Abiotic factors impact on soil respiration

Abstract

Soil respiration describes the process of gas exchange between organisms and their environment. As one of the key processes in ecosystems, soil respiration is linked to ecosystem productivity, soil fertility, and the regional and global carbon cycles. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of abiotic factors, particularly variations in air temperature and humidity, on the intensity of soil respiration in the dystric cambisols within the Quercetum montanum typicum forest community at the National Park “Fruška Gora” in the Vojvodina Province of Serbia. A total of 32 site visits were conducted in 2014–2017 period to obtain site-specific data on air and soil temperature and humidity, and soil evaporation and respiration. The key findings indicate that the variations in air temperature and humidity significantly impact soil respiration. In most cases, soil respiration positively correlates with soil temperature; however, in some years, a nonlinear response has been observed, which may indicate thermal stress at higher temperatures.