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。     

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.     

Effect of sand-stabilizing shrubs on soil respiration in a temperate desert

Aims

Explore how soil CO₂ efflux and its components change after moving sand dunes are stabilized with shrubs, and how abiotic factors affect those components at different scales.

Methods

Soil CO₂ efflux from a sand-stabilized area was compared to that from moving sand dunes in the Tengger Desert. To partition rhizosphere respiration (R_R) from soil basal respiration (R_B), a root-isolation plot was established.

Results

Compared to moving sand dunes, total soil respiration (R_T) in the sand-stabilized area increased 3.2 fold to 0.28?±?0.08 μmol CO₂ m^-2?s^-1, two thirds of which was from R_B. Shrub patchiness produced spatial variation in soil respiration, whereas temporal dynamics of soil respiration were affected mainly by soil water content. Shallow soil water content (0–20 cm) influenced R_T and R_B, whereas deep soil water content (30–210 cm) influenced R_R and the ratio R_R/R_T. During most of the year when soil water content was below field capacity, diurnal changes in soil respiration were partially decoupled from soil temperature but could be modeled using soil temperature and photosynthetic active radiation.

Conclusions

Sand-dune stabilization increased soil respiration, and increased R_B from biological soil crust and altered soil properties such as increased soil organic matter contributed more than increased R_R from increased shrubs.     

Temporal patterns of soil CO2 efflux in a temperate Korean Larch (Larix olgensis Herry.) plantation, Northeast China

There is little information available regarding seasonal and annual variations in soil CO₂ efflux from Korean Larch plantations, which are an important component of forests’ carbon balance in temperate China. In this study, the soil respiration rate (R _s), soil temperature (T ₁₀) and soil moisture (SM₁₀) at 10 cm depth were observed in a Korean Larch (Larix olgensis Herry.) plantation in Northeast China from 2008 to 2012. Mean R _s in growing season (GS) varied greatly, ranged from 2.32 ± 0.08 to 3.88 ± 0.09 μmol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 (mean ± SE) over the period of 2008–2012. In comparison with T-model, the increase of explained variability by applying both T ₁₀ and SM₁₀ to the T-M model is very small. It is indicated that R _s was controlled largely by T ₁₀ in the present study. By accounting for 22.2 and 17.7 % of the total soil CO₂ emissions in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012, respectively, the soil CO₂ efflux in dormant season (DS) was an essential component of the total soil CO₂ efflux. The Q ₁₀ value in the study period was always smaller for GS than DS, suggesting that soil carbon cycling may be more sensitive to the temperature changes at low than at high temperature range. These results indicated that climate changes may have great potential impacts on temperate Larch plantations in Northeast China, owing to soil carbon emissions of Larch plantation during the long period of DS being more sensitive to T ₁₀ than in GS, and played a significant role in the annual forest ecosystems carbon budget.     

Spatial and temporal effects of soil temperature and moisture and the relation to fine root density on root and soil respiration in a mature apple orchard

We identified the role of various soil parameters and root density as drivers of soil respiration (R_s) in an apple orchard, measured during different periods of the year and at a range of distances from trees, in plots with a different history of nutrient supply. R_s was measured in April, May, August and December and studied in relation to soil temperature and moisture, total soil C and N, as well as to fine root density and medium-, and large-sized root density and root N concentration. The study also aimed to partition R_s by applying the root regression technique. R_s ranged from 0.06 in December to 1.49 g CO₂ m^?2 h^?1 in August. Average soil temperature alone explained up to 71% of the annual variability of R_s, while soil water content was negatively correlated to R_s. Fertilization, soil C and N concentration and root N had negligible effects on R_s. Fine root density, but not medium- and large-sized root density, contributed to explaining part of the yearly variability of R_s and proved to be a good predictor in December, when the statistical significance of the regression made it possible to estimate the autotrophic component of R_s as being about 35% of total soil respiration.     

