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.     

Microbial physiology and soil CO2 efflux after 9 years of soil warming in a temperate forest – no indications for thermal adaptations

Thermal adaptations of soil microorganisms could mitigate or facilitate global warming effects on soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition and soil CO₂ efflux. We incubated soil from warmed and control subplots of a forest soil warming experiment to assess whether 9 years of soil warming affected the rates and the temperature sensitivity of the soil CO₂ efflux, extracellular enzyme activities, microbial efficiency, and gross N mineralization. Mineral soil (0–10 cm depth) was incubated at temperatures ranging from 3 to 23 °C. No adaptations to long‐term warming were observed regarding the heterotrophic soil CO₂ efflux (R₁₀ warmed: 2.31 ± 0.15 μmol m^?2 s^?1, control: 2.34 ± 0.29 μmol m^?2 s^?1; Q₁₀ warmed: 2.45 ± 0.06, control: 2.45 ± 0.04). Potential enzyme activities increased with incubation temperature, but the temperature sensitivity of the enzymes did not differ between the warmed and the control soils. The ratio of C : N acquiring enzyme activities was significantly higher in the warmed soil. Microbial biomass‐specific respiration rates increased with incubation temperature, but the rates and the temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀ warmed: 2.54 ± 0.23, control 2.75 ± 0.17) did not differ between warmed and control soils. Microbial substrate use efficiency (SUE) declined with increasing incubation temperature in both, warmed and control, soils. SUE and its temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀ warmed: 0.84 ± 0.03, control: 0.88 ± 0.01) did not differ between warmed and control soils either. Gross N mineralization was invariant to incubation temperature and was not affected by long‐term soil warming. Our results indicate that thermal adaptations of the microbial decomposer community are unlikely to occur in C‐rich calcareous temperate forest soils.     

Soil respiration is stimulated by elevated CO2 and reduced by summer drought: three years of measurements in a multifactor ecosystem manipulation experiment in a temperate heathland (CLIMAITE)

This study investigated the impact of predicted future climatic and atmospheric conditions on soil respiration (R_S) in a Danish Calluna‐Deschampsia‐heathland. A fully factorial in situ experiment with treatments of elevated atmospheric CO₂ (+130 ppm), raised soil temperature (+0.4 °C) and extended summer drought (5–8% precipitation exclusion) was established in 2005. The average R_S, observed in the control over 3 years of measurements (1.7 μmol CO₂ m^?2 sec^?1), increased 38% under elevated CO₂, irrespective of combination with the drought or temperature treatments. In contrast, extended summer drought decreased R_S by 14%, while elevated soil temperature did not affect R_S overall. A significant interaction between elevated temperature and drought resulted in further reduction of R_S when these treatments were combined. A detailed analysis of short‐term R_S dynamics associated with drought periods showed that R_S was reduced by ~50% and was strongly correlated with soil moisture during these events. Recovery of R_S to pre‐drought levels occurred within 2 weeks of rewetting; however, unexpected drought effects were observed several months after summer drought treatment in 2 of the 3 years, possibly due to reduced plant growth or changes in soil water holding capacity. An empirical model that predicts R_S from soil temperature, soil moisture and plant biomass was developed and accounted for 55% of the observed variability in R_S. The model predicted annual sums of R_S in 2006 and 2007, in the control, were 672 and 719 g C m^?2 y^?1, respectively. For the full treatment combination, i.e. the future climate scenario, the model predicted that soil respiratory C losses would increase by ~21% (140–150 g C m^?2 y^?1). Therefore, in the future climate, stimulation of C storage in plant biomass and litter must be in excess of 21% for this ecosystem to not suffer a reduction in net ecosystem exchange.     

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.     

Seasonal controls on interannual variability in carbon dioxide exchange of a near-end-of rotation Douglas-fir stand in the Pacific Northwest, 1997–2006

This study analyzes 9 years of eddy‐covariance (EC) data carried out in a Pacific Northwest Douglas‐fir (Pseudotsuga menzesii) forest (58‐year old in 2007) on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, and characterizes the seasonal and interannual variability in net ecosystem productivity (NEP), gross primary productivity (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (R_e) and primary climatic controls on these fluxes. The annual values (± SD) of NEP, GPP and R_e were 357 ± 51, 2124 ± 125, and 1767 ± 146 g C m^?2 yr^?1, respectively, with ranges of 267–410, 1592–2338, and 1642–2071 g C m^?2 yr^?1, respectively. Spring to early summer (March–June) accounted for more than 80% of annual NEP while late spring to early autumn (May–August) was mainly responsible for its interannual variability (～80%). The major drivers of interannual variability in annual carbon (C) fluxes were annual and spring mean air temperatures (T_a) and water deficiency during late summer and autumn (July–October) when this Douglas‐fir forest growth was often water‐limited. Photosynthetically active radiation (Q), and the combination of Q and soil water content (θ) explained 85% and 91% of the variance of monthly GPP, respectively; and 91% and 96% of the variance of monthly R_e was explained by T_a and the combination of T_a and θ, respectively. Annual net C sequestration was high during optimally warm and normal precipitation years, but low in unusually warm or severely dry years. Excluding 1998 and 1999, the 2 years strongly affected by an El Niño/La Niña cycle, annual NEP significantly decreased with increasing annual mean T_a. Annual NEP will likely decrease whereas both annual GPP and R_e will likely increase if the future climate at the site follows a trend similar to that of the past 40 years.     

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.     

No overall stimulation of soil respiration under mature deciduous forest trees after 7 years of CO2 enrichment

The anthropogenic rise in atmospheric CO₂ is expected to impact carbon (C) fluxes not only at ecosystem level but also at the global scale by altering C cycle processes in soils. At the Swiss Canopy Crane (SCC), we examined how 7 years of free air CO₂ enrichment (FACE) affected soil CO₂ dynamics in a ca. 100‐year‐old mixed deciduous forest. The use of ¹³C‐depleted CO₂ for canopy enrichment allowed us to trace the flow of recently fixed C. In the 7th year of growth at ～550 ppm CO₂, soil respiratory CO₂ consisted of 39% labelled C. During the growing season, soil air CO₂ concentration was significantly enhanced under CO₂‐exposed trees. However, elevated CO₂ failed to stimulate cumulative soil respiration (R_s) over the growing season. We found periodic reductions as well as increases in instantaneous rates of R_s in response to elevated CO₂, depending on soil temperature and soil volumetric water content (VWC; significant three‐way interaction). During wet periods, soil water savings under CO₂‐enriched trees led to excessive VWC (>45%) that suppressed R_s. Elevated CO₂ stimulated R_s only when VWC was ≤40% and concurrent soil temperature was high (>15 °C). Seasonal Q₁₀ estimates of R_s were significantly lower under elevated (Q₁₀=3.30) compared with ambient CO₂ (Q₁₀=3.97). However, this effect disappeared when three consecutive sampling dates of extremely high VWC were disregarded. This suggests that elevated CO₂ affected Q₁₀ mainly indirectly through changes in VWC. Fine root respiration did not differ significantly between treatments but soil microbial biomass (C_mic) increased by 14% under elevated CO₂ (marginally significant). Our findings do not indicate enhanced soil C emissions in such stands under future atmospheric CO₂. It remains to be shown whether C losses via leaching of dissolved organic or inorganic C (DOC, DIC) help to balance the C budget in this forest.     

Response of soil respiration to temperature and soil moisture: Effects of different vegetation types on a small scale in the eastern Loess Plateau of China

Soil respiration is affected by vegetation and environmental conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of vegetation type on soil respiration, temperature and water content, and their correlations on a small scale. We measured soil respiration rate (R_s) over a 3-year period at biweekly intervals in three plots in the eastern Loess Plateau of China, with the same soil texture but different vegetation types: pine forest, grassland, and shrub land. Simultaneously, soil temperature (T_s) at 10 cm depth and soil water content (W_s) within 10 cm depth were measured. The seasonal course of R_s and T_s showed a similar temporal variation in the three plots, with higher values in summer and autumn and lower values in winter and spring. No significant differences (P>0.05) were found between plots, except for W_s. The mean cumulative release of CO₂ efflux from March to December was 962.5, 1027.5, and 1166.5 g C m^? 2 a^? 1 for plots 1, 2, and 3, respectively, with no significant difference between plots. The fitted exponential equations of R_s versus T_s from the 3-year data-set were significant (P < 0.05) with an R² of 0.72, 0.64, and 0.72 for plots 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The calculated Q₁₀ from the parameters of the fitted equation was 3.57, 3.52, and 3.61, and the R₁₀ was 2.36, 2.03, and 2.37 μmol CO₂ m^? 2 s^? 1 for plots 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Compared with the T_s, the correlations between R_s and W_s were not significant for the three plots. However, if the T_s was above 10°C, then their correlation was significant, and W_s had an impact on R_s. Four combined regression equations including two variables of T_s and W_s could be well established to model correlations between R_s and both T_s and W_s. Our study demonstrated that the exponential and power model fitted best and no significant different correlations of combined equations existed between the three plots. These results show that vegetation type had little impact on R_s, T_s, W_s, and their correlations, as well as on related parameters such as Q₁₀ and R₁₀. Therefore, while doing R_s research in a horizontal patchy vegetation conditions on a small area, the sampling location of measurements should focus on vertical dominant vegetation and ignore patch vegetation so as to reduce field work load.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Temperature-independent diel variation in soil respiration observed from a temperate deciduous forest

