Soil respiration fluxes measured along a hydrological gradient in a Norway spruce stand in south Sweden (Skogaby)

Abstract

Soil respiration fluxes were measured continuously in order to assess the degree to which they were influenced by spatial and temporal variation in soil moisture. The synergistic effects of the variation in soil moisture with the one in soil temperature, soil organic matter and global radiation on respiration fluxes were also analysed. The measurements were performed using an open chamber system along a hydrological gradient in a Norway spruce forest in south Sweden (Skogaby) for 3 weeks in June 1995. The measured soil respiration fluxes were quite stable and somewhat larger compared with those reported in literature. The experiment took place during the shoot elongation period with intensive nutrient uptake, and it might be that soil respiration was dominated by mycorrhizal activity. Variation in the moisture content of the litter layer accounted for most of the spatial variation in respiration fluxes.