Site and temporal variation of soil respiration in European beech, Norway spruce, and Scots pine forests

Global warming and changes in rainfall amount and distribution may affect soil respiration as a major carbon flux between the biosphere and the atmosphere. The objectives of this study were to investigate the site to site and interannual variation in soil respiration of six temperate forest sites. Soil respiration was measured using closed chambers over 2 years under mature beech, spruce and pine stands at both Solling and Unterlüß, Germany, which have distinct climates and soils. Cumulative annual CO₂ fluxes varied from 4.9 to 5.4 Mg C ha^?1 yr^?1 at Solling with silty soils and from 4.0 to 5.9 Mg C ha^?1 yr^?1 at Unterlüß with sandy soils. With one exception soil respiration rates were not significantly different among the six forest sites (site to site variation) and between the years within the same forest site (interannual variation). Only the respiration rate in the spruce stand at Unterlüß was significant lower than the beech stand at Unterlüß in both years. Soil respiration rates of the sandy sites at Unterlüß were limited by soil moisture during the rather dry and warm summer 1999 while soil respiration at the silty Solling site tended to increase. We found a threshold of ?80 kPa at 10 cm depth below which soil respiration decreased with increasing drought. Subsequent wetting of sandy soils revealed high CO₂ effluxes in the stands at Unterlüß. However, dry periods were infrequent, and our results suggest that temporal variation in soil moisture generally had little effect on annual soil respiration rates. Soil temperature at 5 cm and 10 cm depth explained 83% of the temporal variation in soil respiration using the Arrhenius function. The correlations were weaker using temperature at 0 cm (r² = 0.63) and 2.5 cm depth (r² = 0.81). Mean Q₁₀ values for the range from 5 to 15 °C increased asymptotically with soil depth from 1.87 at 0 cm to 3.46 at 10 cm depth, indicating a large uncertainty in the prediction of the temperature dependency of soil respiration. Comparing the fitted Arrhenius curves for same tree species from Solling and Unterlüß revealed higher soil respiration rates for the stands at Solling than in the respective stands at Unterlüß at the same temperature. A significant positive correlation across all sites between predicted soil respiration rates at 10 °C and total phosphorus content and C‐to‐N ratio of the upper mineral soil indicate a possible effect of nutrients on soil respiration.     

Responses of soil respiration to soil management changes in an agropastoral ecotone in Inner Mongolia,China

Studying the responses of soil respiration (R_s) to soil management changes is critical for enhancing our understanding of the global carbon cycle and has practical implications for grassland management. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) quantify daily and seasonal patterns of R_s, (2) evaluate the influence of abiotic factors on R_s, and (3) detect the effects of soil management changes on R_s. We hypothesized that (1) most of daily and seasonal variation in R_s could be explained by soil temperature (T_s) and soil water content (S_w), (2) soil management changes could significantly affect R_s, and (3) soil management changes affected R_s via the significant change in abiotic and biotic factors. In situ R_s values were monitored in an agropastoral ecotone in Inner Mongolia, China, during the growing seasons in 2009 (August to October) and 2010 (May to October). The soil management changes sequences included free grazing grassland (FG), cropland (CL), grazing enclosure grassland (GE), and abandoned cultivated grassland (AC). During the growing season in 2010, cumulative R_s for FG, CL, GE, and AC averaged 265.97, 344.74, 236.70, and 226.42 gC m^?2 year^?1, respectively. The T_s and S_w significantly influenced R_s and explained 66%–86% of the variability in daily R_s. Monthly mean temperature and precipitation explained 78%–96% of the variability in monthly R_s. The results clearly showed that R_s was increased by 29% with the conversion of FG to CL and decreased by 35% and 11% with the conversion of CL to AC and FG to GE. The factors impacting the change in R_s under different soil management changes sequences varied. Our results confirm the tested hypotheses. The increase in Q₁₀ and litter biomass induced by conversion of FG to GE could lead to increased R_s if the climate warming. We suggest that after proper natural restoration period, grasslands should be utilized properly to decrease 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.     

Impact of rainfall manipulations and biotic controls on soil respiration in Mediterranean and desert ecosystems along an aridity gradient

