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Stability of Ecosystem CO 2 Flux in Response to Changes in Precipitation in a Semiarid Grassland

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  • Kaiqiang Bao

    (College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China
    State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China)

  • Haifeng Tian

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China
    Institute of Soil and Water Conversation, Ministry of Water Resources and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling 712100, China)

  • Min Su

    (College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China
    State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China)

  • Liping Qiu

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China)

  • Xiaorong Wei

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China)

  • Yanjiang Zhang

    (College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China
    State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China)

  • Jian Liu

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China)

  • Hailong Gao

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China)

  • Jimin Cheng

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China)

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) flux provides feedback between C cycling and the climatic system. There is considerable uncertainty regarding the direction and magnitude of the responses of this process to precipitation changes, hindering accurate prediction of C cycling in a changing world. We examined the responses of ecosystem CO 2 flux to ambient precipitation and experimentally decreased (−35%) and increased precipitation (+20%) in a semiarid grassland in China between July 2013 and September 2015. The measured CO 2 flux components included the gross ecosystem productivity (GEP), net ecosystem CO 2 exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (Re), and soil respiration (Rs). The results showed that the seasonal and diurnal patterns of most components of ecosystem CO 2 flux were minimally affected by precipitation treatments, with less than 4% changes averaged across the three growing seasons. GEP and NEE had a quadratic relationship, while Re and Rs increased exponentially with soil temperature. GEP, RE, and Rs, however, decreased with soil moisture. Decreased precipitation reduced the dependence of CO 2 flux on soil temperature but partly increased the dependence on soil moisture; in contrast, increased precipitation had the opposite influence. Our results suggested a relatively stable CO 2 flux in this semiarid grassland across the tested precipitation regimes.

Suggested Citation

  • Kaiqiang Bao & Haifeng Tian & Min Su & Liping Qiu & Xiaorong Wei & Yanjiang Zhang & Jian Liu & Hailong Gao & Jimin Cheng, 2019. "Stability of Ecosystem CO 2 Flux in Response to Changes in Precipitation in a Semiarid Grassland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:9:p:2597-:d:228480
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