R_SG. The results indicated R_SG is lower than in recent papers and the current benchmark for land models (98 Pg C year^?1), and thus may change the predicted rates of terrestrial carbon turnover and the carbon to climate feedback as global temperatures rise.     

Arctic Soil Respiration: Effects of Climate and Vegetation Depend on Season

Arctic ecosystems are important in the context of global climate change because the most rapid rises in air temperature are expected at high northern latitudes during winter. The presence of extensive soil carbon reserves in the Arctic suggests that substantial feedbacks to CO₂-induced climate change could occur if warming alters carbon cycling belowground. Characterization of the controls on regional patterns of belowground CO₂ release through the annual cycle is an important step towards evaluating potential feedbacks from arctic ecosystems to climate change. In this study, we assess seasonal control over the influences by climate and vegetation-type on CO₂ efflux from belowground in the Alaskan tundra. Our results indicate that climate had strong effects on belowground CO₂ release in both seasons. By contrast, vegetation-type had little impact on CO₂ efflux from belowground in winter but was the principal control in summer. Together, these results demonstrate that seasonality is a critical factor regulating climate and vegetation-type effects on belowground CO₂ release, which should be included in regional models of net carbon balance in arctic ecosystems. Received 8 December 1998; accepted 2 April 1999.     

亚热带沟叶结缕草草坪土壤呼吸

随城市化进程加速,城市草坪生态系统释放CO2将对区域碳循环产生重要影响。采用LI-8100开路式土壤碳通量测量系统对亚热带沟叶结缕草草坪（Zoysia matrella）土壤呼吸进行为期1a的定位研究,结果表明：草坪土壤呼吸季节动态呈现为单峰曲线,全年土壤呼吸速率的变化范围在38.99—368.50 mg C?m-2?h-1之间,年通量为1684 g C?m-2?a-1。土壤温度、总生物量、以及二者的交互作用对土壤呼吸季节变化的解释程度接近,分别为89%、88%和90%,但仅二者的交互作用进入土壤呼吸的逐步回归方程,表明草坪土壤呼吸的季节变化主要受土壤温度与总生物量共同驱动。春末修剪草坪对土壤呼吸速率没有显著影响。在秋末无雨时期,浇水后1—2d土壤湿度对土壤呼吸的促进作用可掩盖同期降温的影响,使土壤呼吸速率显著升高。     

Differential effects of grazing,water, and nitrogen addition on soil respiration and its components in a meadow steppe

Background and aims

Understanding the influences of environmental variation and anthropogenic disturbance on soil respiration (R_S) is critical for accurate prediction of ecosystem C uptake and release. However, surprisingly, little is known about how soil respiration and its components respond to grazing in the context of global climate change (i.e., precipitation or nitrogen deposition increase).

Methods

We conducted a field manipulative grazing experiment with water and nitrogen addition treatments in a meadow grassland on the Songnen Plain, China, and assessed the combined influences of grazing and global change factors on R_S, autotrophic respiration (R_A), and heterotrophic respiration (R_H).

Results

Compared with the control plots, R_S, R_A and R_H all exhibited positive responses to water or nitrogen addition in the wet year, while a similar effect occurred only for R_H in the dry year. The responses of R_S to precipitation regimes were dominated by both frequency and amount. However, grazing significantly inhibited both soil respiration and its components in all subplots. Further analysis demonstrated that the plant root/shoot ratio, belowground biomass and microbial biomass played dominant roles in shaping these C exchange processes.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that changes in precipitation regimes, nitrogen deposition, and land utilization may significantly alter soil respiration and its component processes by affecting local carbon users (roots and soil microorganism) and carbon substrate supply in meadow steppe grasslands. The future soil carbon sequestration in the studied meadow steppe will be benefited more by the moderate grazing disturbance.

     

In Situ CO2 Efflux from Leaf Litter Layer Showed Large Temporal Variation Induced by Rapid Wetting and Drying Cycle

We performed continuous and manual in situ measurements of CO₂ efflux from the leaf litter layer (R _LL) and water content of the leaf litter layer (LWC) in conjunction with measurements of soil respiration (R _S) and soil water content (SWC) in a temperate forest; our objectives were to evaluate the response of R _LL to rainfall events and to assess temporal variation in its contribution to R _S. We measured R _LL in a treatment area from which all potential sources of CO₂ except for the leaf litter layer were removed. Capacitance sensors were used to measure LWC. R _LL increased immediately after wetting of the leaf litter layer; peak R _LL values were observed during or one day after rainfall events and were up to 8.6-fold larger than R _LL prior to rainfall. R _LL declined to pre-wetting levels within 2–4 day after rainfall events and corresponded to decreasing LWC, indicating that annual R _LL is strongly influenced by precipitation. Temporal variation in the observed contribution of R _LL to R _S varied from nearly zero to 51%. Continuous in situ measurements of LWC and CO₂ efflux from leaf litter only, combined with measurements of R _S, can provide robust data to clarify the response of R _LL to rainfall events and its contribution to total R _S.     