The response of soil respiration (R_s) to temperature depends largely on the temporal and spatial scales of interest and how other environmental factors interact with this response. They are often represented by empirical exponential equations in many ecosystem analyses because of the difficulties in separating covarying environmental responses and in observing below ground processes. The objective of this study was to quantify a soil temperature‐independent component in R_s by examining the diel variation of an R_s time series measured in a temperate deciduous forest located at Oak Ridge, TN, USA between March and December 2003. By fitting 2 hourly, continuous automatic chamber measurements of CO₂ efflux at the soil surface to a Q₁₀ function to obtain the temperature‐dependent respiration (R_t) and plotting the diel cycles of R_t, R_s, and their difference (R_i), we found that an obvious temperature‐independent component exists in R_s during the growing season. The diel cycle of this component has a distinct day/night pattern and agrees well with diel variations in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and air temperature. Elevated canopy CO₂ concentration resulted in similar patterns in the diel cycle of the temperature‐independent component but with different daily average rates in different stages of growing season. We speculate that photosynthesis of the stand is one of the main contributors to this temperature‐independent respiration component although more experiments are needed to draw a firm conclusion. We also found that despite its relatively small magnitude compared with the temperature‐dependent component, the diel variation in the temperature‐independent component can lead to significantly different estimates of the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration in the study forest. As a result, the common practice of using fitted temperature‐dependent function from night‐time measurements to extrapolate soil respiration during the daytime may underestimate daytime soil respiration.     

Modelling carbon balances of coastal arctic tundra under changing climate

Rising air temperatures are believed to be hastening heterotrophic respiration (R_h) in arctic tundra ecosystems, which could lead to substantial losses of soil carbon (C). In order to improve confidence in predicting the likelihood of such loss, the comprehensive ecosystem model ecosys was first tested with carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes measured over a tundra soil in a growth chamber under various temperatures and soil‐water contents (θ). The model was then tested with CO₂ and energy fluxes measured over a coastal arctic tundra near Barrow, Alaska, under a range of weather conditions during 1998–1999. A rise in growth chamber temperature from 7 to 15 °C caused large, but commensurate, rises in respiration and CO₂ fixation, and so no significant effect on net CO₂ exchange was modelled or measured. An increase in growth chamber θ from field capacity to saturation caused substantial reductions in respiration but not in CO₂ fixation, and so an increase in net CO₂ exchange was modelled and measured. Long daylengths over the coastal tundra at Barrow caused an almost continuous C sink to be modelled and measured during most of July (2–4 g C m^?2 d^?1), but shortening daylengths and declining air temperatures caused a C source to be modelled and measured by early September (～1 g C m^?2 d^?1). At an annual time scale, the coastal tundra was modelled to be a small C sink (4 g C m^?2 y^?1) during 1998 when average air temperatures were 4 °C above normal, and a larger C sink (16 g C m^?2 y^?1) during 1999 when air temperatures were close to long‐term normals. During 100 years under rising atmospheric CO₂ concentration (C_a), air temperature and precipitation driven by the IS92a emissions scenario, modelled R_h rose commensurately with net primary productivity (NPP) under both current and elevated rates of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, so that changes in soil C remained small. However, methane (CH₄) emissions were predicted to rise substantially in coastal tundra with IS92a‐driven climate change (from ～20 to ～40 g C m^?2 y^?1), causing a substantial increase in the emission of CO₂ equivalents. If the rate of temperature increase hypothesized in the IS92a emissions scenario had been raised by 50%, substantial losses of soil C (～1 kg C m^?2) would have been modelled after 100 years, including additional emissions of CH₄.     

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.     

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.     

Shrub expansion stimulates soil C and N storage along a coastal soil chronosequence

