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Journal ArticleDOI

Separating root and soil microbial contributions to soil respiration: A review of methods and observations

TLDR
In this article, three primary methods have been used to distinguish hetero- versus autotrophic soil respiration including integration of components contributing to in situ forest soil CO2 efflux (i.e., litter, roots, soil), comparison of soils with and without root exclusion, and application of stable or radioactive isotope methods.
Abstract
Forest soil respiration is the sum of heterotrophic (microbes, soil fauna) and auto- trophic (root) respiration. The contribution of each group needs to be understood to evaluate implications of environmental change on soil carbon cycling and sequestration. Three primary methods have been used to distinguish hetero- versus autotrophic soil respiration including: integration of components contributing to in situ forest soil CO2 efflux (i.e., litter, roots, soil), comparison of soils with and without root exclusion, and application of stable or radioactive isotope methods. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages, but isotope based methods provide quantitative answers with the least amount of disturbance to the soil and roots. Pub- lished data from all methods indicate that root/rhizosphere respiration can account for as little as 10 percent to greater than 90 percent of total in situ soil respiration depending on vegetation type and season of the year. Studies which have integrated percent root contribution to total soil respiration throughout an entire year or growing season show mean values of 45.8 and 60.4 percent for forest and nonforest vegetation, respectively. Such average annual values must be extrapolated with caution, however, because the root contribution to total soil respiration is commonly higher during the growing season and lower during the dormant periods of the year. Abbreviations: TScer -t otal soil CO 2 efflux rate; f - fractional root contribution to TS cer; RC - root contribution to TScer

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Spreading topsoil encourages ecological restoration on embankments: soil fertility, microbial activity and vegetation cover.

TL;DR: A significant implication of these results is that it permits the application of thinner topsoil layers, with major savings in this scarce resource during the subsequent slope restoration work, but the quality ofTopsoil relative to the original substrate should be previously assessed on a site by site basis.
Journal ArticleDOI

Relating coarse root respiration to root diameter in clonal Eucalyptus stands in the Republic of the Congo

TL;DR: A model based on a radial gradient of respiratory activity within the root to simulate the exponential decrease in respiration with diameter is proposed to provide a basis for scaling up organ-level root respiration measurements to the tree and stand levels.
Journal ArticleDOI

Intensive management modifies soil CO 2 efflux in 6-year-old Pinus taeda L. stands

TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined soil CO2 efflux (S C O 2 ) in a 6-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation in response to weed control, weed control plus irrigation, fertigation and pest control (WIFP) since plantation establishment.
Journal ArticleDOI

Carbon sources and sinks in high-elevation spruce-fir forests of the Southeastern US

TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined carbon (C) pools, fluxes, and net ecosystem balance for a high-elevation red spruce-Fraser fir forest [Picea rubens Sarg/Abies fraseri (Pursh.) Poir] in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Journal ArticleDOI

Efficient irrigation management can contribute to reduce soil CO2 emissions in agriculture

TL;DR: In this article, the effects of three irrigation strategies on soil CO 2 emissions, soil C pool dynamics and aggregate content and stability were investigated in an orchard for one year to investigate the effects.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

The global carbon dioxide flux in soil respiration and its relationship to vegetation and climate

TL;DR: In this article, measured rates of soil respiration from terrestrial and wetland ecosystems were used to define the annual global CO 2 flux from soils, to identify uncertainties in the global flux estimate, and to investigate the influences of temperature, precipitation, and vegetation.
Journal ArticleDOI

Carbon Isotopes in PhotosynthesisFractionation techniques may reveal new aspects of carbon dynamics in plants

Marion H. O'Leary
- 01 May 1988 - 
TL;DR: The fractionation of carbon isotopes that occurs during photosynthesis is one of the most useful techniques for investigating the efficiency of CO2 uptake and indicates that different strategies are needed for improving wateruse efficiency in different kinds of plants.
Journal ArticleDOI

Soil respiration and the global carbon cycle

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a brief review for policymakers who are concerned that changes in soil respiration may contribute to the rise in CO2 in Earth's atmosphere, while simultaneously leaving a greater store of carbon in the soil.
Journal ArticleDOI

Model estimates of CO2 emissions from soil in response to global warming

TL;DR: In this article, the Rothamsted model is used to calculate the amount of CO2 that would be released from the world stock of soil organic matter if temperatures increase as predicted, the annual return of plant debris to the soil being held constant.
Journal ArticleDOI

Plant decomposition and soil respiration in terrestrial ecosystems

TL;DR: In this article, a review deals with methodological approaches, measured rates, and environmental control of two major interdependent processes regulating the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, viz., plant decomposition and soil respiration.
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