Martinez Garcia, Eduardo
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
We analyzed the relationship between forest productivity (joint effect of forest maturity and soil quality) and total soil respiration (mu mol CO2 m(-2) s(-1)) in semi-arid juniper woodlands (young woodlands growing in abandoned farmlands with deeper soils, and mature woodlands in lithic soils), and investigated the seasonal variation in soil CO2 efflux as a function of soil temperature and the soil water content. We measured the soil CO2 efflux from twelve cylinders in the soil over a three-year period using LI-6400 equipment. The results show that, in the more productive site (young woodland), soil CO2 efflux was higher due to greater respiration, mainly in the driest periods. Soil respiration followed a seasonal trend, being higher in spring and decreasing in cold periods. In both juniper woodlands and especially in the older forest, the CO2 efflux rates were low ( 25%) for both woodlands, coinciding with warm temperatures in the spring. This period also corresponded to the highest CO2 efflux recorded in both woodlands. The accumulation of organic C seems to also be important to maintain elevated soil respiration in summer, especially in young woodlands. Thus, apart from microclimatic conditions, factors related to productivity regulate respiratory activity.
Keywords
soil CO2 efflux; Spanish juniper; temperature coefficient; Q(10); slow-growing species; soil moisture; soil organic C; semi-arid climate
Published in
Forests
2022, volume: 13, number: 4, article number: 538
Publisher: MDPI
SLU Authors
Associated SLU-program
SLU Forest Damage Center
UKÄ Subject classification
Forest Science
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040538
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/117012