Spatio-temporal variations of soil respiration in five typical plant communities in the meadow steppe of the western Songnen Plain, China

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1258.2014.00036

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Soil respiration plays a critical role in the process of carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, and it often shows spatio-temporal variations in response to diverse abiotic and biotic factors. Our objective was to examine the seasonal and spatial variations of soil respiration under five typical plant communities in the meadow steppe of western Songnen Plain.
Methods Using a LI-6400 soil CO₂ flux system, we investigated soil respiration and environmental factors under five vegetation types (Suaeda glauca, Chloris virgata, Puccinellia distans, Phragmites australis and Leymus chinensis) in the meadow steppe of Songnen Plain during the growing seasons of 2011 and 2012.
Important findings Soil temperature was the dominant controlling factor of soil respiration, which explained approximately 64% of the changes in soil CO₂ effluxes. Soil water content was not the limiting factor of the seasonal variations in soil respiration. The sensitivities of soil respiration to temperature (Q₁₀) ranged from 2.0 to 6.7, showing significant differences among vegetation types. The cumulative CO₂ emission averaged 316.6 g C·m^-2 during the growing season. The magnitude of soil CO₂ emission during the growing season was positively correlated with aboveground plant biomass, soil organic carbon content, and mean soil water content, and negatively linked to mean soil temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and percentage of exchangeable sodium. The spatial variations of soil CO₂ emission were mainly caused by changes in soil microclimate, plant biomass, and soil properties.

Key words: meadow steppe, soil respiration, soil temperature, soil water content, spatial and temporal pattern

WANG Ming, LIU Xing-Tu, ZHANG Ji-Tao, LI Xiu-Jun, WANG Guo-Dong, LU Xin-Rui, LI Xiao-Yu. Spatio-temporal variations of soil respiration in five typical plant communities in the meadow steppe of the western Songnen Plain, China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2014, 38(4): 396-404.

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Figures/Tables 6

References 41

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样地编号 Plot code	植物群落 Plant community	土壤温度 Soil temperature (oC)	土壤含水量 Soil water content (%, v/v)	土壤容重 Soil bulk density (g·m^-3)	pH	电导率 Electrical conductivity (mS·cm^-1)	土壤交换性钠百分比 Percentage of soil exchangeable sodium (%)	生物量 Biomass (g·m^-2)	土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon content (g·kg^-1)	总氮 Total N (g·kg^-1)
SG	碱蓬 Suaeda glauca	18.7 ± 0.6	19.7 ± 1.8	1.4 ± 0.005	10.2 ± 0.11	1.92 ± 0.09	85.0 ± 9.0	75.5 ± 5.5	8.7 ± 1.6	0.70 ± 0.03
CV	虎尾草 Chloris virgata	17.9 ± 0.5	22.4 ± 3.2	1.4 ± 0.010	9.7 ± 0.32	0.60 ± 0.07	74.1 ± 10.2	306.8 ± 17.3	11.9 ± 0.5	0.70 ± 0.04
PD	碱茅 Puccinellia distans	18.3 ± 0.7	23.9 ± 4.1	1.4 ± 0.007	9.9 ± 0.02	0.70 ± 0.03	71.3 ± 10.1	190.9 ± 16.7	10.2 ± 2.1	0.62 ± 0.05
LC	羊草 Leymus chinensis	17.8 ± 0.5	22.4 ± 3.2	1.4 ± 0.005	9.4 ± 0.31	0.53 ± 0.03	52.8 ± 9.9	419.3 ± 17.5	15.2 ± 0.1	0.69 ± 0.03
PA	芦苇 Phragmites australis	16.5 ± 0.4	27.7 ± 3.3	1.3 ± 0.195	8.4 ± 0.18	0.27 ± 0.03	24.8 ± 10.2	548.8 ± 48.8	18.9 ± 1.4	1.01 ± 0.08

