HR: 15:15h
AN: H32E-06    [PDF]
TI: Linkages between soil respiration and its physical and biological drivers at multiple spatial scales in a lodgepole pine ({\it Pinus contorta}) forest
AU: * Durrett, M S
EM: meldurrett@aol.com
AF: University of Wyoming, Department of Botany PO Box 3165, Laramie, WY 82071 United States
AU: Schwendenman, L
EM: lschwen@uwyo.edu
AF: University of Wyoming, Department of Botany PO Box 3165, Laramie, WY 82071 United States
AU: Ewers, B E
EM: beewers@uwyo.edu
AF: University of Wyoming, Department of Botany PO Box 3165, Laramie, WY 82071 United States
AU: Pendall, E
EM: pendall@uwyo.edu
AF: University of Wyoming, Department of Botany PO Box 3165, Laramie, WY 82071 United States
AB: The purpose of this study was to characterize the relationships between soil respiration and some physical and biological properties of the soil that drive it, including soil temperature, soil water content, and litter depth. We also examined spatial patterns of each factor at the hillslope scale (13,000 m$^{2}$) and the individual plot scale (25 m$^{2}$) to identify spatial correlations using geostatistics. Our study area in the Medicine Bow Mountains of Wyoming encompasses adjacent North- and South-facing slopes at 2800 m elevation. Lodgepole pine ({\it Pinus contorta}) forest dominates the watershed, and spruce ({\it Picea engelmannii}), fir ({\it Abies lasiocarpa}), and aspen ({\it Populus tremuloides}) are also present where soils are moist. Within each spatial scale, semi-variograms were used to identify the spatial range of soil respiration and its drivers. At the plot scale, soil respiration drivers exhibited stronger spatial patterns than soil respiration. At the hillslope scale, aspect played an important role in the relationships between soil respiration and these drivers. Drivers of soil respiration are still poorly understood at varying spatial scales; this project aims to better quantify these linkages for improved modeling of carbon fluxes at the watershed scale.
DE: 0400 Biogeosciences
DE: 1615 Biogeochemical processes (4805)
DE: 1866 Soil moisture
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting