A comparison of trenched plot techniques for partitioning soil respiration
Partitioning the soil surface CO{sub 2} flux (R{sub S}) flux is an important step in understanding ecosystem-level carbon cycling, given that R{sub S} is poorly constrained and its source components may have different responses to climate change. Trenched plots are a classic method of separating the R{sub S} source fluxes, but labor-intensive and may cause considerable disturbance to the soil environment. This study tested if various methods of plant suppression in trenched plots affected R{sub S} fluxes, quantified the R{sub S} response to soil temperature and moisture changes, and estimated the heterotrophic contribution to R{sub S}. It was performed in a boreal black spruce (Picea mariana) plantation, using a complete randomized design, during the 2007 growing season (May-November). Trenched plots had significantly lower R{sub S} than control plots, with differences appearing {approx}100 days after trenching; spatial variability doubled after trenching but then declined throughout the experiment. Most trenching treatments had significantly lower (by {approx}0.5 {mu}mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1}) R{sub S} than the controls, and there was no significant difference in R{sub S} among the various trenching treatments. Soil temperature at 2 cm explained more R{sub S} variability than did 10-cm temperature or soil moisture. Temperature sensitivity (Q10) declined in the control plots from {approx}2.6 (at 5 C) to {approx}1.6 (at 15 C); trenched plots values were higher, from 3.1 at 5 C to 1.9 at 15 C. We estimated R{sub S} for the study period to be 241 {+-} 40 g C m{sup -2}, with roots contributing 64% of R{sub S} after accounting for fine root decay, and 293 g C m{sup -2} for the entire year. These findings suggest that laborious hand weeding of vegetation may be usefully replaced by other methods, easing future studies of this large and poorly-understood carbon flux.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1034233
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-76514; SBIOAH; KP1703030; TRN: US201203%%455
- Journal Information:
- Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 43, Issue 10; ISSN 0038-0717
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Divergent species-specific impacts of whole ecosystem warming and elevated CO2 on vegetation water relations in an ombrotrophic peatland
Partitioning CO2 fluxes with isotopologue measurements and modeling to understand mechanisms of forest carbon sequestration