Asymmetric Variation in Soil Carbon Emission in Sub-Tropics
Rashmi Kant, Chirashree Ghosh
.
DOI: 10.4236/acs.2012.21012   PDF    HTML     5,456 Downloads   9,555 Views  

Abstract

Carbon dioxide emission from soil, known as soil respiration, is one of the major sources of the atmospheric carbon. Understanding the relationship between emission rate and the factors associated with the emission process is important in global carbon emission management. The present study investigated soil respiration at three ecologically diverse locations in northern India. CO2 emission was measured in-situ by modified alkali absorption method at three different depths, top-soil (0 cm - 2 cm depth), mid-soil (20 cm depth) and deep-soil (40 cm depth) at each location. Rate of carbon emission from soil varied with location and time. The rate was higher at Riverine Zone (RZ) which had high soil moisture content and profuse ground vegetation compared to Hilly Zone (HZ) containing dry soil and scarce vegetation. The emission rate was also greater in grassland than the plantation area. Rate of carbon emission from soil was heterogeneous along different depths below the ground. Diel variation in emission rate was greater at HZ compared to RZ. Higher microbial population in soil was detected in RZ than HZ. However, the bacterial count out-numbered the fungal count in soils at most places. The study indicates a positive relationship between soil respiration rate and microbial abundance. The fungal population was strongly correlated with CO2 emission rate.

Share and Cite:

