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Responses of soil respiration in non-growing seasons to environmental factors in a maize agroecosystem, Northeast China

  • Article
  • Atmospheric Science
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Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

Based on continuous three-year measurements (from 2004 to 2007) of eddy covariance and related environmental factors, environmental controls on variation in soil respiration (R s) during non-growing season were explored in a maize agroecosystem in Northeast China. Our results indicated that during non-growing seasons, daily R s was 1.08–4.08 g CO2 m−2 d−1, and the lowest occurred in late November. The average R s of non-growing season was 456.06 ± 20.01 g CO2 m−2, accounting for 11% of the gross primary production (GPP) of the growing season. Additionally, at monthly scale, the lowest value of R s appeared in January or February. From the beginning to the end of non-growing season, daily R s tended to decrease first, and then increase to the highest. There was a significant quadratic curve relationship between R s and soil temperature at 10 cm depth when soil temperature was more than 0°C (P<0.001), with the explaining ratio of 38%–70%. When soil water content was more than 0.1 m3 m−3, soil moisture at 10 cm depth was significantly parabolically correlated with R s (P<0.001), explaining the rate of 18%–60%. Based on all the data of soil temperature of more than 0°C, a better model for R s was established by coupling soil temperature and moisture, which could explain the rate of up to 53%–79%. Meanwhile, the standard error of regression estimation between the values of prediction and observation for R s could reach 2.7%–11.8%. R s in non-growing season can account for 22.4% of R s in growing season, indicating that it plays a critical role in assessing the carbon budget in maize agroecosystem, Northeast China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China

    RongPing Li, GuangSheng Zhou & Yu Wang

  2. Institute of Atmospheric Environment, China Meteorological Administration, Shenyang, 110016, China

    RongPing Li

  3. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    RongPing Li & Yu Wang

  4. Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China

    GuangSheng Zhou

Authors
  1. RongPing Li
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  2. GuangSheng Zhou
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  3. Yu Wang
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Correspondence to GuangSheng Zhou.

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Li, R., Zhou, G. & Wang, Y. Responses of soil respiration in non-growing seasons to environmental factors in a maize agroecosystem, Northeast China. Chin. Sci. Bull. 55, 2723–2730 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-010-3181-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-010-3181-9

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