Spatially heterogeneous ecosystems form a majority of land types in the vast drylands of the globe. To evaluate climate‐change effects on CO₂ fluxes in such ecosystems, it is critical to understand the relative responses of each ecosystem component (microsite). We investigated soil respiration (R_s) at four sites along an aridity gradient (90–780 mm mean annual precipitation, MAP) during almost 2 years. In addition, R_s was measured in rainfall manipulations plots at the two central sites where ～30% droughting and ～30% water supplementation treatments were used over 5 years. Annual R_s was higher by 23% under shrub canopies compared with herbaceous gaps between shrubs, but R_s at both microsites responded similarly to rainfall reduction. Decreasing precipitation and soil water content along the aridity gradient and across rainfall manipulations resulted in a progressive decline in R_s at both microsites, i.e. the drier the conditions, the larger was the effect of reduction in water availability on R_s. Annual R_s on the ecosystem scale decreased at a slope of 256/MAP g C m^?2 yr^?1 mm^?1 (r²=0.97). The reduction in R_s amounted to 77% along the aridity gradient and to 16% across rainfall manipulations. Soil organic carbon (SOC) decreased with declining precipitation, and variation in SOC stocks explained 77% of the variation in annual R_s across sites, rainfall manipulations and microsites. This study shows that rainfall manipulations over several years are a useful tool for experimentally predicting climate‐change effects on CO₂ fluxes for time scales (such as approximated by aridity gradients) that are beyond common research periods. Rainfall reduction decreases rates of R_s not only by lowering biological activity, but also by drastically reducing shrub cover. We postulate that future climate change in heterogeneous ecosystems, such as Mediterranean and deserts shrublands will have a major impact on R_s by feedbacks through changes in vegetation structure.     

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。     

内蒙古农牧交错区不同土地利用方式下土壤呼吸速率及其温度敏感性变化

2009年8-10月, 采用动态气室法观测了内蒙古农牧交错区多伦县农田、弃耕和围封3种土地利用方式下, 土壤呼吸速率从6:00到18:00的变化规律, 分析了不同深度的土壤温度与土壤含水量对土壤呼吸速率的控制作用。结果表明, 空间尺度上, 不同土地利用方式的土壤呼吸速率由高到低依次为: 农田>弃耕>围封; 时间尺度上, 土壤呼吸速率在6:00-18:00的变化趋势为单峰曲线, 在12:00-15:00达到峰值, 随后降低, 在18:00基本恢复到6:00左右的呼吸水平, 同时, 土壤呼吸速率在9、10月显著降低。利用Van’t Hoff指数模型研究不同深度土壤温度对土壤呼吸速率的影响发现, 10-15 cm深度的土壤温度对土壤呼吸速率的影响最为显著, 其中, 土壤呼吸温度敏感性由高到低分别为: 农田>围封>弃耕。相反, 由于8-10月土壤含水量变化较小, 故土壤含水量与土壤呼吸速率间的相关性不显著, 土壤含水量不能解释该时段土壤呼吸速率的变化。     

Impacts of fire on sources of soil CO2 efflux in a dry Amazon rain forest

Fire at the dry southern margin of the Amazon rainforest could have major consequences for regional soil carbon (C) storage and ecosystem carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, but relatively little information exists about impacts of fire on soil C cycling within this sensitive ecotone. We measured CO₂ effluxes from different soil components (ground surface litter, roots, mycorrhizae, soil organic matter) at a large‐scale burn experiment designed to simulate a severe but realistic potential future scenario for the region (Fire plot) in Mato Grosso, Brazil, over 1 year, and compared these measurements to replicated data from a nearby, unmodified Control plot. After four burns over 5 years, soil CO₂ efflux (R_s) was ~5.5 t C ha^?1 year^?1 lower on the Fire plot compared to the Control. Most of the Fire plot R_s reduction was specifically due to lower ground surface litter and root respiration. Mycorrhizal respiration on both plots was around ~20% of R_s. Soil surface temperature appeared to be more important than moisture as a driver of seasonal patterns in R_s at the site. Regular fire events decreased the seasonality of R_s at the study site, due to apparent differences in environmental sensitivities among biotic and abiotic soil components. These findings may contribute toward improved predictions of the amount and temporal pattern of C emissions across the large areas of tropical forest facing increasing fire disturbances associated with climate change and human activities.     

Annual variation in soil respiration and its components in a coppice oak forest in Central Italy

