Partitioning of soil CO2 flux components in a temperate grassland ecosystem

The study utilized a system of surface, deep, and pore-mesh soil collars to monitor CO2 efflux in a UK grassland over three summer months. Findings indicate that autotrophic root and mycorrhizal fluxes remained relatively stable, though their relative contributions shifted over time. The research highlights that different flux components respond differently to climatic drivers: root fluxes respond to temperature and light, heterotrophic fluxes respond strongly to temperature and soil moisture, and mycorrhizal fluxes are most responsive to light.

• The study found that root fluxes initially contributed between 10% and 30% of the total soil respiration flux during the period of higher flux, but this contribution decreased over time as the mycorrhizal contribution increased.
• Soil CO2 flux components exhibited distinct responses to climatic factors: root fluxes responded to both temperature and light; heterotrophic fluxes were strongly influenced by temperature and soil moisture; and mycorrhizal fluxes were less sensitive to temperature and moisture but more responsive to light.
• The use of deep collars resulted in a significant reduction of CO2 fluxes by approximately 40% following insertion.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2012). Partitioning of soil CO2 flux components in a temperate grassland ecosystem. https://www.sei.org/publications/partitioning-of-soil-co2-flux-components-in-a-temperate-grassland-ecosystem/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Partitioning of soil CO2 flux components in a temperate grassland ecosystem. 2012. https://www.sei.org/publications/partitioning-of-soil-co2-flux-components-in-a-temperate-grassland-ecosystem/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Partitioning of soil CO2 flux components in a temperate grassland ecosystem |date=16 March 2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/partitioning-of-soil-co2-flux-components-in-a-temperate-grassland-ecosystem/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2012partitioning, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Partitioning of soil CO2 flux components in a temperate grassland ecosystem}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/partitioning-of-soil-co2-flux-components-in-a-temperate-grassland-ecosystem/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }