Chin J Plant Ecol ›› 2025, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (3): 502-512.DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2024.0178  cstr: 32100.14.cjpe.2024.0178

• Research Articles • Previous Articles    

Characteristics of soil respiration components and influencing factors in the subalpine meadows of Wuyi Mountain

GE Xiao-Cai1, LI Jing-Long1, SUN Jun2,3, WU Pan-Pan1, HU Dan-Dan1,2,*(), CHENG Dong-Liang1,2, ZHONG Quan-Lin1,2   

  1. 1Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
    2Fujian Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
    3School of Resources and Environment, Anqing Normal University, Anqing, Anhui 246133, China
  • Received:2024-05-28 Accepted:2024-10-09 Online:2025-03-20 Published:2024-10-11
  • Contact: HU Dan-Dan
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(32071555);National Natural Science Foundation of China(32001294);National Natural Science Foundation of China(31971643);Key Public Welfare Project of Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology(2022R1002002)

Abstract:

Aims The subalpine meadow of Wuyi Mountain is the highest meadows in the subtropical region of southeastern China. Identifying the variation characteristics of soil carbon flux components, and exploring their relationships with environmental factors and temperature sensitivity (Q10) are of great significance for accurately estimating regional soil carbon balance and improving the knowledge about carbon flux dynamics in subalpine meadows.
Methods From May 2020 to April 2021, the LI-8100 CO2 flux analyzer was utilized to systematically monitor the soil respiration rate (RS) in the meadow located at the summit of Wuyi Mountain. Additionally, the root exclusion method was applied to distinguish between the autotrophic respiration rate (RA) and heterotrophic respiration rate (RH).
Important findings (1) The dynamics of RS, RA and RH followed bimodal patterns, with consistently higher rates record from May to October compared to other months. Notably, the RA exhibited greater variability than RH throughout the year, accounting for 45% of RS. (2) A multi-model comparative analysis suggested that the temperature (T) exhibited an exponential correlation with soil respiration rate and its components in the subalpine meadow soil of Wuyi Mountain. The ranking of Q10 values for soil respiration rate and its components was RA (Q10 = 1.96) > RS (Q10 = 1.94) > RH (Q10 = 1.67). Although soil moisture (W) had a certain effect on RS, there was no significant relationship between RA and RH. The two-factor models including both T and W provided a better fit for RS than single-factor models, jointly explaining 48% of the variation in RS. In conclusion, soil respiration was primarily driven by heterotrophic respiration, while autotrophic respiration was more sensitive to temperature. Additionally, soil temperature and humidity were crucial environmental factors influencing soil respiration in the subalpine meadow of Wuyi Mountain, with soil respiration inhibited by low temperatures and high humidity. This study contributes to enhancing our understanding of the seasonal dynamics and influencing factors of soil respiration and its components in the subalpine meadow, providing valuable insights for regional soil carbon flux and carbon cycle research.

Key words: soil respiration, autotrophic respiration, heterotrophic respiration, temperature sensitivity (Q10), subalpine meadow