In order to investigate the annual variation of soil respiration and its components in relation to seasonal changes in soil temperature and soil moisture in a Mediterranean mixed oak forest ecosystem, we set up a series of experimental treatments in May 1999 where litter (no litter), roots (no roots, by trenching) or both were excluded from plots of 4 m². Subsequently, we measured soil respiration, soil temperature and soil moisture in each plot over a year after the forest was coppiced. The treatments did not significantly affect soil temperature or soil moisture measured over 0–10 cm depth. Soil respiration varied markedly during the year with high rates in spring and autumn and low rates in summer, coinciding with summer drought, and in winter, with the lowest temperatures. Very high respiration rates, however, were observed during the summer immediately after rainfall events. The mean annual rate of soil respiration was 2.9 µ mol m^?2 s^?1, ranging from 1.35 to 7.03 µmol m^?2 s^?1. Soil respiration was highly correlated with temperature during winter and during spring and autumn whenever volumetric soil water content was above 20%. Below this threshold value, there was no correlation between soil respiration and soil temperature, but soil moisture was a good predictor of soil respiration. A simple empirical model that predicted soil respiration during the year, using both soil temperature and soil moisture accounted for more than 91% of the observed annual variation in soil respiration. All the components of soil respiration followed a similar seasonal trend and were affected by summer drought. The Q₁₀ value for soil respiration was 2.32, which is in agreement with other studies in forest ecosystems. However, we found a Q₁₀ value for root respiration of 2.20, which is lower than recent values reported for forest sites. The fact that the seasonal variation in root growth with temperature in Mediterranean ecosystems differs from that in temperate regions may explain this difference. In temperate regions, increases in size of root populations during the growing season, coinciding with high temperatures, may yield higher apparent Q₁₀ values than in Mediterranean regions where root growth is suppressed by summer drought. The decomposition of organic matter and belowground litter were the major components of soil respiration, accounting for almost 55% of the total soil respiration flux. This proportion is higher than has been reported for mature boreal and temperate forest and is probably the result of a short‐term C loss following recent logging at the site. The relationship proposed for soil respiration with soil temperature and soil moisture is useful for understanding and predicting potential changes in Mediterranean forest ecosystems in response to forest management and climate change.     

Estimates of soil respiration and net primary production of three forests at different succession stages in South China

Soil respiration (heterotropic and autotropic respiration, R_g) and aboveground litter fall carbon were measured at three forests at different succession (early, middle and advanced) stages in Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, Southern China. It was found that the soil respiration increases exponentially with soil temperature at 5 cm depth (T_s) according to the relation R_g=a exp(bT_s), and the more advanced forest community during succession has a higher value of a because of higher litter carbon input than the forests at early or middle succession stages. It was also found that the monthly soil respiration is linearly correlated with the aboveground litter carbon input of the previous month. Using measurements of aboveground litter and soil respiration, the net primary productions (NPPs) of three forests were estimated using nonlinear inversion. They are 475, 678 and 1148 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for the Masson pine forest (MPF), coniferous and broad‐leaf mixed forest (MF) and subtropical monsoon evergreen broad‐leaf forest (MEBF), respectively, in year 2003/2004, of which 54%, 37% and 62% are belowground NPP for those three respective forests if no change in live plant biomass is assumed. After taking account of the decrease in live plant biomass, we estimated the NPP of the subtropical MEBF is 970 g C m^?2 yr^?1 in year 2003/2004. Total amount of carbon allocated below ground for plant roots is 388 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for the MPF, 504 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for the coniferous and broad‐leaf MF and 1254 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for the subtropical MEBF in 2003/2004. Our results support the hypothesis that the amount of carbon allocation belowground increases during forest succession.     

Differential effects of warming and nitrogen fertilization on soil respiration and microbial dynamics in switchgrass croplands

The mechanistic understanding of warming and nitrogen (N) fertilization, alone or in combination, on microbially mediated decomposition is limited. In this study, soil samples were collected from previously harvested switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) plots that had been treated with high N fertilizer (HN: 67 kg N ha^?1) and those that had received no N fertilizer (NN) over a 3‐year period. The samples were incubated for 180 days at 15 °C and 20 °C, during which heterotrophic respiration, δ¹³C of CO₂, microbial biomass (MB), specific soil respiration rate (R_s: respiration per unit of microbial biomass), and exoenzyme activities were quantified at 10 different collections time. Employing switchgrass tissues (referred to as litter) with naturally abundant ¹³C allowed us to partition CO₂ respiration derived from soil and amended litter. Cumulative soil respiration increased significantly by 16.4% and 4.2% under warming and N fertilization, respectively. Respiration derived from soil was elevated significantly with warming, while oxidase, the agent for recalcitrant soil substrate decomposition, was not significantly affected by warming. Warming, however, significantly enhanced MB and R_s indicating a decrease in microbial growth efficiency (MGE). On the contrary, respiration derived from amended litter was elevated with N fertilization, which was consistent with the significantly elevated hydrolase. N fertilization, however, had little effect on MB and R_s, suggesting little change in microbial physiology. Temperature and N fertilization showed minimal interactive effects likely due to little differences in soil N availability between NN and HN samples, which is partly attributable to switchgrass biomass N accumulation (equivalent to ~53% of fertilizer N). Overall, the differential individual effects of warming and N fertilization may be driven by physiological adaptation and stimulated exoenzyme kinetics, respectively. The study shed insights on distinct microbial acquisition of different substrates under global temperature increase and N enrichment.     

