格氏栲天然林和人工林土壤呼吸对干湿交替的响应

通过室外定位观测前期连续干旱情况下天然降雨及室内模拟不同温度 (10℃、19℃和 2 8℃ )下测定格氏栲天然林、格氏栲人工林和杉木人工林土壤增湿后呼吸动态 ,探讨不同林型土壤呼吸对土壤干湿交替的响应。结果发现室外定位观测和室内模拟试验均出现了增湿后土壤呼吸骤升至最大值及随后逐渐衰减的现象 ,且这种变化可由时间过程模型 (R=ate- bt c)较好地进行拟合。温度升高提升了土壤呼吸对干湿交替的响应值 RV。格氏栲天然林土壤呼吸对干湿交替的响应对温度最为敏感 ,随温度升高其响应指数 RE增加 ;杉木林土壤呼吸对干湿交替的响应指数 RE最高 ,且对土壤水分变化最敏感 ,但随温度升高超过一定限度后其响应指数 RE反而降低     

干湿交替下草地生态系统土壤呼吸变化的微生物响应机制研究进展

草地是陆地生态系统中最重要、分布最广的生态系统类型之一,对全球碳循环和气候调节有着重要的作用和效应.我国拥有极为丰富的草地资源,是巨大的陆地碳储存库,也是全球碳循环重要组成部分.干湿交替是土壤中普遍发生的自然现象,这种现象的发生可能会加速土壤的碳矿化过程、激增土壤呼吸以及影响微生物的活性和群落结构等.在全球变化日趋显著的背景下,降雨量、降雨强度以及降雨频率的变化将会加速土壤干湿交替进程,进而带来微生物活性、群落结构以及土壤呼吸的变化,并对全球碳循环过程产生重要影响.本文综述了近十年来国内外的相关文献,对干湿交替条件下,土壤释放CO₂消耗碳源、土壤呼吸随时间的动态变化趋势以及土壤呼吸与微生物量、微生物活性和微生物群落结构之间的关系进行了分析和总结,以期为更好地理解干湿交替过程中草地生态系统土壤呼吸的微生物学响应机制,更准确地预测和评估未来的全球陆地生态系统的碳收支与气候变化提供一定的理论基础.     

土壤呼吸对降雨变化和氮沉降交互作用响应的研究进展

土壤呼吸作为陆地生态系统碳循环的关键过程,对大气CO₂浓度变化有直接影响。研究其如何响应降雨变化、氮沉降增加等全球变化因子,成为近年全球变化领域的热点与难点。与土壤呼吸响应降雨变化或氮沉降增加单个因子相比,研究土壤呼吸对这两个因子交互作用的响应更接近真实的自然环境,可更准确地预估未来土壤碳排放的变化趋势。目前,相关研究涉及全球不同的陆地生态系统,从土壤、微生物和植物层面对其响应机理进行揭示。本文从土壤呼吸及其组分、相关的土壤性质、微生物及植物因素方面,较全面地梳理了不同陆地生态系统土壤呼吸响应降雨变化和氮沉降增加交互作用的研究进展,指出了现有研究中的不足及今后需加强的研究方向,以期为进一步揭示土壤呼吸对降雨变化和氮沉降增加交互作用的响应规律及机制提供参考。     

黄土旱塬区免耕玉米田土壤呼吸对降雨的响应

在多年定位试验的基础上,采用LI-8150-16多通道土壤碳通量测量系统对传统耕作和免耕处理下玉米田的土壤呼吸进行了连续观测,以探讨不同耕作措施处理下土壤呼吸对降雨的响应。结果表明:降雨发生瞬间,土壤呼吸受应激反应影响迅速降低,传统耕作和免耕处理下分别较降雨前降低62.9%—92.9%和35.8%—56.9%;降雨后,传统耕作和免耕处理土壤呼吸的降幅范围分别为31.5%—89.2%和15.7%—59.9%;土壤体积含水量接近于18%时,传统耕作下土壤呼吸比免耕下高51.8%,当土壤体积含水量高于30%时,传统耕作下土壤呼吸比免耕处理下低43.0%,表明传统耕作土壤呼吸更易受土壤水分的影响,波动幅度大;传统耕作处理下土壤呼吸随土壤温度的升高而增大,免耕处理下土壤呼吸随土壤温度的升高变化不明显;土壤体积含水量较小(20%)时,不同耕作处理下土壤呼吸均随土壤含水量增加而增加,含水量较高(30%)时则均随土壤含水量的升高而减小,两种情况下均为免耕处理的变化速率更大;双因子线性模型可较好地描述玉米田土壤呼吸对温度和水分变化的响应。     

