Warming Changed Soil Respiration Dynamics of Alpine Meadow Ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau

Updata:01-01-1970

Source:
By:Author(s)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v1i2.511

Abstract:

Alpine meadow system underlain by permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau contains vast soil organic carbon and is sensitive to global warming. However, the dynamics of annual soil respiration (Rs) under long-term warming and the determined factors are still not very clear. Using opentop chambers (OTC), we assessed the effects of two-year experimental warming on the soil CO2 emission and the Q10 value (temperature sensitivity coefficient) under different warming magnitudes. Our study showed that the soil CO2 efflux rate in the warmed plots were 1.22 and 2.32 times higher compared to that of controlled plots. However, the Q10 value decreased by 45.06% and 50.34% respectively as the warming magnitude increased. These results suggested that soil moisture decreasing under global warming would enhance soil CO2 emission and lower the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration rate of the alpine meadow ecosystem in the permafrost region on the Tibetan Plateau. Thus, it is necessary to take into account the combined effect of ground surface warming and soil moisture decrease on the Rs in order to comprehensively evaluate the carbon emissions of the alpine meadow ecosystem, especially in short and medium terms.

References:

[1] Bekkua, Y.S., Nakatsubob, T., and Kume, A.. Effect of warming on the temperature dependence of soil respiration rate in arctic, temperate and tropical soils. Applied Soil Ecology, 2003, 22 (3): 205–210. [2] Bellamy, P.H., Loveland, P.J., Bradley, R.I., Lark, R.M., and Kirk, G.J.D.. Carbon losses from all soils across England and Wales 1978–2003. Nature, 2005, 437: 245–248. [3] Biasi C., Meyer H., and Rusalimova, O.. Initial effects of experimental warming on carbon exchange rates, plant growth and microbial dynamics of a lichen-rich dwarf shrub tundra in Siberia. Plant Soil, 2008, 307: 191–205. [4] Bremner, J.M., Sparks, D.L., and Page, A.L.. Methods of soil analysis. Nitrogen-total part 3-chemical methods, 1996, 1085–1121. [5] Chang, X.F., Zhu, X.X., and Wang, S.P.. Temperature and moisture effects on soil respiration in alpine grasslands. Soil Science, 2012, 177 (9): 554–560. [6] Contosta A.R., Frey, S.D., Cooper, A.B., et al.. Seasonal dynamics of soil respiration and N mineralization in chronically warmed and fertilized soils. Ecosphere, 2011, 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1890/ES10-00133.1 [7] Cox, P.M., Betts, R.A., Jones, C.D., et al.. Acceleration of global warming due to carbon-cycle feedbacks in a coupled climate model. Nature, 2000, 408: 184–187. [8] Cui, S., Zhu, X., Wang, S., et al.. Effects of seasonal grazing on soil respiration in alpine meadow on the Tibetan plateau. Soil Use and Management, 2014, 30(3): 435–443. [9] Davidson, E.A., Janssens, I.A.. Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change. Nature, 2006, 440: 165–173. [10] Fan, J.W., Zhong, H.P., Liang, B., et al.. Carbon stock in grassland ecosystem and its affecting factors. Grassland of China, 2003, 25 (6): 51–58. [11] Geng, Y., Wang, Y., Yang, K., et al.. Soil respiration in Tibetan alpine grasslands: belowground biomass and soil moisture, but not soil temperature, best explain the large-scale patterns. PLoS One, 2012, 7(4): e34968. [12] Griffis, T.J., Black, T.A., Gaumont-Guay, D., et al.. Seasonal variation and partitioning of ecosystem respiration in a southern boreal aspen forest. Agric Forest Meteorol, 2004, 125: 207–223. [13] Grogan, P., and Jonasson, S.. Temperature and substrate controls on intra-annual variation in ecosystem respiration in two subarctic vegetation types. Global Change Biol , 2005,11: 