Soil respiration patterns and controls in limestone cedar glades
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Abstract
Aims
Drivers of soil respiration (Rs) in rock outcrop ecosystems remain poorly understood. We investigated these drivers in limestone cedar glades, known for their concentrations of endemic plant species and for seasonal hydrologic extremes (xeric and saturated conditions), and compared our findings to those in temperate grasslands and semi-arid ecosystems.
Methods
We measured Rs, soil temperature (Ts), volumetric soil water content (SWC), soil organic matter (SOM), soil depth, and vegetation cover monthly over 16 mo and analyzed effects of these variables on Rs.
Results
Seasonally, Rs primarily tracked Ts(r2=0.77; P < 0.01); however Rs was depressed during a summer drought. SOM was highly variable spatially, and incorporating SOM effects into the Rs model dramativally improved model performance. Both shallow soil and sparse vegetation cover were also associated with lower Rs.
Conclusions
Soil depth, SOM, and vegetation cover were important drivers of Rs in limestone cedar glades. Seasonal Rs patterns reflected those for mesic temperate grasslands more than for semi-arid ecosystems, in that Rs primarily tracked temperature for most of the year.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Soil respiration patterns and controls in limestone cedar glades |
| Series title | Plant and Soil |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11104-014-2348-6 |
| Volume | 389 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Kluwer Academic Publishers |
| Publisher location | Dordrecht |
| Contributing office(s) | Tennessee Water Science Center |
| Description | 13 |
| First page | 157 |
| Last page | 169 |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |