TY  - JOUR
AU  - Epron, D.
AU  - Bosc, A.
AU  - Bonal, D.
AU  - Freycon, V.
PY  - 2006//
TI  - Spatial variation of soil respiration across a topographic gradient in a tropical rain forest in French Guiana
T2  - J. Trop. Ecol.
JO  - Journal of Tropical Ecology
SP  - 565
EP  - 574
VL  - 22
PB  - CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
KW  - acrisol
KW  - carbon balance
KW  - carbon flux
KW  - gleysol
KW  - root biomass
N2  - The objective of this study was to analyse the factors explaining spatial variation in soil respiration over topographic transects in a tropical rain forest of French Guiana. The soil of 30 plots along six transects was characterized. The appearance of the 'dry to the touch' character at a depth of less than 1.2 m was used to discriminate soils exhibiting vertical drainage from soils exhibiting superficial lateral drainage and along with colour and texture, to define five classes from well-drained to strongly hydromorphic soils. Spatial variation in soil respiration was closely related to topographic position and soil type. Increasing soil water content and bulk density and decreasing root biomass and soil carbon content explained most of the decrease in soil respiration from the plateaux (vertically drained hypoferralic acrisol) to the bottomlands (haplic gleysol). These results will help to stratify further field experiments and to identify the underlying determinants of spatial variation in soil respiration to develop mechanistic models of soil respiration.
SN  - 0266-4674
N1  - ISI:000239975200008
ID  - Epron_etal2006
ER  -