Harvard Forest

Data Archive

HF284

Partitioning the Components of Soil Respiration in a Trenching Experiment at Harvard Forest 2011

Related Publications

Data

• hf284-01: soil respiration (preview)

Overview

• Lead: Jim Tang
• Investigators:
• Contact: Information Manager
• Start date: 2011
• End date: 2011
• Status: complete
• Location: Prospect Hill Tract (Harvard Forest)
• Latitude: +42.539 to +42.542 degrees
• Longitude: -72.185 to -72.180 degrees
• Elevation: 355 to 380 meter
• Datum: WGS84
• Taxa:
• Release date: 2023
• Language: English
• EML file: knb-lter-hfr.284.4
• DOI: digital object identifier
• EDI: data package
• DataONE: data package
• Related links:
• Partitioning the Components of Soil Respiration in a Trenching Experiment at Harvard Forest 2009-2010
• Study type: long-term measurement
• Research topic: soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics
• LTER core area: mineral cycling
• Keywords: carbon cycling, roots, soil respiration, soil temperature
• Abstract:

  Total soil respiration (Rt) is a combination of autotrophic (Ra) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh). We used a trenching method to sever the rooting system surrounding a plot to remove the Ra component within the plot. We used a custom-made automated chamber system to measure soil respiration within the trenched plot and the control in an oak dominated forest with the footprint of the LPH tower. This method has some potential limitations. Reduced water uptake in trenched plots could change soil water content, which is one of the environmental controllers of Rt in many ecosystems. Eliminating root inputs could reduce heterotrophic decomposition of SOM via lack of priming.

• Methods:

  Within the footprint of the LPH eddy covariance tower, automated respiration chambers were utilized in conjunction with a trenching method to partition soil respiration (Rs) into its components, heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and autotrophic respiration (Ra). In the late fall of 2008, a trench was dug (to 1m depth) around a 5x5m area, severing all roots leading into the treatment plot. Plastic tarp was placed along the walls of the trench and then backfilled. Three automated chambers were placed in each of the trenched and un-trenched plots. Soil respiration, along with soil temperature and moisture, were measured at half-hour to hourly rates. Measurements from the non-trenched plot represent the combined Rh and Ra components. Fluxes from the trenched plot represent Rh and the difference (Rs-Rh) represents Ra.

  In the data for 2011, the measurement frequency changed from half-hourly to hourly on 2011-08-23T13:30. Soil temperature for heterotrophic respiration (soilt.rh) and heterotrophic respiration (rh) were modeled for the periods 2011-06-16T11:20 to 2011-06-28T16:50 and 2011-07-21T11:15 to 2011-08-23T15:30. Soil temperature for total soil respiration (soilt.rs) and total soil respiration (rs) were modeled for the periods 2011-06-16T16:50 to 2011-06-28T16:50 and 2011-07-21T11:15 to 2011-08-23T18:30.

• Organization: Harvard Forest. 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366, USA. Phone (978) 724-3302. Fax (978) 724-3595.

• Project: The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. (ROR).

• Funding: National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.

• Use: This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.

• License: Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal (CC0-1.0)

• Citation: Tang J. 2023. Partitioning the Components of Soil Respiration in a Trenching Experiment at Harvard Forest 2011. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF284 (v.4). Environmental Data Initiative: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/76f56ccb5856b31245945449894cbabf.

Detailed Metadata

hf284-01: soil respiration

1. datetime: date and time of measurement
2. doy: day of year in 2011 (unit: nominalDay / missing value: NA)
3. soilt.rh: soil temperature at 10 cm depth for heterotrophic respiration (unit: celsius / missing value: NA)
4. rh: heterotrophic respiration (unit: micromolePerMeterSquaredPerSecond / missing value: NA)
5. soilt.rs: soil temperature at 10 cm depth for total soil respiration (unit: celsius / missing value: NA)
6. rs: total soil respiration (unit: micromolePerMeterSquaredPerSecond / missing value: NA)
7. ra: autotrophic respiration (unit: micromolePerMeterSquaredPerSecond / missing value: NA)