Spatial Variability of Carbon Dioxide Emission by Soils in the Main Types of Forest Ecosystems at the Zvenigorod Biological Station of Moscow State University

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission from the soil surface in forest biogeocenoses of the Zvenigorod Biological Station of Moscow State University in summer varies on average from 120 to 350 mg C–CO₂/(m² h) and depends on the hydrothermal conditions (soil moisture and temperature) and the type of phytocenosis. The intensity of CO₂ emission in the biogeocenosis does not depend on its parcel structure and varies with respect to plant microgroups: it is maximum in oxalis pine–spruce and maple–lime forests and bracken spruce–birch forests and minimum in areas of forest fall without vegetation. The upper (from 0 to 20 cm thick) soil layer provides up to 50% of the total soil CO₂ emission. The role of microbial respiration in the total CO₂ emission from soils is determined by weather conditions and varies from 9–33% in a dry summer to 55–75% in a summer with favorable temperature and moisture.