465–475. [14] Gu, L.H., Hanson, P.J., Post, W.M., Liu, Q., et al.. A novel approach for identifying the true temperature sensitivity from soil respiration measurements, Global Biogeochem, 2008, 22, GB4009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GB003164 [15] Hagedorn, F., Martin, M., Rixen, C., et al.. Shortterm responses of ecosystem carbon fluxes to experimental soil warming at the Swiss alpine treeline. Biogeochemistry, 2010, 97: 7–19. [16] Heiri, O., Lotter, A.F., Lemcke, G., et al.. Loss on ignition as a method for estimating organic and carbonate content in sediments: reproducibility and comparability of results. Journal of Paleolimnology, 2011, 25: 101–110. [17] IPCC. Climate Change 2013: The physical science basis: Working Group I Contribution to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, USA, 2014. [18] Janssens, I.A., Lankreijer, H., Matteucci, H.G., et al.. Productivity overshadows temperature in determining soil and ecosystem respiration across European forests. Global Change Biol, 2001, 7: 269–278. [19] Kirschbaum, M.U.F.. Will changes in soil organic carbon act as a positive or negative feedback on global warming. Biochemistry, 2000, 48: 21–51. [20] Klein, J.A., Harte, J., Zhao, X.Q., et al.. Experimental warming causes large and rapid species loss, dampened by simulated grazing, on the Tibetan Plateau. EL, 2004, 7(12): 1170–1179. [21] Klein, J.A., Harte, J., Zhao, X.Q., et al.. Dynamic and complex microclimate responses to warming and grazing manipulations. Glob Change Biol, 2005, 11: 1440–1451. [22] Koch, O., Tscherko, D., Kandeler, E., et al.. Temperature sensitivity of microbial respiration, nitrogen mineralization, and potential soil enzyme activities in organic alpine soils, Global Biogeochem, 2007, 21, GB4017. DOi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GB002983 [23] Körner, C.. Alpine plant life: functional plant ecology of high mountain ecosystems. Springer, Berlin, 1999: 338. [24] Li, G.Y., and Sun, S.C.. Plant clipping may cause overestimation of soil respiration in a Tibetan alpine meadow, southwest China. Ecological Research, 2011, 26 (3): 497–504. [25] Lin, X.W., Zhang, Z.H., Wang, S.P., et al.. Response of ecosystem respiration to warming and grazing during the growing seasons in the alpine meadow on the Tibetan plateau. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2011, 151: 792–802. [26] Liu, X.D. and Chen, B.D.. Climatic warming in the Tibetan Plateau during recent decades. International Journal of Climatology, 2000, 20: 1729–1742. [27] Lu, X.Y., Fan, J.H., Yan, Y., et al.. Responses of soil CO2 fluxes to short-term experimental warming in alpine steppe ecosystem, northern Tibet. PloS One, 2013, 8(3): e59054. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0059054 [28] Luo, Y.Q., Wan, S.Q., Hui, D.F., et al.. Acclimatization of soil respiration to warming in a tall grass prairie. Nature, 2001, 413: 622–625. [29] Malchair, S., Boeck, H.J., Lemmens, C.M., et al.. Do climate warming and plant species richness affect potential nitrification, basal respiration and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in experimental grasslands? Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2010, 42 (11): 1944– 1951. [30] Marion, G.M., Henry, G.H.R., Freckman, D.W., et al.. Open-top designs for manipulating field temperature in high-latitude ecosystems. Global Change Biology, 1997, 3: 20–32. [31] Mertens, S., Nijs, I., Heuer, M., et al.. Influence of high temperature on end-of-season tundra CO2 exchange. Ecosystems, 2001, 4: 226–236. [32] Molau, U., and Mølgaard, P.. ITEX Manual (Second edition). Printed in Denmark, 1996. [33] Moriyama, A., Yonemura, S., Kawashima, S., et al.. Environmental indicators for estimating the potential soil respiration rate in alpine zone. Ecological Indicators, 2013, 32: 245–252. [34] Moyano, F.E., Vasilyeva, N., Bouckaert, L., et