Net ecosystem carbon exchange and its affecting factors in a deciduous broad-leaved forest in Songshan, Beijing, China

Abstract

Forests play an important role in terrestrial carbon cycles. The mechanism underlying carbon balance in temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests is not clear. In this study, net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and environmental factors, including air temperature (Ta), soil temperature (Ts), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), soil water content (SWC) and precipitation (P) were continually measured using eddy covariance techniques in 2019 in a deciduous broad-leaved forest in Songshan, Beijing. We analyzed the characteristics of NEE and its response to environmental factors. The results showed that, at diurnal scale, the monthly averaged NEE exhibited a "U" shape curve (i.e., being a carbon sink over daytime while being a carbon source during nighttime) over the growing season. During the non-growing season, NEE was positive (i.e., carbon source) at diurnal scale. At the seasonal scale, NEE exhibited a unimodal curve. The annual cumulative NEE was -111 g C·m-2·a-1. Annual ecosystem respiration was 555 g C·m-2·a-1, while gross ecosystem productivity was 666 g C·m-2·a-1. Carbon sequestration peaked in June, while emission peaked in November. PAR was the dominant factor affecting daytime NEE (NEEd). VPD was the main factor that indirectly affected daytime NEEd, with an optimal VPD value that maximizes daytime NEE around 1-1.5 kPa. Soil temperature was the main factor affecting nighttime NEE (NEEn). SWC was a limiting factor for NEEn. Too high or too low SWC would inhibit NEEn, with an optimal SWC value of 0.28 m3·m-3.