Expansion of woody vegetation in grasslands is a worldwide phenomenon with implications for C and N cycling at local, regional and global scales. Although woody encroachment is often accompanied by increased annual net primary production (ANPP) and increased inputs of litter, mesic ecosystems may become sources for C after woody encroachment because stimulation of soil CO₂ efflux releases stored soil carbon. Our objective was to determine if young, sandy soils on a barrier island became a sink for C after encroachment of the nitrogen‐fixing shrub Morella cerifera, or if associated stimulation of soil CO₂ efflux mitigated increased litterfall. We monitored variations in litterfall in shrub thickets across a chronosequence of shrub expansion and compared those data to previous measurements of ANPP in adjacent grasslands. In the final year, we quantified standing litter C and N pools in shrub thickets and soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (TN) and soil CO₂ efflux in shrub thickets and adjacent grasslands. Heavy litterfall resulted in a dense litter layer storing an average of 809 g C m^?2 and 36 g N m^?2. Although soil CO₂ efflux was stimulated by shrub encroachment in younger soils, soil CO₂ efflux did not vary between shrub thickets and grasslands in the oldest soils and increases in CO₂ efflux in shrub thickets did not offset contributions of increased litterfall to SOC. SOC was 3.6–9.8 times higher beneath shrub thickets than in grassland soils and soil TN was 2.5–7.7 times higher under shrub thickets. Accumulation rates of soil and litter C were highest in the youngest thicket at 101 g m^?2 yr^?1 and declined with increasing thicket age. Expansion of shrubs on barrier islands, which have low levels of soil carbon and high potential for ANPP, has the potential to significantly increase ecosystem C sequestration.     

Contrasting soil respiration in young and old-growth ponderosa pine forests

Three years of fully automated and manual measurements of soil CO₂ efflux, soil moisture and temperature were used to explore the diel, seasonal and inter‐annual patterns of soil efflux in an old‐growth (250‐year‐old, O site) and recently regenerating (14‐year‐old, Y site) ponderosa pine forest in central Oregon. The data were used in conjunction with empirical models to determine which variables could be used to predict soil efflux in forests of contrasting ages and disturbance histories. Both stands experienced similar meteorological conditions with moderately cold wet winters and hot dry summers. Soil CO₂ efflux at both sites showed large inter‐annual variability that could be attributed to soil moisture availability in the deeper soil horizons (O site) and the quantity of summer rainfall (Y site). Seasonal patterns of soil CO₂ efflux at the O site showed a strong positive correlation between diel mean soil CO₂ efflux and soil temperature at 64 cm depth whereas diel mean soil efflux at the Y site declined before maximum soil temperature occurred during summer drought. The use of diel mean soil temperature and soil water potential inferred from predawn foliage water potential measurements could account for 80% of the variance of diel mean soil efflux across 3 years at both sites, however, the functional shape of the soil water potential constraint was site‐specific. Based on the similarity of the decomposition rates of litter and fine roots between sites, but greater productivity and amount of fine litter detritus available for decomposition at the O site, we would expect higher rates of soil CO₂ efflux at the O site. However, annual rates were only higher at the O site in one of the 3 years (597 ± 45 vs. 427 ± 80 g C m^?2). Seasonal patterns of soil efflux at both sites showed influences of soil water limitations that were also reflected in patterns of canopy stomatal conductance, suggesting strong linkages between above and below ground processes.     

间伐和改变凋落物输入对华北落叶松人工林土壤呼吸的影响

作为森林生态系统的第二大碳通量,土壤呼吸在全球碳循环和气候变化中发挥着重要作用。通过探究土壤呼吸对间伐和改变凋落物的响应规律以及响应之间的联系,能够为准确评价森林碳循环提供依据。针对不同强度(对照、轻度、中度、重度)间伐后的华北落叶松人工林,2016年5月至10月采用LI-8100土壤碳通量测量系统对其原状、凋落物去除、凋落物加倍的土壤呼吸进行观测。结果表明:土壤呼吸在生长季的8月份达到最高值,呈现出明显的季节动态。不同林分间伐处理下,中度间伐显著促进了土壤呼吸,使平均土壤呼吸速率升高了15.66%,轻度间伐和重度间伐对土壤呼吸的影响不显著;不同凋落物处理下,去除凋落物使平均土壤呼吸速率降低了40.16%,加倍凋落物使平均土壤呼吸速率升高了16.06%。中度间伐使土壤呼吸生长季通量增加了55.06 g C/m~2;去除凋落物使土壤呼吸生长季通量减少了153.48 g C/m~2,加倍凋落物使土壤呼吸生长季通量增加了79.87 g C/m~2。土壤呼吸速率与土壤温度呈显著指数相关,而与土壤湿度无显著相关。不同林分间伐处理下,土壤呼吸的温度敏感性指数(Q10)为2.36—3.46,轻度间伐下Q10值最高;凋落物去除和加倍均降低了土壤呼吸的温度敏感性。土壤温湿度对土壤呼吸存在着显著影响,能够解释土壤呼吸28.7%—62.3%的季节变化。研究结果表明间伐和凋落物处理对华北落叶松人工林土壤CO_2释放的影响表现出一定的交互作用,中度间伐和加倍凋落物的交互作用对土壤呼吸的促进作用显著大于单一因子。可见,间伐作业通过改变土壤微环境和凋落物量,对土壤呼吸以及森林生态系统碳循环产生着重要影响。