Short-term responses of winter soil respiration to snow removal in a Picea asperata forest of western Sichuan

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2017.0015

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Seasonal snow cover is one of the most important factors that control winter soil respiration in the cold biomes. The warming-induced decreases in snowpack could affect winter soil respiration of subalpine forests. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of snow removal on winter soil respiration in a Picea asperata forest.Methods A snow removal experiment was conducted in a P. asperata forest stand in western Sichuan during the winter of 2015/2016. The snow removal treatment was implemented using wooden roof method. Soil temperatures, snow depth and soil respiration rate were simultaneously measured in plots of snow removal and controls during the experimental period.Important findings Compared to the control, snow removal increased the fluctuations of soil temperatures. The average daily temperature of the soil surface and that at 5 cm depth were 1.12 °C and 0.34 °C lower, respectively, and the numbers of freeze-thaw cycles of the soil surface and that at 5 cm depth were increased by 39 and 12, respectively, in plots of snow removal than in the controls. The average rate of winter soil respiration and CO₂ efflux were 0.52 μmol·m^-2·s^-1and 88.44 g·m^-2, respectively. On average, snow removal reduced soil respiration rate by 21.02% and CO₂ efflux by 25.99%, respectively. More importantly, the snow effect mainly occurred in the early winter. The winter soil respiration rate had a significant exponential relationship with soil temperature. However, snow removal significantly reduced temperature sensitivity of the winter soil respiration. Our results suggest that seasonal snow reduction associated with climate change could inhibit winter soil respiration in the subalpine forests of western Sichuan, with significant implications for the carbon dynamics of the subalpine forests.

http://jtp.cnki.net/bilingual/detail/html/ZWSB201709004

Key words: subalpine forest, seasonal snowpack, snow removal, soil respiration, temperature sensitivity, forest carbon sink

Kai-Jun YANG, Wan-Qin YANG, Yu TAN, Ruo-Yang HE, Li-Yan ZHUANG, Zhi-Jie LI, Bo TAN, Zhen-Feng XU. Short-term responses of winter soil respiration to snow removal in a Picea asperata forest of western Sichuan[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2017, 41(9): 964-971.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2017.0015

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2017/V41/I9/964

Figures/Tables 8

References 35

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土壤深度 Soil depth (cm)	处理 Treatment	日平均温度(℃) Daily mean temperature (℃)	最低温度(℃) Minimum temperature (℃)	土壤冻结天数 Duration of frozen soil (d)	冻融次数 Freeze-thaw cycle
0	雪被去除 Snow removal	-2.15	-9.1	103	63
0	对照 Control	-0.71	-2.2	122	24
5	雪被去除 Snow removal	-0.61	-1.6	83	25
5	对照 Control	-0.28	-0.5	99	13

土壤深度 Soil depth (cm)	处理 Treatment	日平均温度(℃) Daily mean temperature (℃)	最低温度(℃) Minimum temperature (℃)	土壤冻结天数 Duration of frozen soil (d)	冻融次数 Freeze-thaw cycle
0	雪被去除 Snow removal	-2.15	-9.1	103	63
0	对照 Control	-0.71	-2.2	122	24
5	雪被去除 Snow removal	-0.61	-1.6	83	25
5	对照 Control	-0.28	-0.5	99	13

处理 Treatment	a	b	Q₁₀	R²	p
雪被去除 Snow removal	0.39	0.16	4.95 ± 0.69	0.54	<0.05
对照 Control	0.48	0.24	11.02 ± 0.72	0.65	<0.01

处理 Treatment	a	b	Q₁₀	R²	p
雪被去除 Snow removal	0.39	0.16	4.95 ± 0.69	0.54	<0.05
对照 Control	0.48	0.24	11.02 ± 0.72	0.65	<0.01

位置 Location	纬度 Latitude	经度 Longitude	冬季CO₂通量 Winter CO₂ efflux (g·m^-2·a^-1)	平均土壤呼吸速率 Mean soil respiration rate (μmol·m^-2·s^-1)	参考文献 References
加拿大 Canada	55.37°-56.24° N	97.24°-99.05° W	40-55	0.1-0.8	Winston et al., 1997
中国黑龙江 Heilongjiang, China	50.93° N	121.50° E	/	0.7	Du et al., 2013
中国黑龙江 Heilongjiang, China	45.40° N	127.66° E	51.7	0.21	Wang et al., 2013
奥地利 Austria	47.56° N	11.63° E	62	0.24-0.64	Schindlbacher et al., 2007
美国爱达荷州 Idaho, America	46.08° N	116.08° W	132	0.8	Mcdowell et al., 2000
中国河北 Hebei, China	42.17°-42.83° N	117.20°-117.50° E	31.64	0.21	Wang et al., 2010b
美国科罗拉多州 Colorado, America	39.07° N	105.87° W	71	0.34	Hubbard et al., 2005
日本 Japan	36.13° N	137.42° E	84	0.48	Mo et al., 2005
中国四川 Sichuan, China	31.68° N	103.88° E	/	0.51	Xiong et al., 2010
中国四川 Sichuan, China	31.25° N	102.88° E	88.44	0.52	本研究 This study