Pathways regulating decreased soil respiration with warming in a biocrust‐dominated dryland

A positive soil carbon (C)‐climate feedback is embedded into the climatic models of the IPCC. However, recent global syntheses indicate that the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration (R_S) in drylands, the largest biome on Earth, is actually lower in warmed than in control plots. Consequently, soil C losses with future warming are expected to be low compared with other biomes. Nevertheless, the empirical basis for these global extrapolations is still poor in drylands, due to the low number of field experiments testing the pathways behind the long‐term responses of soil respiration (R_S) to warming. Importantly, global drylands are covered with biocrusts (communities formed by bryophytes, lichens, cyanobacteria, fungi, and bacteria), and thus, R_S responses to warming may be driven by both autotrophic and heterotrophic pathways. Here, we evaluated the effects of 8‐year experimental warming on R_S, and the different pathways involved, in a biocrust‐dominated dryland in southern Spain. We also assessed the overall impacts on soil organic C (SOC) accumulation over time. Across the years and biocrust cover levels, warming reduced R_S by 0.30 μmol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 (95% CI = ?0.24 to 0.84), although the negative warming effects were only significant after 3 years of elevated temperatures in areas with low initial biocrust cover. We found support for different pathways regulating the warming‐induced reduction in R_S at areas with low (microbial thermal acclimation via reduced soil mass‐specific respiration and β‐glucosidase enzymatic activity) vs. high (microbial thermal acclimation jointly with a reduction in autotrophic respiration from decreased lichen cover) initial biocrust cover. Our 8‐year experimental study shows a reduction in soil respiration with warming and highlights that biocrusts should be explicitly included in modeling efforts aimed to quantify the soil C–climate feedback in drylands.     

积雪对祁连山亚高山草甸土壤呼吸速率的影响

草地作为陆地生态系统的重要组成部分,是分布最广的植被类型之一,全球草地面积约占陆地面积的1/4,土壤碳储量约占全球总碳储量的1/5,在气候变化和陆地生态系统的碳循环方面起着重要作用。我国各类天然草原面积近4亿hm~2,约占国土面积的41.7%,草地的总碳储量约占陆地生态系统总碳储量的16.7%,其中土壤层占93.1%,在碳储量中占有重要的地位。土壤呼吸是陆地生态系统碳循环的主要环节,其中草地土壤呼吸占陆地土壤呼吸量的5.6%,因此草地土壤碳库正成为草地生态系统研究的热点。祁连山草地资源丰富,亚高山草甸是祁连山自然保护区的基质景观。积雪作为冰冻圈的重要组成部分,对土壤温度和土壤水分具有调控作用,是影响土壤呼吸的重要因素,但是目前关于积雪对土壤呼吸的影响研究少见。研究区选择祁连山中部天涝池流域,利用LI-8100开路式土壤碳通量测定系统,探讨了土壤不同融化状态下积雪对祁连山亚高山草甸生态系统呼吸速率和土壤呼吸速率的影响,并分析了地表温度和土壤温度、地表空气相对湿度和土壤体积含水量对土壤呼吸的影响。结果表明:(1)雪覆盖降低了生态系统呼吸和土壤呼吸速率,但当日融化的积雪对次日生态系统呼吸有促进作用;(2)呼吸速率与土壤温度和地表温度呈显著指数关系(P0.01),与地表空气相对湿度呈线性相关关系。降雪后,全融土壤中呼吸速率与温度和地表空气相对湿度间的相关性好;(3)温度较高时,温度对呼吸速率的作用强;温度较低时,温度对呼吸速率的影响不大。     

Rhizospheric and heterotrophic components of soil respiration in six Chinese temperate forests

Partitioning soil respiration (R_S) into heterotrophic (R_H) and rhizospheric (R_R) components is an important step for understanding and modeling carbon cycling in forest ecosystems, but few studies on R_R and R_H exist in Chinese temperate forests. In this study, we used a trenching plot approach to partition R_S in six temperate forests in northeastern China. Our specific objectives were to (1) examine seasonal patterns of soil surface CO₂ fluxes from trenched (R_T) and untrenched plots (R_UT) of these forests; (2) quantify annual fluxes of R_S components and their relative contributions in the forest ecosystems; and (3) examine effects of plot trenching on measurements of R_S and related environmental factors. The R_T maximized in early growing season, but the difference between R_UT and R_T peaked in later summer. The annual fluxes of R_H and R_R varied with forest types. The estimated values of R_H for the Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc.), Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii Rupr.), aspen‐birch (Populous davidiana Dode and Betula platyphylla Suk.), hardwood (Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr., Juglans mandshurica Maxim. and Phellodendron amurense Rupr.), Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica Fisch.) and mixed deciduous (no dominant tree species) forests averaged 89, 196, 187, 245, 261 and 301 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively; those of R_R averaged 424, 209, 628, 538, 524 and 483 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, correspondingly; calculated contribution of R_R to R_S (RC) varied from 52% in the larch forest to 83% in the pine forest. The annual flux of R_R was strongly correlated to biomass of roots <0.5 cm in diameter, while that of R_H was weakly correlated to soil organic carbon concentration at A horizon. We concluded that vegetation type and associated carbon metabolisms of temperate forests should be considered in assessing and modeling R_S components. The significant impacts of changed soil physical environments and substrate availability by plot trenching should be appropriately tackled in analyzing and interpreting measurements of R_S components.