Effects of Forest Age on Soil Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Respiration Differ between Evergreen and Deciduous Forests

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We examined the effects of forest stand age on soil respiration (SR) including the heterotrophic respiration (HR) and autotrophic respiration (AR) of two forest types. We measured soil respiration and partitioned the HR and AR components across three age classes ∼15, ∼25, and ∼35-year-old Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica (Mongolia pine) and Larix principis-rupprechtii (larch) in a forest-steppe ecotone, northern China (June 2006 to October 2009). We analyzed the relationship between seasonal dynamics of SR, HR, AR and soil temperature (ST), soil water content (SWC) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, a plant greenness and net primary productivity indicator). Our results showed that ST and SWC were driving factors for the seasonal dynamics of SR rather than plant greenness, irrespective of stand age and forest type. For ∼15-year-old stands, the seasonal dynamics of both AR and HR were dependent on ST. Higher Q10 of HR compared with AR occurred in larch. However, in Mongolia pine a similar Q10 occurred between HR and AR. With stand age, Q10 of both HR and AR increased in larch. For Mongolia pine, Q10 of HR increased with stand age, but AR showed no significant relationship with ST. As stand age increased, HR was correlated with SWC in Mongolia pine, but for larch AR correlated with SWC. The dependence of AR on NDVI occurred in ∼35-year-old Mongolia pine. Our study demonstrated the importance of separating autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration components of SR when stimulating the response of soil carbon efflux to environmental changes. When estimating the response of autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration to environmental changes, the effect of forest type on age-related trends is required.