loading page

The direct and legacy effects of drying-rewetting cycles on active and relatively resistant soil carbon decomposition
  • +1
  • Shuai Zhang,
  • Junjie Lin,
  • Peng Wang,
  • Biao Zhu
Shuai Zhang
Zhejiang University

Corresponding Author:shuai99@zju.edu.cn

Author Profile
Junjie Lin
Chongqing Three Gorges University
Author Profile
Peng Wang
c. Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology
Author Profile
Biao Zhu
Peking University
Author Profile

Abstract

Global climate change is expected to increase the frequency of drought and heavy precipitation, which could create more frequent drying-rewetting cycles (DWC) in the soils. Although DWC effects on SOC decomposition has been widely studied, the effect of DWC and the subsequent legacy effect on the decomposition of different SOC pools is still unclear. We conducted a 128-d laboratory incubation to investigate the DWC effects by using soils from old-field for 15 years (OF, representing active SOC), bare-fallow for 15 years (BF), and bare-fallow for 23 years plus extra 815-d incubation (BF+, representing relatively resistant SOC). The experiment included nine 10-d DWC of three treatments: 1) constant-moisture at 60% WHC, 2) mild DWC with 10-d drying to 40% WHC and rewetting to 80% WHC, and 3) strong DWC with 10-d drying to 20% WHC and rewetting to 100% WHC. Following DWC period, there was a 10-d stabilization period (adjusting all treatments to 60% WHC), and then a 28-d extended incubation. During DWC period, the strong DWC had strong effect on CO2 release compared with the constant-moisture control, reducing the SOC decomposition from OF by 8% and BF by 10%, while increasing the SOC decomposition of BF+ by 16%. During extended period, both mild and strong DWC significantly increased SOC mineralization of OF, but decreased that of BF and BF+. This legacy effect compensated the changes in CO2 release during DWC period, resulting in the minor response of SOC decomposition of OF and BF+ to the DWC during the entire incubation.
26 Sep 2021Submitted to Land Degradation & Development
29 Sep 2021Submission Checks Completed
29 Sep 2021Assigned to Editor
09 Nov 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
10 Dec 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
28 Dec 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Major
26 Jan 20221st Revision Received
28 Jan 2022Submission Checks Completed
28 Jan 2022Assigned to Editor
19 Oct 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
13 Nov 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
23 Dec 2022Editorial Decision: Accept