样地编号 Plot code	植物群落 Plant community	土壤温度 Soil temperature (oC)	土壤含水量 Soil water content (%, v/v)	土壤容重 Soil bulk density (g·m^-3)	pH	电导率 Electrical conductivity (mS·cm^-1)	土壤交换性钠百分比 Percentage of soil exchangeable sodium (%)	生物量 Biomass (g·m^-2)	土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon content (g·kg^-1)	总氮 Total N (g·kg^-1)
SG	碱蓬 Suaeda glauca	18.7 ± 0.6	19.7 ± 1.8	1.4 ± 0.005	10.2 ± 0.11	1.92 ± 0.09	85.0 ± 9.0	75.5 ± 5.5	8.7 ± 1.6	0.70 ± 0.03
CV	虎尾草 Chloris virgata	17.9 ± 0.5	22.4 ± 3.2	1.4 ± 0.010	9.7 ± 0.32	0.60 ± 0.07	74.1 ± 10.2	306.8 ± 17.3	11.9 ± 0.5	0.70 ± 0.04
PD	碱茅 Puccinellia distans	18.3 ± 0.7	23.9 ± 4.1	1.4 ± 0.007	9.9 ± 0.02	0.70 ± 0.03	71.3 ± 10.1	190.9 ± 16.7	10.2 ± 2.1	0.62 ± 0.05
LC	羊草 Leymus chinensis	17.8 ± 0.5	22.4 ± 3.2	1.4 ± 0.005	9.4 ± 0.31	0.53 ± 0.03	52.8 ± 9.9	419.3 ± 17.5	15.2 ± 0.1	0.69 ± 0.03
PA	芦苇 Phragmites australis	16.5 ± 0.4	27.7 ± 3.3	1.3 ± 0.195	8.4 ± 0.18	0.27 ± 0.03	24.8 ± 10.2	548.8 ± 48.8	18.9 ± 1.4	1.01 ± 0.08

样地编号 Plot code	R_s = a + bW_s + cW_s²					R_s = a + bT_s+ cW_s+ dT_s²+ eW_s²
样地编号 Plot code	a	b	c	R²	p	a	b	c	d	e	R²	p
SG	0.04	0.05	-0.001	0.14	< 0.05	0.72	-0.07	0.003	0.003	-0.000 7	0.72	< 0.01
CV	-1.06	0.26	-0.005	0.21	< 0.01	1.62	-0.36	0.070	0.015	-0.001 0	0.81	< 0.01
PD	-0.03	0.13	-0.002	0.15	< 0.05	-0.13	0.01	-0.004	0.003	0.000 5	0.66	< 0.01
LC	0.35	0.19	-0.004	0.09	> 0.05	-1.37	0.10	0.075	0.002	-0.001 0	0.67	< 0.01
PA	0.39	0.18	-0.003	0.07	> 0.05	-0.76	0.09	0.055	0.004	0.000 7	0.54	< 0.01

样地编号 Plot code	R_s = a + bW_s + cW_s²					R_s = a + bT_s+ cW_s+ dT_s²+ eW_s²
样地编号 Plot code	a	b	c	R²	p	a	b	c	d	e	R²	p
SG	0.04	0.05	-0.001	0.14	< 0.05	0.72	-0.07	0.003	0.003	-0.000 7	0.72	< 0.01
CV	-1.06	0.26	-0.005	0.21	< 0.01	1.62	-0.36	0.070	0.015	-0.001 0	0.81	< 0.01
PD	-0.03	0.13	-0.002	0.15	< 0.05	-0.13	0.01	-0.004	0.003	0.000 5	0.66	< 0.01
LC	0.35	0.19	-0.004	0.09	> 0.05	-1.37	0.10	0.075	0.002	-0.001 0	0.67	< 0.01
PA	0.39	0.18	-0.003	0.07	> 0.05	-0.76	0.09	0.055	0.004	0.000 7	0.54	< 0.01

土壤因子 Soil factor	方程 Equation y = ax + b
土壤因子 Soil factor	a	b	R²	p
10 cm深处土壤温度 Soil temperature at 10 cm depth	-187	3 630	0.81	p < 0.05
0-10 cm深处土壤含水量 Soil water content at 0-10 cm depth	5 351	-937	0.80	p < 0.05
pH	-226	2 473	0.80	p < 0.05
电导率 Electric conductivity	-0.003	1.9	0.81	p < 0.05
土壤交换性钠百分比 Percentage of soil exchangeable sodium	-7	732	0.87	p < 0.05
地上生物量 Aboveground biomass	0.9	42	0.93	p < 0.01
土壤有机碳 Soil organic carbon	39	-195	0.89	p < 0.01
土壤总氮 Soil total N	627	-153	0.37	p > 0.05
土壤容重 Soil bulk density	-3 641	5 371	0.48	p > 0.05