Controls on Soil Respiration in a High Elevation Alpine System and the Implications For Soil Carbon Storage in a Changing Climate

Abstract:

The alpine ecosystem is a dynamic network of heterogeneous soil and vegetation patches. Microsite characteristics are controlled by site geomorphology, underlying bedrock, and landscape position. These microsite characteristics create a complex mosaic of soil moisture and temperature regimes across the landscape. To investigate the relative influences of soil moisture and soil temperature on soil respiration in these varied microsites, 12 study sites were established in June of 2015 in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Sites were distributed across 3 plots with distinct vegetation and soil regimes: 1) Conifer forest at the upper limit of the tree line 2) Tundra characterized by shallow soil and minimal vegetation consisting of herbs and lichen 3) Tundra characterized by organic-rich, deep soil and abundant vegetation consisting of grasses and sedges. Soil respiration, soil temperature, and soil moisture were measured weekly throughout the snow-free period of 2015. Soil moisture was negatively correlated with soil respiration and soil temperature was positively correlated with soil respiration across the study sites (p <0.001). Soil respiration rates were significantly different from one another in all plots and were highest in the forest plot (maximum 9.6 µmol/ m²/sec) and much lower in the two tundra plots (< 4.5 µmol/ m²/sec) (p < 0.001). These data suggest that as the alpine climate warms, an increase in soil temperature and a longer snow-free period may result in an overall increase in the rate of soil respiration, which could alter the soil carbon pool. In addition, as temperatures rise, the tree line may migrate to a higher elevation. The results of this study suggest that with such a movement, the soil respiration rate will also increase. However the net change in soil organic matter in the newly established forest would not only depend on the soil respiration rate, but on the overall capacity of the new forest soil to retain carbon, especially recalcitrant forms.