Exploring the Factors Affecting Terrestrial Soil Respiration in Global Warming Manipulation Experiments Based on Meta-Analysis

Xue Chen, Haibo Hu (), Qi Wang, Xia Wang and Bing Ma
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Xue Chen: Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Restoration of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Haibo Hu: Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Restoration of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Qi Wang: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China of Jiangsu Province, Geological Environment Exploration Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 211100, China
Xia Wang: Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Restoration of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Bing Ma: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China of Jiangsu Province, Geological Environment Exploration Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 211100, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: Warming significantly impacts soil respiration in terrestrial ecosystems, thereby altering global carbon cycle processes. Numerous field experiments have investigated the effects of warming on soil respiration (Rs), but the results have been inconsistent due to various factors such as ecosystem type, soil warming amplitude, duration, and environmental conditions. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of 1339 cases from 70 studies in terrestrial ecosystems to evaluate the response of Rs, heterotrophic respiration (Rh), and autotrophic respiration (Ra) to global warming. The results indicated that Rs, Rh, and Ra increased by 13.88%, 15.03%, and 19.72%, respectively, with a significant rise observed across different ecosystems. Generally, Rs increased with rising temperatures within a specific range (0–4 °C), whereas higher temperatures (>4 °C) did not significantly affect Rs. Moreover, Rs, Rh, and Ra exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease with prolonged duration, indicating an adaptive response to climate warming. Additionally, Rs and Rh exhibit significant seasonal variations, with levels in winter being markedly higher than in summer. Furthermore, environmental factors exerted direct or indirect effects on soil respiration components. The factors’ importance for Rs was ranked as microbial biomass carbon (MBC) > mean annual temperature (MAT) > mean annual precipitation (MAP), for Rh as soil organic carbon (SOC) > MBC > MAT > MAP, and for Ra as belowground biomass (BGB) > aboveground biomass (AGB) > SOC. Future research should focus on the interactions among explanatory factors to elucidate the response mechanisms of soil respiration under global warming conditions.

Keywords: soil respiration; heterotrophic respiration; autotrophic respiration; global change; warming amplitude; ecosystems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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