固沙植被区土壤呼吸对反复干湿交替的响应

由降水的不连续性引起的土壤干湿交替是荒漠生态系统土壤呼吸的重要影响因子。在恒温培养条件下,研究了固沙植被区土壤呼吸对不同降雨量(5、10、20 mm)条件下以10 d为降水周期的多重干湿交替过程的响应,结果表明:3个降雨量条件下的多重干湿交替过程中,土壤呼吸速率均在降雨后迅速增大,并在降雨0.5 h后达到最大值,尔后,随着土壤含水量的下降而逐渐减小并恢复到降雨前水平。随着干湿交替过程的依次进行,最大和平均土壤呼吸速率及累积碳释放量均呈现出逐渐减小的趋势。3个干湿循环周期平均呼吸速率和土壤碳释放量均随着降雨量的增加逐渐增大,土壤呼吸速率峰值表现为第1个干湿循环周期土壤呼吸速率峰值随着降雨量的增加而增大,而第2、3个周期各降雨处理下的土壤呼吸速率峰值显示出随着降雨前期土壤含水量的增加而减小的趋势。说明干湿交替过程对土壤呼吸具有显著的激发作用,且干湿交替程度(即降雨前后土壤含水量的变化)以及土壤前期所经历的干湿交替过程是影响荒漠生态系统土壤呼吸对干湿交替响应的重要因素。     

中国森林生态系统土壤呼吸温度敏感性空间变异特征及影响因素

土壤呼吸的温度敏感性(Q₁₀)是陆地碳循环与气候系统间相互作用的关键参数。尽管已有大量关于不同类型森林Q₁₀季节和年际变化规律的研究, 但是对Q₁₀在区域尺度的空间变异特征及其影响因素仍认识不足, 已有结果缺乏一致结论。该研究通过整合已发表论文, 构建了中国森林生态系统年尺度Q₁₀数据集, 共包含399条记录、5种森林类型(落叶阔叶林(DBF)、落叶针叶林(DNF)、常绿阔叶林(EBF)、常绿针叶林(ENF)、混交林(MF))。分析了不同森林类型Q₁₀的空间变异特征及其与地理、气候和土壤因素的关系。结果显示, 1) Q₁₀介于1.09到6.24之间, 平均值(±标准误差)为2.37 (± 0.04), 且在不同森林类型之间无显著差异; 2)当考虑所有森林类型时, Q₁₀随纬度、海拔、土壤有机碳含量(SOC)和土壤全氮含量(TN)的增加而增大, 随经度、年平均气温(MAT)、平均年降水量(MAP)的增加而减小。气候(MAT、MAP)和土壤(SOC、TN)因素间存在相互作用, 共同解释了33%的Q₁₀空间变异, 其中MAT和SOC是Q₁₀空间变异的主要驱动因素; 3)不同类型森林Q₁₀对气候和土壤因素的响应存在差异。在DNF中Q₁₀随MAP的增加而减小, 而其他类型森林中Q₁₀与MAP无显著相关性; 在EBF、DBF、ENF中Q₁₀随TN的增加而增大, 但Q₁₀对TN的敏感性在EBF中最高, 在ENF中最低。这些结果表明, 尽管Q₁₀有一定的集中分布趋势, 但仍有较大范围的空间变异, 在进行碳收支估算时应注意尺度问题。Q₁₀的主要驱动因素和Q₁₀对环境因素的响应随森林类型而变化, 在气候变化情景下, 不同森林类型间Q₁₀可能发生分异。因此, 未来的碳循环-气候模型还应考虑不同类型森林碳循环关键参数对气候变化的响应差异。     

气候过渡带锐齿栎林土壤呼吸对降雨改变的响应

作为大气与陆地生态系统之间的第二大碳通量,土壤呼吸是评价陆地生态系统碳循环及碳汇能力的不确定性来源之一。降雨格局改变及其导致的土壤水分变化是调节土壤呼吸的重要驱动。气候过渡带的水热状况受全球降雨格局改变的影响更为明显,揭示该区域森林土壤呼吸对降雨改变的响应规律有助于改善碳循环模型的预测精度。然而,气候过渡区的土壤碳排放过程如何响应降雨格局改变尚不清楚。通过在亚热带-暖温带的过渡区(宝天曼)开展降雨改变实验,以阐明锐齿栎林土壤呼吸及其温度敏感性对降雨增加(50%)和减少(50%)的响应规律。结果表明,降雨增加显著提高土壤湿度(+8.92%)而不影响土壤温度。与对照相比,降雨增加导致土壤呼吸显著提高80.5%,其土壤呼吸的温度敏感性(4.07)显著高于对照样地(2.66)。增雨处理下的土壤呼吸与土壤湿度呈负相关。降雨减少则显著降低土壤湿度(-10.25%),并对土壤呼吸有促进趋势,然而,对土壤呼吸的温度敏感性(2.64)无显著影响。减雨处理下的土壤呼吸强度与土壤湿度呈正相关。这意味着在我国亚热带—暖温带过渡区,降雨增加或减少均对土壤呼吸有不同程度的刺激作用,进而很可能减弱该区域森林生态系统土壤的固碳潜力。     

固沙植被区两类结皮斑块土壤呼吸对不同频率干湿交替的响应

由降水的不连续性引起的土壤干湿交替是荒漠生态系统土壤呼吸的重要影响因素。本文研究了腾格里沙漠东南缘天然固沙植被区以藓类和藻类为优势的2类结皮斑块土壤呼吸对相同总降雨量(20 mm)不同降雨频率(10和20 d)条件下的多重干湿交替的响应。结果表明:2类结皮斑块土壤呼吸速率均在降雨后迅速升高,并在0.5~2 h达到峰值,然后逐渐下降并恢复到降雨前水平;随着干湿交替过程的依次进行,土壤呼吸速率峰值、平均值以及累积碳释放量均呈现逐渐减小的趋势,但随着干旱期的延长,这种减小的程度降低;两类结皮斑块土壤10 d循环条件下的累积碳释放量均低于20 d循环;相同条件下的藓类结皮斑块土壤碳释放量均高于藻类结皮斑块土壤。说明地表覆盖和干湿交替频率均是影响荒漠生态系统土壤呼吸对干湿交替响应的重要因素。     

土壤各组分呼吸区分方法研究进展

土壤呼吸分为自养型呼吸(根呼吸)和异养型呼吸(微生物和动物呼吸),区分各组分呼吸可了解在全球变化条件下土壤碳循环和碳平衡的动态。本文综述了3种主要区分自养呼吸和异养呼吸的方法:①组分法;②根去除术;③同位素法。其中同位素法对根和土壤的影响最小,是最可靠的一种方法;综合各方面考虑,根去除法是最切实可行的方法。     

土壤呼吸对温度升高的适应

土壤呼吸是陆地生态系统碳循环的重要环节之一 ,其对温度升高的敏感程度在相当大的程度上决定着全球气候变化与碳循环之间的反馈关系。土壤呼吸对温度升高的适应是个比较普遍的现象 ,其表现形式主要为随着温度的持续升高和升温时间的延长 ,土壤呼吸对温度升高反应的敏感程度下降。产生这一现象的机制包括影响因子主导地位的转移和温度以外其他因子的协同变化。土壤呼吸对温度升高的适应可以视为碳循环对全球变暖的负反馈效应 ,它可能会在一定程度上缓和陆地生态系统对全球气候系统之间的耦合作用 ,并且导致土壤呼吸对全球温度升高响应的时空差异。由于目前生态系统模型多数没有考虑土壤呼吸的对温度升高的适应性 ,而采用统一的 Q1 0 值 ,其对未来土壤呼吸和未来气候变化幅度的预测可能存在偏差     

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.     

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.     

Tree photosynthesis modulates soil respiration on a diurnal time scale

To estimate how tree photosynthesis modulates soil respiration, we simultaneously and continuously measured soil respiration and canopy photosynthesis over an oak‐grass savanna during the summer, when the annual grass between trees was dead. Soil respiration measured under a tree crown reflected the sum of rhizosphere respiration and heterotrophic respiration; soil respiration measured in an open area represented heterotrophic respiration. Soil respiration was measured using solid‐state CO₂ sensors buried in soils and the flux‐gradient method. Canopy photosynthesis was obtained from overstory and understory flux measurements using the eddy covariance method. We found that the diurnal pattern of soil respiration in the open was driven by soil temperature, while soil respiration under the tree was decoupled with soil temperature. Although soil moisture controlled the seasonal pattern of soil respiration, it did not influence the diurnal pattern of soil respiration. Soil respiration under the tree controlled by the root component was strongly correlated with tree photosynthesis, but with a time lag of 7–12 h. These results indicate that photosynthesis drives soil respiration in addition to soil temperature and moisture.     

典型温带草原群落土壤呼吸温度敏感性与土壤水分的关系

工业革命以来,人类活动所导致的CO2等温室气体的浓度在大气中持续上升,全球表面温度因此不断升高。在全球温暖化的背景下,土壤呼吸与温室效应之间正反馈关系势必影响到未来陆地生态系统功能与全球变化的趋势,所以,关于土壤呼吸对温度变化响应的研究备受瞩目。土壤呼吸对温度依赖性的研究已经有许多报道,其关系可以用简单的指数方程表示。但是,土壤水分条件对于土壤呼吸温度敏感性(用Q10表示)的影响却研究得较少。采用碱液吸收法对内蒙古典型温带草原11个不同水分状况群落的土壤呼吸进行了测定,并分析了土壤呼吸的温度敏感性。结果显示土壤呼吸的温度敏感性存在一定程度的空间变异,各群落Q10值平均为1．65,变异系数为6．94％。其中,春小麦群落的Q10值最高(1．84),其次是湿生杂类草群落(Q10=1．78),而Q10最低的是冷蒿(aRMESIA FRIGIDA)-星毛萎陵菜(pOTENTILLA ACAULIS)群落(1．47)。用Spearman秩相关分析法对表层土壤(O～20cm)水分与Q10值之间的关系进行了分析,结果表明各群落Q10值与生长季土壤平均水分含量呈显著的正相关关系(R=0．64545,p=0．032),说明水分状况对土壤呼吸的温度敏感性有一定程度的影响。由此推断,在中国温带草原地区,温度升高对较湿润区域土壤呼吸的影响大于较干旱区域。全球变化导致的水分时空格局的变化可能对温带草原土壤呼吸有较大的影响。所以,模拟大尺度土壤CO2排放量时,水分因素必须作为一个重要的变量加以考虑。     

基于Meta分析的土壤呼吸对降水改变的非对称响应

气候变暖已经引起全球降水格局改变。土壤呼吸作为陆地生态系统向大气释放CO₂最大的碳库,对降水变化的响应将进一步影响碳循环,从而对全球气候变化产生反馈。尽管以往已有大量关于土壤呼吸与降水变化关系的相关研究,但存在较大争议。因此,亟待进一步深入探究土壤呼吸对降水改变的响应。基于此,研究Meta分析方法,整合了来自Web of Science 英文数据库和中国知网文献数据库(CNKI)的284篇已发表的论文和367组数据,进而分析全球中低纬度地区土壤呼吸对降水改变的响应。研究结果表明,土壤呼吸对降水改变的响应呈现出非对称特征,降水量增加能够提高16.7%的土壤呼吸,而降水量减少则会抑制17.88%的土壤呼吸。研究还发现,不同生态系统和气候区域的土壤呼吸对降水改变的响应存在较大差别。其中,降水量增加能够提高草地生态系统22%的土壤呼吸,比森林生态系统土壤呼吸高出12%;而降水量减少则会削弱草地生态系统28%的土壤呼吸,这要比森林生态系统土壤呼吸还高16%。与湿润地区相比,降水量的增加对干旱地区土壤呼吸的促进作用更加明显。而降水量的减少对干旱地区和湿润地区土壤呼吸的影响均无显著差异。此外,本研究也证实了土壤呼吸对不同降水强度和年限的响应也存在差异。在不同降水强度上,无论增加降水还是减少降水,重度增减雨的土壤呼吸均改变最大,即:重度增减雨(＞75%)＞中度增减雨(25% -75%) ＞轻度增减雨(＜25%);在不同降水年限上,长期增雨对土壤呼吸的促进作用尤为突出,但长期减雨对土壤呼吸影响无显著差异。研究结果可为未来气候情景下陆地生态系统土壤呼吸变化的准确预测以及模型模拟和改进提供重要的科学依据和理论基础。     