al.. The moisture response of soil heterotrophic respiration: interaction with soil properties. Biogeosciences, 2012, 9: 1173–1182. [35] Ni, J.. Carbon storage in grasslands of China. J Arid Environ, 2002, 50: 205–218. [36] Oberbauer, S.F., Tweedie, C.E., Welker, J.M., et al.. Tundra CO2 fluxes in response to experimental warming across latitudinal and moisture gradients. Ecol Monogr, 2007, 77: 221–238. [37] Orchard, V.A., and Cook, F.J.. Relationship between soil respiration and soil moisture. Soil Biol Biochem, 1983, 15: 447–453. [38] Reichstein, M., Tenhunen, J.D., Roupsard, O., et al.. Ecosystem respiration in two Mediterranean evergreen Holm Oak forests: drought effects and decomposition dynamics. Funct. Ecol, 2002, 16: 27–39. [39] Ren, H., Ma, G.H., Zhang, Q.M., et al.. Moss is a key nurse plant for reintroduction of the endangered herb, Primulina tabacum Hance. Plant Ecol, 2010, 209: 313–320. [40] Ren, J.Z.. Pratacultural science research methods. China Agriculture Press, Beijing, 1998: 56–28. [41] Rustad, L.E., Campbell, J.L., Marion, G.M., et al.. A meta-analysis of the response of soil respiration, net nitrogen mineralization, and aboveground plant growth to experimental ecosystem warming. Oecologia, 2001, 126: 543–562. [42] Saier, M.H.. Climate change. Water Air Soil Poll, 2007, 181(1–4): 1–2. [43] Saleska, S.R., Harte, J., Torn, M.S., et al.. The effect of experimental ecosystem warming on CO2 fluxes in a montane meadow. Global Change Biol, 2009, 5: 125–141. [44] Schipper, L.A., Baisden, W.T., Parfitt, R.L., et al.. Large losses of soil C and N from soil profiles under pasture in New Zealand during the past 20 years. Global Change Biology, 2007, 13: 1138–1144. [45] Stenstrom, A., and Jonsdbttir, I.S.. Effects of simulated climate change on phenology and life history traits in Carex bigelowii. Nord. J. Bot, 2006, 24: 355–371. [46] Sun, Z.Z., Liu, M.H., Wu, G.L., et al.. Characteristics of permafrost under a nonpenerative thermokarst lake in Beiluhe Basin on the Tibetan Plateau. J. Glaciol Geocryol, 2012, 34 (1): 37–42. [47] Wang, J.F., and Wu, Q.B.. Impact of experimental warming on soil temperature and moisture of the shallow active layer of wet meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 2013, 90 (91): 1–8. [48] Welker, J.M., Fahnestock, J., Henry, G.H., et al.. CO2 exchange in three Canadian High Arctic ecosystems: response to long-term experimental warming. Global Change Biology, 2004, 10: 1981–1995. [49] Wellock, M.L., Rafique, R., LaPerle, C.M., et al.. Changes in ecosystem carbon stocks in a grassland ash (Fraxinus excelsior) afforestation chronosequence in Ireland. J Plant Ecol, 2014, 7 (5): 429–438. [50] Wen, X.F., Yu, G.R., Sun, X.M., et al.. Soil moisture effect on the temperature dependence of ecosystem respiration in a subtropical Pinus plantation of southeastern China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 2006, 137: 166–175. [51] Xu, Z., Wan, C., Xiong, H., et al.. Initial responses of soil CO2 efflux and C, N pools to experimental warming in two contrasting forest ecosystems, Eastern Tibetan Plateau, China. Plant Soil, 2010, 336: 183–195. [52] Zheng, Z., Yu, G., Fu, Y., et al.. Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration is affected by prevailing climatic conditions and soil organic carbon content: A trans-China based case study. Soil Biol Biochem, 2009, 41: 1531–1540. [53] Zhou, X., Wan, S.Q., Luo, Y.Q., et al.. Source components and inter-annual variability of soil CO2 efflux under experimental warming and clipping in a grassland ecosystem. Global Change Biol, 2007, 13 (4): 761–775. [54] Zhou, X.M.. Kobresia Meadow in China. Science Press, Beijing, 2001: 188–206. [55] Knorr, W., Prentice, I.C., House, J.I., et al.. Longterm sensitivity of soil carbon turnover to warming. Nature, 2005, 433: 298–301.

Tags: