Interactions between microclimatic variables and the soil microbial biomass

Summary Soil moisture, temperature, microbial substrate-induced respiration and basal respiration were monitored in two plots in an agricultural field from April 30 to September 25, 1987, and in a further two plots from May 26 to August 27, 1988. An attempt to relate biological variables to microclimatic variables was made through the use of correlation analysis. The microbial substrate-induced and basal respiration were both strongly positively correlated with the soil moisture content, and to a lesser extent positively related to soil temperature, especially when partial correlation was used to control for variation in soil moisture. Short-term changes in substrate-induced and basal respiration were correlated with changes in soil moisture but were largely independent of soil temperature. The ratio of basal to substrate-induced respiration (indicating the respiration: biomass ratio and therefore ecosystem stability or persistence) was negatively associated with the soil moisture content and in some instances with soil temperature when partial correlation analysis (correcting for soil moisture variation) was used. This suggests that the climatic conditions which contributed to the lowest ecosystem stability were low temperature, low moisture conditions.     

生物质炭对土壤物理性质影响的研究进展

生物质炭在农业与环境中的应用已成为近期国内外研究热点,有关生物质炭特性以及生物质炭对土壤化学、生物学性质和作物产量的影响,已经有一些综述,但是生物质炭对土壤物理性质影响的相关综述很少。本文对近10年生物质炭对土壤物理性质影响相关的研究成果进行了整理分析。研究结果发现生物质炭可以降低土壤容重,提高土壤团聚体稳定性,增加田间持水量和土壤有效水含量,降低饱和导水率等。生物质炭影响土壤物理性质的主要原因是生物质炭具有较大的比表面积和孔隙度。此外,生物质炭与土壤矿质颗粒结合,并通过对土壤微生物活性和植物生长的影响间接影响土壤物理性质。生物质炭对土壤物理性质的影响与多种因素有关,如生物质炭原料、裂解温度、施用量和颗粒大小,土壤质地和处理时间等。关于生物质炭对土壤物理性质影响的长期研究很少,且缺乏田间试验。因此,将来的研究应更加倾向于长期田间条件下生物质炭对土壤物理性质的影响,并逐渐发现生物质炭的作用机理,为实际的农业生产和生态治理提供科学依据。     

基于探地雷达的土壤水分测定方法研究进展

农田和小流域尺度土壤水分空间和时间分布信息的快速、准确、无损获取是土壤学、农学以及生态环境学等相关科学研究的重要需求.探地雷达作为一种新型地球物理技术, 近年来在多个领域有了应用和推广.本文针对探地雷达技术在土壤水分监测方面应用的科学问题, 在总结国内外相关研究的基础上, 重点阐述了探地雷达技术测定土壤含水量的基本原理、土壤含水量和土壤介电常数的常用关系式、探地雷达技术测定土壤含水量的研究方法及其在国内外的研究进展, 评价了各方法的优势和不足及其在农田土壤中的适用性, 并提出存在的问题和研究展望, 以期为相关科学研究以及探地雷达在我国农田土壤上应用开创新的领域提供参考.     

Simple and Rapid Laboratory Method for Rewetting Dry Soil for Incubations

Soil microbial activity is greatly affected by soil water content. Determining the appropriate moisture content to rewet soils that have been dried in preparation for laboratory incubations to determine microbial activity can be laborious and time-consuming. The most common methods used achieve sufficient moisture content for peak microbial respiration are gravimetric water content, soil matric potential, or percentage of water-filled pore space (WFPS). Alternatively, a fast, simple, and accurate way to ensure that a given soil receives the appropriate amount of water for peak soil microbial respiration is to rely on natural capillary action for rewetting the dry soil. The capillary method is related to the gravimetric method for water uptake and has a strong correlation with WFPS. A microbial respiration test was conducted to compare rewetting methods. The 24-h carbon dioxide (CO₂) / carbon (C) results were very similar and strongly correlated using the gravimetric method and the capillary method for rewetting dried soil.     

土壤侵蚀降雨物理学简论

土壤侵蚀降雨物理学是一门尚待建立的学科。从土壤侵蚀降雨物理学的概念出发,探讨土壤侵蚀降雨物理学的主要内容及其与相关学科的关系,在回顾土壤侵蚀降雨物理学的相关理论发展简史的基础上,认为土壤侵蚀降雨物理学是气象学、水土保持学的交叉学科,是值得发展的新学科。     

Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on soil respiration components and their temperature sensitivities in a semiarid grassland

Nitrogen (N) deposition to semiarid ecosystems is increasing globally, yet few studies have investigated the ecological consequences of N enrichment in these ecosystems. Furthermore, soil CO₂ flux – including plant root and microbial respiration – is a key feedback to ecosystem carbon (C) cycling that links ecosystem processes to climate, yet few studies have investigated the effects of N enrichment on belowground processes in water-limited ecosystems. In this study, we conducted two-level N addition experiments to investigate the effects of N enrichment on microbial and root respiration in a grassland ecosystem on the Loess Plateau in northwestern China. Two years of high N additions (9.2 g N m⁻² y⁻¹) significantly increased soil CO₂ flux, including both microbial and root respiration, particularly during the warm growing season. Low N additions (2.3 g N m⁻² y⁻¹) increased microbial respiration during the growing season only, but had no significant effects on root respiration. The annual temperature coefficients (Q₁₀) of soil respiration and microbial respiration ranged from 1.86 to 3.00 and 1.86 to 2.72 respectively, and there was a significant decrease in Q₁₀ between the control and the N treatments during the non-growing season but no difference was found during the growing season. Following nitrogen additions, elevated rates of root respiration were significantly and positively related to root N concentrations and biomass, while elevated rates of microbial respiration were related to soil microbial biomass C (SMBC). The microbial respiration tended to respond more sensitively to N addition, while the root respiration did not have similar response. The different mechanisms of N addition impacts on soil respiration and its components and their sensitivity to temperature identified in this study may facilitate the simulation and prediction of C cycling and storage in semiarid grasslands under future scenarios of global change.     

基于文献计量的国内外人工林土壤地力研究

为了解国内外人工林土壤地力的研究进展和发展趋势,采用文献计量学方法,以中国知网(CNKI)和Web of Science核心合集数据库相关文献为数据源,利用VOSviewer、HistCite等工具,从国家、机构、作者、研究热点方面对2021年之前的有关文献进行了计量分析.结果表明:国内外该领域年发文量呈逐渐增长趋势,...     

连作对杨树人工林土壤呼吸及各组分的影响

土壤呼吸是整个陆地生态系统碳循环的关键过程之一.以山东大汶河沿岸沙地不同连作代数杨树人工林(1代林、2代林和3代林)为研究对象,利用ACE自动土壤呼吸监测系统(UK),对3种林分一个生长季(4-10月)的土壤呼吸速率及温湿度进行测定,同时采用壕沟法对3种林分的土壤呼吸进行组分分离,并对土壤呼吸及各组分与土壤温湿度的关系进行模型模拟.结果表明:3种林分的土壤呼吸速率(RS)、自养呼吸速率(RA)和异养呼吸速率(RH)的月变化均为明显的单峰格局;生长季内,3种林分RA贡献率月差异明显,平均贡献率为40.04％;RS及其组分与5 cm处土壤温度存在显著指数关系,与土壤体积含水量没有相关性,土壤温度与土壤体积含水量的复合模型对土壤呼吸速率变化解释能力为80％ ～ 94％;3种林分生长季平均土壤呼吸速率分别为3.12、3.08和2.66μmol/(m2·s),3代林RS和RH均显著低于1代林和2代林.连作导致杨树人工林地土壤呼吸速率减弱,土壤理化性质和微生物量的差异是导致林分间土壤呼吸速率差异的主要原因.揭示连作对杨树人工林土壤呼吸及各组分的影响,以及作用机制,为全面探究杨树人工林连作效应及土壤碳循环,提供数据支撑.     

Moisture, carbon and inorganic nutrient controls of soil respiration at a sub-Antarctic island

Respiration rate of soils manured by seabirds and seals on sub-Antarctic Marion Island (47°S, 38°′E) is considerably higher than that of unmanured soils, and the main objective of this study was to determine whether this is caused by an enhanced supply of inorganic nutrients (N and P) or organic C substrates, or both. The effect of soil moisture content was also investigated. Soils from five habitats were studied: Mesic fellfield, Dry mire, Closed fernbrake, Coastal herbfield and Cotula herbfield. The latter two are strongly influenced by manuring. Respiration rate increased with soil moisture content up to full water holding capacity, and the response of respiration to moisture increased strongly with temperature (especially above 10 °C). Respiration Q₁₀ increased with soil moisture content. Glucose addition markedly stimulated soil respiration rate in all the soils, despite the fact that they all possessed substantial concentrations of organic C, a wide range of N and P concentrations and a 2-fold variation in C:N ratio. This suggests that the primary factor limiting soil respiration on the island is the supply of labile carbon substrate. Soil N and P status is also important, since adding glucose with N and/or P to soils with low N and P concentrations resulted in a significantly greater stimulation of respiration rate than adding glucose alone. In fact, for the Mesic fellfield and Dry mire soils (especially poor in N and P) adding N and P stimulated respiration rate even without added glucose. For soils with adequate endogenous concentrations of N and P (the Coastal herbfield and Cotula herbfield soils), adding further N and P did not stimulate respiration, and adding N and P with glucose did not enhance respiration more than adding glucose alone. It is proposed that manuring results in a whole syndrome of consequences for soil respiration rate, including increased litter input and root exudation due to higher primary production, higher quality of litter and soil organic matter, larger, more active and more diverse soil microbial populations and larger numbers of microbivores that stimulate microbial activity and turnover.     

沙漠腹地人工绿地土壤微生物变异与土壤环境因子关系的研究

通过野外采样与室内分析,研究了不同定植年限下塔里木沙漠公路防护林人工绿地土壤微生物的变异规律及其与土壤物理和化学因子间的关系。结果表明:随林龄的增加,土壤微生物数量明显增加,土壤养分含量有所提高,土壤肥力状况明显改善;在土壤微生物的区系组成中,细菌为优势种,占微生物总数的80%以上,放线菌次之,而真菌最少,不到微生物总数的0.1%;土壤微生物数量受土壤环境因子的影响,其中土壤容重、总孔隙度、含水量、有机质和全氮、全磷、全钾及速效氮、速效磷、速效钾含量与细菌、放线菌和真菌的数量均存在极显著相关关系;防护林建设后土壤颗粒逐渐细化。说明防护林的定植促进了咸水灌溉条件下风沙土的发育,土壤质量提高,利于植物的生长,塔里木沙漠公路防护林防风固沙效益明显。     

不同施肥管理措施对土壤碳含量及基础呼吸的影响

连续7年试验研究了施用15t/hm2和7.5t/hm2有机肥(包括EM堆肥、EM鸡粪肥和传统堆肥)、化肥和对照处理对土壤碳含量与基础呼吸的影响,结果表明:随有机肥施用量的提高,土壤可溶性碳、总有机碳、微生物生物量碳和土壤的基础呼吸随之增加。施用化肥可一定程度提高土壤可溶性碳、总有机碳、微生物生物量碳和土壤的基础呼吸。不同施肥措施对土壤有机碳、微生物生物量碳和土壤基础呼吸的影响趋势为EM堆肥处理>传统堆肥处理>化肥处理>对照,施肥对土壤微生物代谢商的影响趋势为EM堆肥处理<传统堆肥处理<化肥处理<对照。土壤微生物生物量碳与可溶性碳、总有机碳及土壤基础呼吸之间呈极显著正相关。土壤微生物代谢商与土壤可溶性碳、总有机碳、微生物生物量碳及基础呼吸之间呈极显著负相关。     

外源腐解微生物的物种组合对土壤微生物群落结构及代谢活性的影响

本文采用饲料类芽孢杆菌(Paenibacillus pabuli,P)、深红紫链霉菌(Streptomyces violaceorubidus,S)和黄绿木霉(Trichoderma aureoviride,T),组合构建了3种单菌剂(P、S和T)、3种两菌种复合菌剂(PT、PS和ST)及1种3菌种复合菌剂(PST),并将之添加到红壤中,监测各菌剂添加后土壤总磷脂脂肪酸(PLFAs)量、特征微生物PLFAs百分含量、土壤呼吸速率及总代谢熵的变化,旨在探明外源腐解微生物的物种组合对土壤微生物群落结构和代谢活性的影响,进而为优化有机物分解菌剂种群配置提供参考。结果显示,添加单菌剂的P、S和T处理及添加两菌种复合菌剂的PT和PS处理,土壤微生物生物量显著增加,增幅17.2%~121.6%(P0.05)。添加外源腐解微生物后,各处理的土壤微生物群落的细菌百分含量基本稳定在79.6%~83.1%,真菌百分含量显著增加8.8%~50.6%;而放线菌百分含量除P和ST处理外,其他处理显著降低9.4%~69.8%。PLFAs数据的主成分分析表明,各外源菌剂处理与CK处理间的群落结构变异由小到大依次为:接种单菌剂的P、S和T处理,接种两菌种复合菌剂的PT、PS和ST处理,接种3菌种复合菌剂的PST处理。添加单菌剂的P、T处理以及添加两菌种复合菌剂的ST处理,在短期内影响了土壤微生物的对数生长,使土壤呼吸速率的峰值分别提高48.7%、53.7%和78.7%;且外源腐解微生物组合的物种数量越多,土壤微生物进入潜伏期所需的时间越长。从外源腐解微生物对土壤肥力的长期影响来看,两菌种复合菌剂ST的添加使土壤微生物代谢活性提高28.9%,因此该处理的土壤碳矿化量增加11.1%;添加单菌剂的S处理使土壤微生物代谢活性显著降低32.4%,因此该处理的土壤碳矿化量仅降低7.3%;而添加两菌种复合菌剂的PS处理和3菌种复合菌剂的PST处理,在保持代谢活性不变的情况下,其土壤碳矿化量也降低5.8%~8.7%,其原因有待进一步研究。综上所述,外源腐解微生物的添加会改变土壤微生物的群落结构及其生长轨迹,且随外源腐解微生物组合的物种数量增多这一干扰程度越大,而土壤微生物代谢活性与外源腐解微生物组合的物种数量无显著相关性。     

Assessing soil microbial respiration capacity using rDNA- or rRNA-based indices: a review

Purpose

Understanding soil heterotrophic respiration in relation to microbial properties is not only fundamental to soil respiration modelling, prediction, and regulation through management, but also essential to interpreting microbial community dynamics from an ecologically meaningful perspective. This paper reviewed the recent advances in knowledge and proposed future directions for exploring the respiration-microbe relationships by means of rDNA- or rRNA-based indices (i.e. rDNA copies, rRNA copies, and rDNA- or rRNA-based community structures).

Materials and methods

We first elucidated the theoretical basis for using rDNA- or rRNA-based indices to probe into soil microbial respiration. Then, the published studies that simultaneously measured soil microbial respiration and the rDNA- or rRNA-based indices were synthesized, extracted, and analysed to further explore the respiration-microbe relationships. At last, the uncertainties and perspectives for establishing the respiration-microbe links were proposed and discussed.

Results and discussion

The rDNA- or rRNA-based indices are theoretically promising for pinpointing the relationships between soil heterotrophic respiration and microbial properties. Our systematic review suggested that the correlations between bacterial rDNA copies and microbial respiration are inconsistent across studies, while the fungal and archaeal rDNA (or ITS) copies showed moderately positive and negative correlations with soil microbial respiration, respectively. Bacterial 16S rDNA-based community structures were significantly correlated with soil microbial respiration in some studies, but not in some short-term situations. Although rRNA copies are widely used as the proxies of microbial activity, no significant correlations between rRNA copies and soil microbial respiration have been found in previous studies. Bacterial 16S rRNA-based community structures were correlated well with the short-term responses of soil microbial respiration to rewetting or labile carbon amendments and clearly outperformed other rDNA- or rRNA-based indices. As respiration-microbe relationships can be affected by many factors, such as soil physicochemical properties and even the analysis methods of microbial indices, the 69 previous studies included in this review actually provided limited information on them, and the aforementioned results still need to be further confirmed in future studies.

Conclusions and perspectives

Overall, the relationships between soil microbial respiration and rDNA- or rRNA-based indices are still far from being well established. Future research should be directed to systematically understanding the respiration-microbe links, with more attention to the fungus-, archaea- and RNA-related molecular indices. The relationships between microbial specific lineages and total respiration rates should be explored in future studies, and the effects of edaphic properties on the respiration-microbe relationships should also be evaluated.

     

基于文献计量分析的近30年国内外土壤科学发展过程解析

借助Web of Science和CNKI数据库,利用文献计量学方法定量分析了近30年来国内外发表的土壤科学文献,研究了土壤科学不同时期(1986—1995、1996—2005、2006—2013年)的发展与演变过程,对比了国内外土壤科学发展的异同点。早期的国际土壤科学是以土壤肥力主导的农田土壤学研究,逐渐转向以生态环境为核心的问题导向研究,强调土壤生物驱动的土壤过程研究;而我国土壤科学研究更注重区域特色,以地力提升、土壤侵蚀与水土保持、土壤污染与修复等问题导向更加明确,发展过程中学科间的交叉与融合不断增强。本论文期望以文献计量学的分析方法客观评价土壤科学发展的脉络,把握学科发展前沿,提升土壤科学研究的创新能力,从而推动我国土壤科学的发展。     

Dependence of soil respiration on soil moisture, clay content, soil organic matter, and CO2 uptake in dry grasslands

The effects of abiotic and biotic drivers on soil respiration (R_s) were studied in four grassland and one forest sites in Hungary in field measurement campaigns (duration of studies by sites 2-7 years) between 2000 and 2008. The sites are within a 100 km distance of each other, with nearly the same climate, but with different soils and vegetation. Soil respiration model with soil temperature (T_s) and soil water content (SWC) as independent variables explained larger part of variance (range 0.47-0.81) than the Lloyd and Taylor model (explained variance: 0.31-0.76). Direct effect of SWC on R_s at much smaller temporal and spatial scale (1.5 h, and a few meters, respectively) was verified.Soil water content optimal for R_s (SWC_opt) was shown to significantly (positively) depend on soil clay content, while parameter related to activation energy (E₀) was significantly (negatively) correlated to the total organic carbon content (TOC) in the upper 10 cm soil layer. Dependence of model parameters on soil properties could easily be utilized in models of soil respiration. The effect of current (a few hours earlier) assimilation rates on soil respiration after removing the effect of abiotic covariates (i.e. temperature and water supply) is shown. The correlation maximum between the R_s residuals (R_{s_res}, from the R_s (SWC, T_s) model) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) was found at 13.5 h time lag at the sandy grassland. Incorporating the time-lagged effect of NEE on R_s into the model of soil respiration improved the agreement between the simulated vs. measured R_s data. Use of SWC_opt and E₀ parameters and consideration of current assimilation in soil respiration models are proposed.     

Comparison of microbiological methods for evaluating quality and fertility of soil

Routine soil testing procedures that are rapid and accurate are needed to evaluate C and N mineralization in agricultural soils in order to determine soil quality and fertility. Laboratory methods were compared for their usefulness in determining soil microbial biomass and potential activity in a Weswood silty clay loam (fine, mixed, thermic Fluventic Ustochrept) subjected to long-term tillage, crop sequence, and N-fertilizer management practices. The methods included basal soil respiration, net N mineralization during a 10-day incubation, soil microbial biomass C with the chloroform fumigation-incubation technique with and without subtracting a control value, soil microbial biomass N with the chloroform fumigation-incubation technique, substrate-induced respiration, and arginine ammonification. All methods were highly correlated with each other and, therefore, appear to adequately reflect soil microbial biomass and potential activity under laboratory conditions. The longer incubation times used with the basal soil respiration, N mineralization, and microbial biomass C and N assays resulted in higher correlations and lower variation among replications compared to the shorter incubation times used with substrate-induced respiration and arginine ammonification. The relatively rapid procedural time (3 h) required for the latter two assays could make these methods more attractive for routine soil testing, although multiple assays on the same sample may be necessary because these methods are less precise than the incubation methods that require 10 days.     

Relating the biological stability of soil organic matter to energy availability in deep tropical soil profiles

Tropical subsoils contain large reservoirs of carbon (C), most of which is stored in soil organic matter (SOM). Subsoil OM is thought to be particularly stable against microbial decomposition due to various mechanisms and its position in the soil profile, potentially representing a long-term C sink. However, few experiments have explicitly investigated SOM stability and microbial activity across several orders of magnitude of soil C concentrations as a function of soil depth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biological stability of SOM in the upper 1.4 m of tropical forest soil profiles. We did so by measuring CO₂ evolution during a 90-day laboratory incubation experiment on a sample set that was previously characterized for C and nutrient concentrations and microbial biomass. We concurrently measured the energy content of SOM using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as an index of the energy available for microbial metabolism, with the hypothesis that the biological stability of SOM would be inversely related to the energy contained within it. Cumulative CO₂ evolution, mean respiration rates, and the energy density of SOM (energy released during combustion normalized to soil C) all declined with soil depth (P < 0.01). Biological indices of C stability were well correlated with measures of SOM energy. There was no change in the mean respiration rate as a function of depth when normalized to soil C, and a trend toward increased respiration per-unit microbial biomass (P = 0.07). While reduced microbial respiration in subsoils suggests an increase in the biological stability of SOM, we suggest this is driven principally by concurrent declines in energy availability as measured by DSC and the size of the microbial biomass pool. On a per-unit biomass basis, subsoil OM may be as prone to decomposition and destabilization as surface SOM.     

Relationship between soil respiration and soil moisture

Microbial activity is affected by changes in the availability of soil moisture. We examined the relationship between microbial activity and water potential in a silt loam soil during four successive drying and rewetting cycles. Microbial activity was inferred from the rate of CO₂ accumulating in a sealed flask containing the soil sample and the CO₂ respired was measured using gas chromatography. Thermocouple hygrometry was used to monitor the water potential by burying a thermocouple in the soil sample in the flask. Initial treatment by drying on pressure plates brought samples of the test soil to six different water potentials in the range -0.005 to -1.5MPa. Water potential and soil respiration were simultaneously measured while these six soil samples slowly dried by evaporation and were remoistened four times. The results were consistent with a log-linear relationship between water potential and microbial activity as long as activity was not limited by substrate availability. This relationship appeared to hold for the range of water potentials from ?0.01 to ?8.5 MPa. Even at ?0.01 MPa (wet soil) a decrease in water potential from ?0.01 to ?0.02 MPa caused a 10% decrease in microbial activity. Rewetting the soil caused a large and rapid increase in the respiration rate. There was up to a 40-fold increase in microbial activity for a short period when the change in water potential following rewetting was greater than 5 MPa. Differences in microbial activity between the wetter and drier soil treatments following rewetting to the original water potentials are discussed in terms of the availability of energy substrate.     

Soil organic matter turnover as a function of the soil clay content: consequences for model applications

Based on a literature review including 201 surface soils from wet, mild, mid-latitude climates and 290 soils from the Lower Saxony soil monitoring programme (Germany), we investigated the relationship between soil clay content and soil organic matter turnover. The relationship was then used to evaluate the clay modifier for microbial decomposition in the organic matter module of the soil-plant-atmosphere model DAISY. A positive relationship was found between soil clay content and soil microbial biomass (SMB) C. Furthermore, a negative relationship was found between soil clay content and metabolic quotient (qCO₂) as an indicator of specific microbial activity. Both findings support the hypothesis of a clay dependent capacity of soils to protect microbial biomass. Under the differing conditions of practical agriculture and forestry, no or only very weak relationships were found between soil clay content and non-living soil organic matter C (humus C). It is concluded that the stabilising effect of clay is much stronger for SMB than for humus. This is in contrast to the DAISY clay modifier assuming the same negative relationship between soil clay content, on the one hand, and turnover of SMB and turnover of soil humus on the other. There is a positive relationship between SMB and microbial decomposition activity under steady-state conditions (microbial growth≈microbial death). The original concept of a biomass-independent simulation of organic matter turnover in the DAISY model must therefore be rejected. In addition to the original modifiers of organic matter turnover, a modifier based on the pool size of decomposing organisms is suggested. Priming effects can be simulated by applying this modifier. When using this approach, the original modifiers are related to specific microbial activity. The DAISY clay modifier is a useful approximation of the relationship between the metabolic quotient (qCO₂) as an indicator of specific microbial activity and soil clay content.     

Modeling soil respiration based on carbon, nitrogen, and root mass across diverse Great Lake forests

The variability in the net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE) is a major source of uncertainty in quantifying global carbon budget and atmospheric CO₂. Soil respiration, which is a large component of NEE, could be strongly influential to NEE variability. Vegetation type, landscape position, and site history can influence soil properties and therefore drive the microbial and root production of soil CO₂. This study measured soil respiration and soil chemical, biological and physical properties on various types of temperate forest stands in Northern Wisconsin (USA), which included ash elm, aspen, northern hardwood, red pine forest types, clear-cuts, and wetland edges. Soil respiration at each of the 19 locations was measured six times during 1 year from early June to mid-November. These data were combined with two additional data sets from the same landscape that represent two smaller spatial scales. Large spatial variation of soil respiration occurred within and among each forest type, which appeared to be from differences in soil moisture, root mass and the ratio of soil carbon to soil nitrogen (C:N). A soil climate driven model was developed that contained quadratic functions for root mass and the ratio of soil carbon to soil nitrogen. The data from the large range of forest types and site conditions indicated that the range of root mass and C:N on the landscape was also large, and that trends between C:N, root mass, and soil respiration were not linear as previously reported, but rather curvilinear. It should be noted this function appeared to level off and decline at C:N larger than 25, approximately the value where microbial nitrogen immobilization limits free soil nitrogen. Weak but significant relationships between soil water and soil C:N, and between soil C:N and root mass were observed indicating an interrelatedness of (1) topographically induced hydrologic patterns and soil chemistry, and (2) soil chemistry and root production. Future models of soil respiration should address multiple spatial and temporal factors as well as their co-dependence.