Daily variation of carbon flux in soils of Populus euphratica forests in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River

Abstract

In order to lucubrate the daily variation of respiration in soils of Populus euphratica forests and analyze its relationship with environmental factors in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River, the LI-8100 instrument of soil CO₂ flux system was used to measure the parameters of soil carbon flux and air temperature 10 cm above ground surface along the profiles of Usyman, Archy River, Yengisu and Karday and the relationships between the soil carbon flux and the soil moisture content were analyzed. The nonlinear regression analysis was carried out with the software SPSS13. 0. We observed that: (1) soil respiration began to be restrained when the air temperature was up to 30°C 10 cm above the ground surface; (2) the rates of soil respiration under the forests of Populus euphratica were significantly different at various moisture contents, the soil carbon flux was high along the Usyman profile, which has a high soil moisture content, and it was low along the profiles of Archy River, Yengisu and Karday which has a low soil moisture content: (3) the exponential model can be used to explain the relationship between soil respiration and air temperature 10 cm above the ground surface. The average Q₁₀ values along the profiles of Usyman, Archy River, Yengisu and Karday are 0.61, 0.16, 0.22 and 0. 35 respectively, much lower than the average of the world; (4) there is a positive correlation between the soil carbon flux and the soil moisture content.

Keywords:

• Populus euphratica
• soil carbon flux
• air temperature 10 cm above ground surface
• soil moisture content
• the Tarim River

Supported by Knowledge Innovation Important Direction Item of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. kzcx2-yw-127) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 90502004, 40671014)

Supported by Knowledge Innovation Important Direction Item of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. kzcx2-yw-127) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 90502004, 40671014)

Notes

Supported by Knowledge Innovation Important Direction Item of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. kzcx2-yw-127) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 90502004, 40671014)