Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2015, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (5): 605-613.DOI: 10.11983/CBB15064

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Effect of Grazing on Diurnal and Seasonal Dynamics of Soil Respiration Rate of Leymus secalinus Communities

Huisen Zhu1, Gang Li1, Kuanhu Dong1, Xiang Zhao1*, Wenjun Gao1, Guohua Ren1, Jia Mi2   

  1. 1College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, Chin
    2Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
  • Received:2015-04-22 Accepted:2015-06-18 Online:2015-09-01 Published:2015-10-09
  • Contact: Zhao Xiang
  • About author:

    ? These authors contributed equally to this paper

Abstract: Soil respiration, as a key process in soil CO2 emission, is strongly affected by land-use change. To explore the factors affecting carbon cyclic processes of Leymus secalinus communities under grazing, we measured diurnal and seasonal dynamics of soil respiration by the closed static chamber technique (LI-840a) during 2012 and 2013 to provide some basis for the rational use of L. secalinus communities. Furthermore, we analysed the correlation of soil respiration and air temperature, soil temperature, and soil moisture content. Diurnal and seasonal dynamics of soil respiration rate showed a unimodal distribution, with the peak value occurring at about 13:00 and the lowest at 4:00; the peak soil respiration rate appeared in July and August and the lowest in May, June and September. During the growing season, grazing could reduce the soil respiration rate, but the trend in rate did not significantly change. Diurnal dynamics of soil respiration rate was significantly correlated with air temperature. Seasonal dynamics of soil respiration rate was mainly regulated by the temperature of the 0- to 10-cm soil layer. We found an exponential model that could simulate the relationship between soil respiration rate and surface-layer temperature. Using the model, the caculated Rs were 1.040 8e0.086Ts (fencing plots) and 1.016e0.075 2Ts (grazing plots). Temperature was the main factor affecting the soil respiration rate of L. secalinus communities, and grazing could decrease the soil respiration rate by changing the surface layer temperature.