ROOT RESPIRATION DRIVES PATTERNS OF TOTAL SOIL CC.. CULTIVATED TROPICAL PEATLANDS

摘要

Draining tropical peatlands for agriculture may change the carbon dynamics of the soil. To determine the corresponding rates of peat oxidation, soil respiration can be used, but must be partitioned into its autotrophic and microbial peat oxidation components. The systematic planting of oil palm plantations allows for this if spatial sampling strategies are employed. In this study, soil respiration and root biomass were sampled at increasing distances away from oil palm, into three different surface microforms (harvest path, frond pile, cover crops). Both variables were greatest by the palms and lowest further away from the palms, allowing for root biomass to be used as a predictor of peat oxidation rates. Soil respiration could also be up-scaled spatially to determine plot scale estimates of total soil respiration. Soil respiration showed high variability in estimates and so large sample sizes are encouraged in order to accurately estimate peat oxidation from cultivated peat soil.