Doug Aubrey and Mark Coleman. USDA Forest Service
Soil respiration (RS) accounts for more than two thirds of total respiration from forest ecosystems. Yet sparse knowledge exists on factors affecting autotrophic contributions. Recent girdling studies show that forest canopy activity supplies half of the substrate for RS. High-frequency RS measurements indicate a correlation with canopy photosynthesis in oak savanna woodlands and solar radiation patterns in sweetgum plantations. However, RS can be delayed 1 to 12 hours and it is important to correct for the influence of temperature. To identify similar patters in loblolly pine, we simultaneously monitored sap flow with heat dissipation probes and RS using the soil CO2 gradient approach. Respiration was measured every 30 seconds and averaged over 5 minute spans to compare daily patterns. Significant correlations were observed between RS and plant canopy activity measured with sap flow. However, to achieve this correlation it was necessary to offset daily traces by 6 hours during the growing season and 14 hours in the dormant season. RS was significantly correlated with temperature so it was adjusted to the minimum daily temperature using Q10 relationships. Significant correlations were observed between temperature-adjusted RS and plant activity, and the correlation improved compared to that found with uncorrected RS. The time offset for temperature adjusted RS was 6 hours for both growing and dormant season. We interpret the y-intercept of this linear correlation to represent a basal soil respiration that is predominately heterotrophic oxidation of soil organic matter. However, there is a portion of this basal rate representing root/rhizosphere respiration supplied by stored carbohydrates. Further development of correlations between plant canopy activity and soil respiration will provide insight into the factors controlling components of soil respiration.