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cje ›› 2003, Vol. ›› Issue (2): 65-69.

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Advances in the research on the methods for separating the components of soil respiration

YI Zhigang, YI Weimin, ZHOU Lixia   

  1. South China Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Science, Guangzhou 510650, China
  • Received:2001-07-25 Revised:2001-10-18 Online:2003-02-10

Abstract: Soil respiration can be divided into two components: autotrophic(root)respiration and heterotrophic(microbes and soil fauna)respiration. The separation of soil respiration will contribute to the understanding of soil carbon cycle and carbon balance under the condition of global change. Three primary methods have been reviewed to distinguish auto-versus heterotrophic soil respiration including:①components method; ②root exclusion method and ③ isotope method. The isotope method is the best with the least disturbance to soil and roots. Taking into account of all the factors, the root exclusion method will be the most practical in the future.

Key words: Plant, Mammalian herbivore, Chemical defense, Plant secondary compounds, Interaction, Foraging

CLC Number: