Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 20, 2026
10:19
A CO2 Concentration Gradient Facility for Testing CO2 Enrichment and Soil Effects on Grassland Ecosystem Function
Published on: November 21, 2015
12.0K
Shifts of growing-season precipitation peaks decrease soil respiration in a semiarid grassland.
Jingyi Ru1, Yaqiong Zhou1, Dafeng Hui1,2
1School of Life Sciences, International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China.
Global Change Biology
|October 17, 2017
Summary
Altering seasonal precipitation patterns significantly reduces soil respiration in temperate steppes. Middle growing season precipitation is key for regulating carbon release in grasslands.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Soil Science
Background:
- Changing precipitation patterns impact biosphere carbon (C) cycling.
- The response of soil C release to altered seasonal precipitation distribution is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of altered precipitation distribution during the growing season on soil respiration in a temperate steppe.
- To determine the importance of precipitation timing within the growing season for regulating soil C release.
Main Methods:
- A 4-year field experiment (2013-2016) was conducted in a Mongolian Plateau temperate steppe.
- Altered precipitation distributions, specifically advanced and delayed precipitation peaks, were applied.
- Soil respiration, plant growth (community cover, belowground net primary productivity), and soil microbial activities were monitored.
Main Results:
- Both advanced and delayed precipitation peaks suppressed soil respiration over the 4-year study period.
- Reductions in soil respiration were most pronounced in August.
- Decreased soil respiration was linked to water stress, limited plant growth, and reduced soil microbial activity during the middle growing season.
- Precipitation amount in the middle growing season was more critical for regulating soil C release than other periods.
Conclusions:
- Intra-annual precipitation redistribution, particularly shifts in the middle growing season, significantly affects ecosystem C cycling in arid and semiarid regions.
- Projected future precipitation redistribution suggests semiarid grasslands may release less carbon through soil respiration.
- Findings highlight the sensitivity of grassland carbon cycling to changes in seasonal precipitation patterns.
Related Concept Videos
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
28.3K
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
28.3K
02:41Responses to Drought and Flooding
12.2K
Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
12.2K
02:04Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
31.5K
During photosynthesis, plants acquire the necessary carbon dioxide and release the produced oxygen back into the atmosphere. Openings in the epidermis of plant leaves is the site of this exchange of gasses. A single opening is called a stoma—derived from the Greek word for “mouth.” Stomata open and close in response to a variety of environmental cues.
31.5K
02:02Responses to Salt Stress
14.7K
Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.
14.7K
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
15.0K
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
15.0K
01:16What is Climate?
21.0K
Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
21.0K