FOR891_sp05c carbon

SP05c Soil carbon fluxes and decomposition

In the first phase of BEF-China, “Subproject 5 China” has quantified key pools and fluxes of the carbon cycles, including measurement of litter production and soil respiration in the Comparative Study Plots (CSP) of the Nature Reserve in Gutianshan. In addition, SP 5 has measured soil respiration in both the clear-cutting area and non-disturbance forests to quantify the response of soil carbon flux to clear-cutting. Six meteorological data loggers have been setup in the main plots to record air temperature, soil moisture and temperature to quantify important abiotic drivers of soil respiration. In the second phase, we will continue to measure litter production and soil respiration in the CSPs. Building upon the work on carbon and nutrient pools and fluxes from the previous phase, a new focus will be on the quantification of nutrient resorption efficiency and proficiency. Changes in nutrient resorption due to species interactions could be an additional mechanism for diversity effects on ecosystem functioning. In close cooperation with the European counterparts, we will further address the linkages between litter decomposition and soil carbon fluxes in the New Integrated Litter decomposition Experiment that seeks to elucidate the effects of litter diversity and soil fauna on various ecosystem processes. Furthermore, we will measure soil carbon fluxes in the Main Experiment at landscape level, adopting the “ecoscapes” approach. These measurements will help to understand abiotic and biotic controlling factors of soil respiration at the landscape level.

2011-04-02

2019-12-17