Partitioning heterotrophic and rhizospheric soil respiration in a mature Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forest
Total belowground respiration (Rs) was partitioned into heterotrophic (Rh) and rhizospheric (Rr) respiration to determine the amount of CO2 originating from each component in a coastal Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) forest. Rh was measured within cylinders from which roots, hyphae, and associated rhizosphere organisms were excluded by a 0.5 μm nylon mesh and installed 50 cm into the soil. Rs was 12 Mg C·ha–1·year–1 and ranged from 0.71 to 6.57 g C·m–2·day–1 during the 15 month experiment. Rh was 7.8 Mg C·ha–1·year–1, which contributed 65% of Rs, mostly between May and August. Rr was 4.2 Mg C·ha–1·year–1 (35% of Rs) and peaked in spring and fall. Soil temperature described the variability in Rs (p = 0.0004) better than soil moisture (p = 0.6156) and Rh was more closely related to temperature than was Rr. Values of Q10 were 1.7 for Rs and 2.2 for Rh. We also assessed three potential sources of error associated with this root-exclusion technique: respiration from decaying severed roots, stimulated respiration as a result of cylinder installation, and lateral diffusion of CO2 into cylinders. None of these artifacts were found to be significant sources of error in this experiment.