Responses of soil respiration to simulated precipitation pulses in semiarid steppe under different grazing regimes

Aims Precipitation pulses and different land use practices (such as grazing) play important roles in regulating soil respiration and carbon balance of semiarid steppe ecosystems in Inner Mongolia. However, the interactive effects of grazing and rain event magnitude on soil respiration of steppe ecosystems are still unknown. We conducted a manipulative experiment with simulated precipitation pulses in Inner Mongolia steppe to study the possible responses of soil respiration to different precipitation pulse sizes and to examine how grazing may affect the responses of soil respiration to precipitation pulses.Methods Six water treatments with different precipitation pulse sizes (0, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 mm) were conducted in the ungrazed and grazed sites, respectively. Variation patterns of soil respiration of each treatment were determined continuously after the water addition treatments.Important findings Rapid and substantial increases in soil respiration occurred 1 day after the water treatments in both sites, and the magnitude and duration of the increase in soil respiration depended on pulse size. Significantly positive relationships between the soil respiration and soil moisture in both sites suggested that soil moisture was the most important factor responsible for soil respiration rate during rain pulse events. The ungrazed site maintained significantly higher soil moisture for a longer time, which was the reason that the soil respiration in the ungrazed site was maintained relatively higher rate and longer period than that in the grazed site after a rain event. The significant exponential relationship between soil temperature and soil respiration was found only in the plots with the high water addition treatments (50 and 100 mm). Lower capacity of soil water holding and lower temperature sensitivity of soil respiration in the grazed site indicated that degraded steppe due to grazing might release less CO₂ to the atmosphere through soil respiration under future precipitation and temperature scenarios.     

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.     

Increasing microbial carbon use efficiency with warming predicts soil heterotrophic respiration globally

The degree to which climate warming will stimulate soil organic carbon (SOC) losses via heterotrophic respiration remains uncertain, in part because different or even opposite microbial physiology and temperature relationships have been proposed in SOC models. We incorporated competing microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE)–mean annual temperature (MAT) and enzyme kinetic–MAT relationships into SOC models, and compared the simulated mass‐specific soil heterotrophic respiration rates with multiple published datasets of measured respiration. The measured data included 110 dryland soils globally distributed and two continental to global‐scale cross‐biome datasets. Model–data comparisons suggested that a positive CUE–MAT relationship best predicts the measured mass‐specific soil heterotrophic respiration rates in soils distributed globally. These results are robust when considering models of increasing complexity and competing mechanisms driving soil heterotrophic respiration–MAT relationships (e.g., carbon substrate availability). Our findings suggest that a warmer climate selects for microbial communities with higher CUE, as opposed to the often hypothesized reductions in CUE by warming based on soil laboratory assays. Our results help to build the impetus for, and confidence in, including microbial mechanisms in soil biogeochemical models used to forecast changes in global soil carbon stocks in response to warming.     

Water regulated effects of photosynthetic substrate supply on soil respiration in a semiarid steppe

Soil respiration is an important part of the global carbon (C) cycle and the largest component of C flux from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere. Here, we investigated possible effects of photosynthetic substrate supply on soil respiration in a semiarid ecosystem. A field experiment combining water addition and shading (low and high shading) treatments was conducted to manipulate photosynthetic substrate supply in a temperate semiarid steppe in two growing seasons. Our result showed that water addition and/or low shading significantly increased net primary productivity (ecosystem‐level photosynthetic substrate supply) and soil respiration in both two growing seasons. However, the effects of high shading on net primary productivity and soil respiration depended on soil water condition, which were negative in wet year (2008) but positive in dry year (2009). On the diel timescale, soil respiration was out of phase with soil temperature and leaf net photosynthesis, but in phase with leaf sugar and starch contents (leaf‐level photosynthetic substrate production). The results indicated that photosynthetic substrate supply was an important factor in regulating soil respiration on both daily and seasonal timescales. Moreover, its effect on soil respiration increased with increasing water availability in this region. The predominant role of C assimilate supply on soil respiration indicates that the predicted positive influence of rising temperature on soil respiration will be simultaneously mediated by substrate supply and water availability in semiarid steppe ecosystems.