R. Kant and C. Ghosh, "Asymmetric Variation in Soil Carbon Emission in Sub-Tropics," Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Vol. 2 No. 1, 2012, pp. 101-106. doi: 10.4236/acs.2012.21012.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] R. Lal, “Soil and the Green House Effects,” In: R. Lal, Ed., Soil Carbon Sequestration and the Green House Effect, SSSA Special Publication, 2001.
[2] W. H. Schlesinger and J. A. Andrews, “Soil Respiration and the Global Carbon Cycle,” Biogeochemistry, Vol. 48, No. 7, 2000, pp. 7-20. doi:10.1023/A:1006247623877
[3] C. K. Wang, J. Y. Yang and Q. Z. Zhang, “Soil Respiration in Six Temperate Forests in China,” Global Change Biology, Vol. 12, No. 11, 2006, pp. 2103-2114. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01234.x
[4] M. Rastogi, S. Singh and H. Pathak, “Emission of Carbon Dioxide from Soil,” Current Science, Vol. 82, No. 5, 2002, pp. 510-517.
[5] N. La Scala, J. Marques, G. T. Pereira and J. E. Cora, “Carbon Dioxide Emission Related to Chemical Properties of a Tropical Bare Soil,” Soil Biology & Biochemistry, Vol. 32, No. 10, 2000, pp. 1469-1473. doi:10.1016/S0038-0717(00)00053-5
[6] R. Kant and C. Ghosh, “Soil Respiration Study in Northern Ridge of Delhi Eco-Zone,” In: J. Singh, Ed., Environment and Development: Challenges and Opportunities, IK International, New Delhi, 2005.
[7] B. Wang, H. U. Neue and H. P. Samonte, “The Effect of Controlled Soil Temperature on Diel CH4 Emission Variation,” Chemosphere, Vol. 35, No. 9, 1997, pp. 2083- 2092. doi:10.1016/S0045-6535(97)00257-9
[8] J. Grace and M. Rayment, “Respiration in the Balance,” Nature, Vol. 404, 2000, pp. 819-820. doi:10.1038/35009170
[9] D. C. Coleman, D. A. Crossley Jr. and P. F. Hendrix, “Fundamentals of Soil Ecology,” 2nd Edition, Academic Press, New York, 2004.
[10] C. M. Fang and J. B. Moncrieff, “The Variation of Soil Microbial Respiration with Depth in Relation to Soil Carbon Composition,” Plant and Soil, Vol. 268, No. 1, 2005, pp. 243-253. doi:10.1007/s11104-004-0278-4
[11] J. J. Landsberg and S. T. Gower, “Application of Physiological Ecology to Forest Management,” Academic Press, San Diego, 1997.
[12] R. Kant, “Soil Respiration Study for Monitoring and Quantifying Soil Health in Different Habitats of Delhi Eco-Zone,” M.Phil. Thesis, School of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, New Delhi, 2006.
[13] D. C. Coleman, “Soil Carbon Balance in a Sucessional Grassland,” Oikos, Vol. 24, 1973, pp. 195-199. doi:10.2307/3543875
[14] W. M. Porter, “Most Probable Number Method for Enumerating Infective Propagules of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Soil,” Australian Journal of Soil Research, Vol. 17, 1979, pp. 515-519. doi:10.1071/SR9790515
[15] P. L. Woomer, “Most Probable Number Counts,” In: R. W. Weaver, Ed., Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2. Microbiological and Biochemical Properties, SSSA, Madison, 1994.
[16] S. Vishnevetsky and Y. Steinberger, “Bacterial and Fungal Dynamics and Their Contribution to Microbial Biomass in Desert Soil,” Journal of Arid Environments, Vol. 37, No. 1, 1997, pp. 83-90. doi:10.1006/jare.1996.0250
[17] J. A. Pascual, C. Garcia, T. Hernandez, J. L. Moreno and M. Ros, “Soil Microbial Activity as a Biomarker of Degradation and Remediation Processes,” Soil Biology & Biochemistry, Vol. 32, No. 13, 2000, pp. 1877-1883. doi:10.1016/S0038-0717(00)00161-9
[18] A. Campos, “Response of Soil Surface CO2-C Flux to Land Use Changes in a Tropical Cloud Forest (Mexico),” Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 234, No. 1-3, 2006, pp. 305-312. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2006.07.012
[19] C. I. Salimon, E. A. Davidson, R. L. Victoria and A. W. F. Melo, “CO2 Flux from Soil in Pastures and Forests in Southwestern Amazonia,” Global Change Biology, Vol. 10, No. 5, 2004, pp. 833-843. doi:10.1111/j.1529-8817.2003.00776.x
[20] R. Kant, C. Ghosh, L. Singh and N. Tripathi, “Effect of Bacterial and Fungal Abundance in Soil on the Emission of Carbon Dioxide from Soil in Semi-Arid Climate in India,” Survival and Sustainability Part 1, 2011, pp. 151-161.
[21] D. S. Schimel, “Terrestial Ecosystems and the Carbon-Cycle,” Global Change Biology, Vol. 1, 1995, pp. 77-91. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.1995.tb00008.x
[22] P. Ciais, M. Reichstein, N. Viovy, A. Granier, J. Ogee, V. Allard, M. Aubinet, N. Buchmann, C. Bernhofer, A. Carrara, F. Chevallier, N. De Noblet, A. D. Friend, P. Friedlingstein, T. Grunwald, B. Heinesch, P. Keronen, A. Knohl, G. Krinner, D. Loustau, G. Manca, G. Matteucci, F. Miglietta, J. M. Ourcival, D. Papale, K. Pilegaard, S. Rambal, G. Seufert, J. F. Soussana, M. J. Sanz, E. D. Schulze, T. Vesala and R. Valentini, “Europe-Wide Reduction in Primary Productivity Caused by the Heat and Drought in 2003,”
[23] E. D. Sotta, P. Meir, Y. Malhi, A. D. Nobre, M. Hodnett and J. Grace, “Soil CO2 Efflux in a Tropical Forest in the Central Amazon,” Global Change Biology, Vol. 10, No. 5, 2004, pp. 601-617. doi:10.1111/j.1529-8817.2003.00761.x
[24] E. Brodie, S. Edwards and N. Clipson, “Bacterial Community Dynamics across a Floristic Gradient in a Temperate Upland Grassland Ecosystem,” Microbial Ecology, Vol. 44, No. 3, 2002, pp. 260-270. doi:10.1007/s00248-002-2012-1
[25] J. W. Raich and W. H. Schlesinger, “The Global Carbon-Dioxide Flux in Soil Respiration and Its Relationship to Vegetation and Climate,” Tellus, Vol. 44, No. 2, 1992, pp. 81-99. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0889.1992.t01-1-00001.x
[26] V. A. Orchard and F. J. Cook, “Relationship between Soil Respiration and Soil-Moisture,” Soil Biology & Biochemistry, Vol. 15, No. 4, 1983, pp. 447-453. doi:10.1016/0038-0717(83)90010-X
[27] J. Pietikainen, M. Pettersson and E. Baath, “Comparison of Temperature Effects on Soil Respiration and Bacterial and Fungal Growth Rates,” Microbiology Ecology, Vol. 52, No. 1, 2005, pp. 49-58. doi:10.1016/j.femsec.2004.10.002
[28] D. A. Lipson, C. W. Schadt and S. K. Schmidt, “Changes in Soil Microbial Community Structure and Function in an Alpine Dry Meadow Following Spring Snow Melt,” Microbial Ecology, Vol. 43, 2002, pp. 307-314. doi:10.1007/s00248-001-1057-x
[29] R. D. Bardgett, R. D. Lovell, P. J. Hobbs and S. C. Jarvis, “Seasonal Changes in Soil Microbial Communities along a Fertility Gradient of Temperate Grasslands,” Soil Biology & Biochemistry, Vol. 31, No. 7, 1999, pp. 1021-1030. doi:10.1016/S0038-0717(99)00016-4
[30] M. A. Aon, D. E. Sarena, J. L. Burgos and S. Cortassa, “Interaction between Gas Exchange Rates, Physical and Microbiological Properties in Soils Recently Subjected to Agriculture,” Soil & Tillage Research, Vol. 60, No. 3-4, 2001, pp. 163-171. doi:10.1016/S0167-1987(01)00191-X

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.