Abstract
A two consecutive years’ field experiment was carried out on four types of semiarid grassland along precipitation gradient in Xilin River Basin of Inner Mongolia during 2001–2003 using a static enclosed black chamber technique. The variation characteristics of soil respiration fluxes from four different types of grassland along precipitation gradient were compared. The possible effect of water-heat factors on characteristics of grassland soil respiration was statistically analyzed and the numerical relational model between soil respiration and water-heat factors was established. Meanwhile the soil CO2 annual emissions of different types of grassland were estimated based on the consecutive and complete set of field observation data. The results indicate that soil respiration has apparent seasonal variation laws, seasonal variation patterns of soil respiration from different types of grassland along precipitation gradient are basically the same, soil respiration fluxes of various grassland communities are relatively high in late spring and summer but relatively low in autumn and winter, negative fluxes of soil respiration were observed from different types of grassland in winter and the further study of their mechanism is favorable for the accurate estimation of soil respiration amount; soil annual (or growth season) respiration amount of four types of grassland along precipitation gradient decreases progressively along the gradient in the order ofStipa baicalensis meadow steppe >Aneurolepidium chinense steppe >Stipa grandis steppe >Stipa krylovii steppe; soil respiration of different types of grassland during growth season is positively correlated with soil water content at depths of 0–10 and 10–20 cm to different degrees but the correlativity with air temperature and top depth soil temperature is relatively weak, variations of surface soil water content of four types of grassland during growth season can normally explain 70.2%–94.7% of the variations of soil respiration fluxes, whereas during non-growth season of the plants, soil respiration are more likely restricted by air temperature and top depth soil temperature, and variations of temperature conditions can explain over 70% of the variations of soil respiration fluxes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Houghton, R. A., Counting terrestrial sources and sinks of carbon, Climatic Change, 2001, 48: 525–534.
Prentice, I. C., Farquhar, G. D., Fasham, M. J. R. et al., The carbon cycle and atmospheric carbon dioxide (eds. Houghton, J. T., Ding, Y., Griggs, D. J. et al.), Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis (IPCC), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, 184–237.
Schlesinger, W. H., Andrews, J. A., Soil respiration and the global carbon cycle, Biogeochemistry, 2000, 48: 7–20.
Zhang, X. S., The Eco-economic functions of the grassland and its patterns, Science and Technology Review (in Chinese), 2000, 8: 3–5.
Sims, P. L., Bradford, J. A., Carbon dioxide fluxes in a southern plains prairie, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2001, 109: 117–134.
Frank, A. B., Carbon dioxide fluxes over a grazed prairie and seeded pasture in the Northern Great Plains, Environmental Pollution, 2002, 116: 397–403.
Schimel, D. S., Terrestrial ecosystems and the carbon cycle, Global Change Biology, 1995, 1: 77–91.
Li, L. H., Chen, Z. Z., Soil respiration in grassland communities in the world, Chinese Journal of Ecology (in Chinese), 1998, 17(4): 45–51.
Mielnick, P. C., Dugas, W. A., Soil CO2 flux in a tallgrass prairie, Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2000, 32: 221–228.
Frank, A. B., Liebig, M. A., Hanson, J. D., Soil carbon dioxide in northern semiarid grasslands, Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2002, 34: 1235–1241.
Kabwe, L. K., Hendry, M. J., Wilson, G. W. et al., Quantifying CO2 fluxes from soil surfaces to the atmosphere, Journal of Hydrology, 2002, 260: 1–14.
Craine, J. M., Wedin, D. A., Determinants of growing season soil CO2 flux in a Minnesota grassland, Biogeochemistry, 2002, 59: 303–313.
Pati, D. P., Behera, N., Dash, M. C., Microbial and root contribution to total soil metabolism in a tropical grassland soil from Orissa, India. Rev. Ecol. Biol. Sol., 1983, 20(2): 183–190.
Upadhyaya, S. D., Singh, V. P., Microbial turnover of organic matter in atropic grassland soil, Pedobiologia, 1981, 21: 100–109.
Holt, J. A., Hodgen, M. J., Lamb, D., Soil respiration in a seasonally dry tropics near Townsville, North Queensland, Aust. J. Soil Res., 1990, 28: 737–745.
Hunt, J. E., Kelliher, F. M., McSeveny, T. M. et al., Evaporation and carbon dioxide exchange between the atmosphere and a tussock grassland during a summer drought, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2002, 111: 65–82.
Wang, W., Guo, J. X., Contribution of CO2 emission from soil respiration and from litter decomposition inLymus chinensis community in Northeast Songnen grassland, Acta Ecologica Sinica (in Chinese), 2002, 22(5): 655–660.
Li, L. H., Wang, Q. B., Bai, Y. F. et al., Soil respiration of aleymus chinensis grassland stand in the Xilin River Basin as affected by over-grazing and climate, Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (in Chinese), 2000, 24(6): 680–686.
Cui, X. Y., Chen, S. Q., Chen, Z. Z. et al., CO2 release from typicalStipa grandis grassland soil, Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (in Chinese), 2000, 11(3): 390–394.
Chen, S. Q., Cui, X. Y., Zhou, G. S. et al., Study on the CO2 release rate of soil respiration and litter decomposition inStipa grandis steppe in Xilin river basin, Inner Mongolia. Acta Botanica Sinica (in Chinese), 1999, 41(6): 645–650.
Du, R., Wang, G. C., Lü, D. R. et al.,In situ measurements of CO2 flux in grassland ecosystem by closed chamber technique, Acta Ecologica Sinica (in Chinese), 2002, 22(12): 2167–2174.
Wang, G. C., Du, R., Kong, Q. X. et al., Experimental study on soil respiration of temperate grassland in China, Chinese Science Bulletin, 2004, 49(6): 642–646.
