Soil respiration of a Moso bamboo forest significantly affected by gross ecosystem productivity and leaf area index in an extreme drought event

Moso bamboo has large potential to alleviate global warming through carbon sequestration. Since soil respiration (R(s)) is a major source of CO(2) emissions, we analyzed the dynamics of soil respiration (R(s)) and its relation to environmental factors in a Moso bamboo (Phllostachys heterocycla cv. pubescens) forest to identify the relative importance of biotic and abiotic drivers of respiration. Annual average R(s) was 44.07 t CO(2) ha(−1) a(−1). R(s) correlated significantly with soil temperature (P < 0.01), which explained 69.7% of the variation in R(s) at a diurnal scale. Soil moisture was correlated significantly with R(s) on a daily scale except not during winter, indicating it affected R(s). A model including both soil temperature and soil moisture explained 93.6% of seasonal variations in R(s). The relationship between R(s) and soil temperature during a day showed a clear hysteresis. R(s) was significantly and positively (P < 0.01) related to gross ecosystem productivity and leaf area index, demonstrating the significance of biotic factors as crucial drivers of R(s).