Contribution of autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration to soil CO2 efflux in Chinese fir plantations
Dalun Tian A B , Guangjun Wang A B , Yuanying Peng C , Wende Yan A B , Xi Fang A B , Fan Zhu A B and Xiaoyong Chen D E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Forest Ecology Program, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China.
B National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Forest Ecological Technology in Southern China, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China.
C Natural Sciences Division, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137, USA.
D Division of Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Governors State University, University Park, IL 60484, USA.
E Corresponding author. Email: x-chen@govst.edu
Australian Journal of Botany 59(1) 26-31 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT10191
Submitted: 31 July 2010 Accepted: 26 December 2010 Published: 10 February 2011
Abstract
Soil respiration (Rs) is overwhelmingly the sum of autotrophic respiration (Ra, root and rhizosphere) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh, microbes and soil fauna). Separating Rs into Ra and Rh components is a major challenge but necessary for understanding the implications of environmental change on soil C cycling and sequestration. In this study, a trenching method was employed to partition Rs sources in Chinese fir plantations in Southern China. Soil CO2 efflux (FCO2) rates were measured using an infrared gas analyser system with soil chambers at the trenched and untrenched (Control) plots from January 2007 to December 2008. Soil temperature (Tsoil) and soil water content (Wsoil) were also measured at the plots during the study period. The results showed that the mean soil FCO2 rate from trenched plots (0.88 ± 0.12 µmol m–2 s–1, mean ± s.e.) was significantly lower than that from untrenched plots (1.22 ± 0.18 µmol m–2 s–1) (P < 0.001) during the study period. Compared with Ra, Rh made a major contribution to annual flux of Rs in Chinese fir forests. The relative proportion of Rh to Rs averaged 76 and 69% in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The seasonal changes of Ra to Rs ratio ranged from 13 to 56% with a mean of 33%. The annual mean Rs was 455 ± 249 gC m–2 year–1 in the study site for the study period, of which Rh and Ra were 330 ± 219 and 125 ± 65 gC m–2 year–1, respectively. Both Rs and Rh was strongly correlated with Tsoil at a 5-cm depth, while Ra had no relationship with Tsoil. Temporal variation in Wsoil had little effect on Rs and Rh. The results indicated that the fluxes of Ra and Rh were controlled by different factors and the microbial communities, compared with roots, were likely more sensitive to global warming in affecting soil C fluxes in Chinese fir ecosystems in subtropical regions.
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