Abstract
Carbon dioxide emission from soil, known as soil respiration, is one of the major sources of the atmospheric carbon. Understanding the relationship between emission rate and the factors associated with the emission process is important in global carbon emission management. The present study investigated soil respiration at three ecologically diverse locations in northern India. CO2 emission was measured in-situ by modified alkali absorption method at three different depths, top-soil (0 cm - 2 cm depth), mid-soil (20 cm depth) and deep-soil (40 cm depth) at each location. Rate of carbon emission from soil varied with location and time. The rate was higher at Riverine Zone (RZ) which had high soil moisture content and profuse ground vegetation compared to Hilly Zone (HZ) containing dry soil and scarce vegetation. The emission rate was also greater in grassland than the plantation area. Rate of carbon emission from soil was heterogeneous along different depths below the ground. Diel variation in emission rate was greater at HZ compared to RZ. Higher microbial population in soil was detected in RZ than HZ. However, the bacterial count out-numbered the fungal count in soils at most places. The study indicates a positive relationship between soil respiration rate and microbial abundance. The fungal population was strongly correlated with CO2 emission rate.
Highlights
Carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has been increasing since the industrial revolution
Soil Respiration at Different Sites Soil respiration (SR) rate was higher at the Riverine Zone (RZ) compared to the Hilly Zone (HZ) (P < 0.05)
The variation in soil respiration along depths at HZ-I was greater compared to RZ-I and RZ-II (Figure 2)
Summary
Carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has been increasing since the industrial revolution. The release of CO2 from soil due to autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration is known as soil respiration, is the second largest source of CO2 efflux in the atmosphere [2]. Several soil physio-chemical and biological factors affect the rate of CO2 emission from soil [4]. These factors are interrelated, and show both synergistic and antagonistic effects on the emission rate. The physio-chemical properties of soil and the rate of carbon emission from the soil are intricately related and vary in soils [5,6]. Changes in day and night can affect the soil temperature especially the top-soil that eventually affects biological activities in the soil [7]
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