Effect of soil water stress on soil respiration and its temperature sensitivity in an 18-year-old temperate Douglas-fir stand

We analyzed 17 months (August 2005 to December 2006) of continuous measurements of soil CO₂ efflux or soil respiration (R_S) in an 18‐year‐old west‐coast temperate Douglas‐fir stand that experienced somewhat greater than normal summertime water deficit. For soil water content at the 4 cm depth (θ) > 0.11 m³ m^?3 (corresponding to a soil water matric potential of ?2 MPa), R_S was positively correlated to soil temperature at the 2 cm depth (T_S). Below this value of θ, however, R_S was largely decoupled from T_S, and evapotranspiration, ecosystem respiration and gross primary productivity (GPP) began to decrease, dropping to about half of their maximum values when θ reached 0.07 m³ m^?3. Soil water deficit substantially reduced R_S sensitivity to temperature resulting in a Q₁₀ significantly < 2. The absolute temperature sensitivity of R_S (i.e. dR_S/dT_S) increased with θ up to 0.15 m³ m^?3, above which it slowly declined. The value of dR_S/dT_S was nearly 0 for θ < 0.08 m³ m^?3, thereby confirming that R_S was largely unaffected by temperature under soil water stress conditions. Despite the possible effects of seasonality of photosynthesis, root activity and litterfall on R_S, the observed decrease in its temperature sensitivity at low θ was consistent with the reduction in substrate availability due to a decrease in (a) microbial mobility, and diffusion of substrates and extracellular enzymes, and (b) the fraction of substrate that can react at high T_S, which is associated with low θ. We found that an exponential (van't Hoff type) model with Q₁₀ and R₁₀ dependent on only θ explained 92% of the variance in half‐hourly values of R_S, including the period with soil water stress conditions. We hypothesize that relating Q₁₀ and R₁₀ to θ not only accounted for the effects of T_S on R_S and its temperature sensitivity but also accounted for the seasonality of biotic (photosynthesis, root activity, and litterfall) and abiotic (soil moisture and temperature) controls and their interactions.     

Nitrogen addition reduces soil respiration in a mature tropical forest in southern China

Response of soil respiration (CO₂ emission) to simulated nitrogen (N) deposition in a mature tropical forest in southern China was studied from October 2005 to September 2006. The objective was to test the hypothesis that N addition would reduce soil respiration in N saturated tropical forests. Static chamber and gas chromatography techniques were used to quantify the soil respiration, following four‐levels of N treatments (Control, no N addition; Low‐N, 5 g N m^?2 yr^?1; Medium‐N, 10 g N m^?2 yr^?1; and High‐N, 15 g N m^?2 yr^?1 experimental inputs), which had been applied for 26 months before and continued throughout the respiration measurement period. Results showed that soil respiration exhibited a strong seasonal pattern, with the highest rates found in the warm and wet growing season (April–September) and the lowest rates in the dry dormant season (December–February). Soil respiration rates showed a significant positive exponential relationship with soil temperature, whereas soil moisture only affect soil respiration at dry conditions in the dormant season. Annual accumulative soil respiration was 601±30 g CO₂‐C m^?2 yr^?1 in the Controls. Annual mean soil respiration rate in the Control, Low‐N and Medium‐N treatments (69±3, 72±3 and 63±1 mg CO₂‐C m^?2 h^?1, respectively) did not differ significantly, whereas it was 14% lower in the High‐N treatment (58±3 mg CO₂‐C m^?2 h^?1) compared with the Control treatment, also the temperature sensitivity of respiration, Q₁₀ was reduced from 2.6 in the Control with 2.2 in the High‐N treatment. The decrease in soil respiration occurred in the warm and wet growing season and were correlated with a decrease in soil microbial activities and in fine root biomass in the N‐treated plots. Our results suggest that response of soil respiration to atmospheric N deposition in tropical forests is a decline, but it may vary depending on the rate of N deposition.     

Carbon losses due to soil warming: Do autotrophic and heterotrophic soil respiration respond equally?

