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Seasonal patterns of soil respiration in three types of communities along grass-desert shrub transition in Inner Mongolia, China

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Abstract

The seasonal dynamics of soil respiration in steppe (S. bungeana), desert shrub (A. ordosica), and shrubperennial (A. ordosica + C. komarovii) communities were investigated during the growth season (May to October) in 2006; their environmental driving factors were also analyzed. In the three communities, soil respiration showed similar characteristics in their growth seasons, with peak respiration values in July and August owing to suitable temperature and soil moisture conditions during this period. Meanwhile, changes in soil respiration were greatly influenced by temperatures and surface soil moistures. Soil water content at a depth of 0 to 10 cm was identified as the key environmental factor affecting the variation in soil respiration in the steppe. In contrast, in desert shrub and shrub-perennial communities, the dynamics of soil respiration was significantly influenced by air temperature. Similarly, the various responses of soil respiration to environmental factors may be attributed to the different soil textures and distribution patterns of plant roots. In desert ecosystems, precipitation results in soil respiration pulses. Soil carbon dioxide (CO2) effluxes greatly increased after rainfall rewetting in all of the ecosystems under study. However, the precipitation pulse effect differed across the ecosystem. We propose that this may be a result of a reverse effect from the soil texture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Zhao Jin  (金 钊), Yuchun Qi  (齐玉春) & Dong Yunshe  (董云社)

  2. State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, 710075, China

    Zhao Jin  (金 钊)

  3. Institute of Geography, Mainz University, Mainz, 55099, Germany

    Manfred Domroes

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  1. Zhao Jin  (金 钊)
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  2. Yuchun Qi  (齐玉春)
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  3. Dong Yunshe  (董云社)
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  4. Manfred Domroes
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Correspondence to Yuchun Qi  (齐玉春).

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Jin, Z., Qi, Y., Yunshe, D. et al. Seasonal patterns of soil respiration in three types of communities along grass-desert shrub transition in Inner Mongolia, China. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 26, 503–512 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-009-0503-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-009-0503-4

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