Contribution of root respiration to total soil respiration in a semi-arid grassland on the Loess Plateau, China

Abstract

Using the trenching method, a study was conducted in a grassland on the Loess Plateau of northern China in 2008 and 2009 to partition total soil respiration (Rt) into microbial respiration (Rm) and root respiration (Rr). Using the measurements of soil CO2 diffusivity and soil CO2 production, an analytical model was applied to correct the data, aiming to quantify the method-induced error. The results showed that Rm and Rr responded differently to biotic and abiotic factors and exhibited different diurnal and seasonal variations. The diurnal variation of Rm was strongly controlled by soil temperature, while Rr might be mainly controlled by photosynthesis. The combination of soil temperature and moisture could better explain the seasonal variation in Rm (r2=0.76, P<0.001). The seasonal variation of Rr was influenced mainly by the plant activity. The contribution of root respiration to total soil respiration (Rr/Rt ratio) also exhibited substantial diurnal and seasonal variations, being higher at nighttime and lower at daytime. In the different growing stages, the Rr/Rt ratios ranged from 15.0% to 62.0% in 2008 and 14.5% to 63.6% in 2009. The mean values of the Rr/Rt ratio in the growing season and the annual mean Rr/Rt ratio were 41.7% and 41.9%, respectively, during the experiment period. Different precipitation distributions in the two years did not change the yearly Rr/Rt ratio. Corrected with the analytical model, the trenching method in small root-free plots led to an underestimation of Rr and Rr/Rt ratio by 4.2% and 1.8%.