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Effects of in situ experimental air warming on the soil respiration in a coastal salt marsh reclaimed for agriculture

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Abstract

Background and Aims

The reclamation of natural salt marshes for agricultural use is expected to profoundly influence the effects of predicted global warming on the carbon balance of coastal areas globally. This study was undertaken to understand the potential for soil respiration changes in a disturbed coastal ecosystem under future atmospheric warming

Methods

An in situ simulated warming experiment was conducted in a reclaimed salt marsh on Chongming Island in the Yangtze Estuary, China. Open-top chambers (OTCs) were applied to simulate air-warming conditions.

Results

Based on the 2-year study, we found the following: (1) Averaged across the entire study period, the OTCs significantly increased the mean air temperature by 1.53 ± 0.17 °C. (2) The air warming resulted in no significant stimulation of the mean soil respiration averaged across the entire study period. Warming had no significant effect on soil respiration in the growing season, but it markedly reduced soil respiration by 16 % in the non-growing season. (3) Air warming had no significant effect on the mean soil temperature or volumetric moisture at a 5 cm depth, but it increased the mean soil porewater salinity by 119 % averaged across the entire study period. (4) Air warming had no significant effect on total organic carbon, total nitrogen or the molar C/molar N ratio of the soil in the uppermost 10 cm layer during the 2 years of soil respiration measurement. The warming treatment also had no significant effect on aboveground biomass or fine root (<2 mm) density during the second year of soil respiration measurement. (5) Soil temperature accounted for 81.0 % and 79.0 % of the temporal variations of soil respiration in the control (CON) and elevated temperature (ET) plots, respectively. No significant correlation between soil volumetric moisture and soil respiration was observed in either CON or ET. Soil porewater salinity was positively correlated with soil respiration in CON, but such a positive correlation was not found in ET. No change of the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration (Q 10 value) was observed.

Conclusions

Based on above results, we speculate that soil porewater salinity was the key factor controlling the effects of air warming on soil respiration in the reclaimed salt marsh. Our results suggest that an air warming of approximately 1.5 °C over the next few decades may not lead to a higher soil respiration in reclaimed salt marshes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the members of the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Ecological Restoration, East China Normal University, for their assistance with the collection of field data. We are also grateful to the two anonymous reviewers and the section editor for their valuable comments and suggestions. This project was supported by the Key Projects of Science & Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Nos. 10dz1200602 and 10dz1200902).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Ecological Restoration, East China Normal University, No. 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Qicheng Zhong, Jinnan Gong, Chao Zhang & Kaiyun Wang

  2. Department of landscape architecture, school of tourism, Guilin University of Technology, 12 Jiangan Road, Guilin, Guangxi, 541004, China

    Qin Du

  3. School of forest sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FIN-80101, Joensuu, Finland

    Jinnan Gong & Chao Zhang

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  1. Qicheng Zhong
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Correspondence to Kaiyun Wang.

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Responsible Editor: Kees Jan van Groenigen.

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Zhong, Q., Du, Q., Gong, J. et al. Effects of in situ experimental air warming on the soil respiration in a coastal salt marsh reclaimed for agriculture. Plant Soil 371, 487–502 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1707-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1707-z

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