Global warming has the potential to increase soil respiration (R_S), one of the major fluxes in the global carbon (C) cycle. R_S consists of an autotrophic (R_A) and a heterotrophic (R_H) component. We combined a soil warming experiment with a trenching experiment to assess how R_S, R_A, and R_H are affected. The experiment was conducted in a mature forest dominated by Norway spruce. The site is located in the Austrian Alps on dolomitic bedrock. We warmed the soil of undisturbed and trenched plots by means of heating cables 4 °C above ambient during the snow‐free seasons of 2005 and 2006. Soil warming increased the CO₂ efflux from control plots (R_S) by ∼45% during 2005 and ∼47% during 2006. The CO₂ efflux from trenched plots (R_H) increased by ∼39% during 2005 and ∼45% during 2006. Similar responses of R_S and R_H indicated that the autotrophic and heterotrophic components of R_S responded equally to the temperature increase. Thirty‐five to forty percent or 1 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ of the overall annual increase in R_S (2.8 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) was autotrophic. The remaining, heterotrophic part of soil respiration (1.8 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), represented the warming‐induced C loss from the soil. The autotrophic component showed a distinct seasonal pattern. Contribution of R_A to R_S was highest during summer. Seasonally derived Q₁₀ values reflected this pattern and were correspondingly high (5.3–9.3). The autotrophic CO₂ efflux increase due to the 4 °C warming implied a Q₁₀ of 2.9. Hence, seasonally derived Q₁₀ of R_A did not solely reflect the seasonal soil temperature development.     

Measurement of net ecosystem exchange,productivity and respiration in three spruce forests in Sweden shows unexpectedly large soil carbon losses

Measurement of net ecosystem exchange was made using the eddy covariance method above three forests along a north-south climatic gradient in Sweden: Flakaliden in the north, Knottåsen in central and Asa in south Sweden. Data were obtained for 2 years at Flakaliden and Knottåsen and for one year at Asa. The net fluxes (N_ep) were separated into their main components, total ecosystem respiration (R_t) and gross primary productivity (P_g). The maximum half-hourly net uptake during the heart of the growing season was highest in the southernmost site with ?0.787 mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 followed by Knottåsen with ?0.631 mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 and Flakaliden with ?0.429 mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1. The maximum respiration rates during the summer were highest in Knottåsen with 0.245 mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 while it was similar at the two other sites with 0.183 mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1. The annual N_ep ranged between uptake of ?304 g C m^?2 year^?1 (Asa) and emission of 84 g C m^?2 year^?1 (Knottåsen). The annual R_t and P_g ranged between 793 to 1253 g C m^?2 year^?1 and ?875 to ?1317 g C m^?2 year^?1, respectively. Biomass increment measurements in the footprint area of the towers in combination with the measured net ecosystem productivity were used to estimate the changes in soil carbon and it was found that the soils were losing on average 96–125 g C m^?2 year^?1. The most plausible explanation for these losses was that the studied years were much warmer than normal causing larger respiratory losses. The comparison of net primary productivity and P_g showed that ca 60% of P_g was utilized for autotrophic respiration.     

Confounding Effects of Soil Moisture on the Relationship Between Ecosystem Respiration and Soil Temperature in Switchgrass

Understanding the response of ecosystem respiration (ER) to major environmental drivers is critical for estimating carbon sequestration and large-scale modeling research. Temperature effect on ER is modified by other environmental factors, mainly soil moisture, and such information is lacking for switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) ecosystems. The objective of this study was to examine seasonal variation in ER and its relationship with soil temperature (T _s) and moisture in a switchgrass field. ER from the nighttime net ecosystem CO₂ exchange measurements by eddy covariance system during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons was analyzed. Nighttime ER ranged from about 2 (early growing season) to as high as 13 μmol m^?2 s^?1 (peak growing period) and showed a clear seasonality, with low rates during warm (>30 °C) and dry periods (<0.20 m³ m^?3 of soil water content). No single temperature or moisture function described variability in ER on the seasonal scale. However, an exponential temperature–respiration function explained over 50 % of seasonal variation in ER at adequate soil moisture (>0.20 m³ m^?3), indicating that soil moisture <0.20 m³ m^?3 started to limit ER. Due to the limitation of soil–atmosphere gas exchange, ER rates declined markedly in wet soil conditions (>0.35 m³ m^?3) as well. Consequently, both dry and wet conditions lowered temperature sensitivity of respiration (Q ₁₀). Stronger ER–T _s relationships were observed at higher soil moisture levels. These results demonstrate that soil moisture greatly influences the dynamics of ER and its relationship with T _s in drought prone switchgrass ecosystems.