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 TScerread more
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Book ChapterDOI
Soil Respiration and Litter Decomposition
Paul J. Hanson,Elizabeth O'neill,M. Lala S. Chambers,Jeffery S. Riggs,J. Devereux Joslin,Mark H. Wolfe +5 more
TL;DR: In this article, Hansen et al. measured the collective response of root and soil biological activity to environmental conditions by quantifying the CO2 lost from root and rhizosphere activity as a function of the consumption of organic compounds supplied by aboveground organs.
Journal ArticleDOI
Soil organic carbon stability in forests: Distinct effects of tree species identity and traits
Gerrit Angst,Kevin E. Mueller,Kevin E. Mueller,David M. Eissenstat,Susan E. Trumbore,Susan E. Trumbore,Katherine H. Freeman,Sarah E. Hobbie,Jon Chorover,Jacek Oleksyn,Peter B. Reich,Peter B. Reich,Carsten W. Mueller +12 more
TL;DR: The results suggest tree species regulate soil C stability via the composition of their tissues, especially roots, and strategies aiming to increase soil C stocks may focus on particulate C pools, which can more easily be manipulated and are most sensitive to climate change.
Journal ArticleDOI
Short-term changes in carbon isotope composition of soluble carbohydrates and starch: from canopy leaves to the root system.
S. G. Göttlicher,S. G. Göttlicher,Alexander Knohl,Wolfgang Wanek,Nina Buchmann,Andreas Richter +5 more
TL;DR: The aim of this study was to refine a method for the isolation of root and leaf starch and soluble sugars (neutral fraction) for stable carbon isotope analysis and to assess the short-term temporal variability of the C isotope composition (delta13C) of starch and of the neutral fraction of beech roots and leaves at different canopy heights.
Journal ArticleDOI
Climate dependence of heterotrophic soil respiration from a soil-translocation experiment along a 3000 m tropical forest altitudinal gradient
TL;DR: In this paper, a soil-translocation experiment was conducted to study the influence of altitude on the carbon cycle in tropical forests in Peru, where the authors took replica soil cores at 3030 m, 1500 m, 1000 m and 200 m above sea level along an altitudinal gradient in tropical forest in Peru.
Journal ArticleDOI
Rhizospheric and heterotrophic respiration of a warm-temperate oak chronosequence in China
TL;DR: It is found that the temporal variation of RR and RH can be well explained by soil temperature (T5) at 5 cm depth using exponential equations for all forests, however, RR of 40- year-old and 48-year-old forests peaked in September, while their T5 peaks occurred in August.
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
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
J. S. Singh,S. R. Gupta +1 more
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.