Zhang, Y., Li, L. H., Wang, Y.F. et al., Comparison of soil respiration in two grassland-dominated communities in the Xilin River Basin: correlations and controls, Acta Botanica Sinica (in Chinese), 2003, 45 (9): 1024–1029.
Li, L. H., Han, X.G., Wang, Q. B. et al., Correlations between plant biomass and soil respiration in aLeymus chinensis community in the Xilin River Basin of Inner Mongolia, Acta Botanica Sinica (in Chinese), 2002, 44(5): 593–597.
Cao, G. M., Li, Y. N., Zhang, J. X. et al., Values of carbon dioxide emission from different land use patterns of Alpine meadow, Environmental Science (in Chinese), 2001, 22(6): 14–19.
Zhang, J. X., Cao, G. M., Zhou, D. W. et al., Diel and seasonal changes of carbon dioxide emission from mollic-cryic cambisols on degrades grassland, Acta Pedologica Sinica (in Chinese), 2001, 38(1): 31–40.
Li, B., Yong, S. P., Li, Z. H., The vegetation of the Xilin river basin and its utilization, In Research on Grassland Ecosystem No. 3 (in Chinese), Beijing: Science Press, 1988, 84–183.
Liu, S. R., Liu, Z. L., Outline of flora of the Xilin River basin, Inner Mongolia, In Research on Grassland Ecosystem No. 3 (in Chinese), Beijing: Science Press, 1988, 227–268.
Mosier, A. R., Delgado, J. A., Methane and nitrous oxide fluxes in grasslands in western Puerto Rico, Chemosphere, 1997, 35: 2050–2082.
Kessavallou, A., Mosier, A. R., Doran, J. W. et al., Fluxes of CO2, N2O and CH4 in grass sod and winter-wheat fallow tillage management, Journal of Environmental Quality, 1998, 27: 1094–1104.
Du, R., Wang, G. C., Lü, D. R. et al., A Study of chamber method for in-site measurements of greenhouse gases emissions from grassland, Chinese Journal of Atmospheric Sciences (in Chinese), 2001, 25(1): 61–70.
Dong, Y.S., Qi, Y.C., Luo, J. et al., The experimental study on N2O, CH4 fluxes from the dark coniferous forest zone soil of the Gongga Mountain, China, Science in China, 2003, 46(3): 285–295.
Du, R., Chen, G. X., Lü, D. R. et al., The primary research on in situ measurement of N2O and CH4 fluxes from the Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem, Climatic and Environmental Research (in Chinese), 1997, 2(3): 264–272.
Sun, X. Y., Qiao, J., Tan, X., Flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) intemperate forest soils, Journal of Northeast Forestry University (in Chinese), 2001, 29(1): 34–39.
Zhang, J. X., Cao, G. M., Zhou, D. W. et al., The carbon storage and carbon cycle among the atmosphere, soil, vegetation and animal in the Kobresia Humilis alpine meadow ecosystem, Acta Ecologica Sinica (in Chinese), 2003, 23(4): 627–634.
Raich, J. W., Schlesinger, W. H., The global carbon dioxide flux in soil respiration and its relationship to vegetation and climate, Tellus, 1992, 44B: 81–99.
Raich, J. W., Tufekcioglu, A., Vegetation and soil respiration: correlations and controls, Biogeochemistry, 2000, 48: 71–90.
Davidson, E. A., Verchot, L.V., Cattânio, J. H. et al., Effect of soil water content on soil respiration in forest and cattle pastures of eastern Amazonia, Biogeochemistry, 2000, 48: 53–69.
Lenton, T. M., Land and ocean carbon cycle feedback effects on global warming in a simple earth system model, Tellus, 2000, 52B: 1159–1188.
Woodwell, G. M., Mackenzie, F. T., Houghton, R. A. et al., Biotic feedbacks in the warming of the earth, Climate Change, 1998, 40: 495–518.
Fang, C., Moncrieff, J. B., The dependence of soil CO2 efflux on temperature, Soil Biology & Biochemistry (in Chinese), 2001, 33: 155–165.
Luo, Y.Q., Wan, S. Q., Hui, D. F. et al., Acclimatization of Soil Respiration to warming in a Tall Grass Prairie, Nature, 2001, 413: 622–625.
Keith, H., Jacobsen, K. L., Raison, R. J., Effects of soil phosphorus availability, temperature and moisture on soil respiration in Eucalyptus pauciflora forest, Plant and Soil, 1997, 190: 127–141.
Chen, Q. S., Li, L. H., Han, X. G. et al., Response of soil respiration to temperature in eleven communities in Xilingol grassland, Inner Mongolia, Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (in Chinese), 2003, 27(4): 441–447.
Wildung, R. E., Garland, T. R., Buschbom, R. L., The interdependent effects of soil temperature and water content on soil respiration rate and plant root decomposition in arid grassland soils, Soil. Bio. Biochem., 1975, 7: 373–378.
Chen, S. Y., Li, J., Lu, P. L. et al., Soil respiration characteristics in winter wheat field in North China Plain, Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (in Chinese), 2004, 15(9): 1552–1560.
Mu, S. G., Respiration of soil under temperate deciduous, coniferous and mixes forests, Acta Pedologica Sinica (in Chinese), 2004, 41(4): 564–570.
Davidson, E. A., Belk, E., Boone, R. D., Soil water content and temperature as independent or confounded factors controlling soil respiration in a temperate mixed hardwood forest, Global Change Biology, 1998, 4: 217–227.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Dong, Y., Qi, Y., Liu, J. et al. Variation characteristics of soil respiration fluxes in four types of grassland communities under different precipitation intensity. Chin.Sci.Bull. 50, 583–591 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02897484
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02897484