Abstract
Background and aims
The frequent occurrence of extreme rainfall events results in soils experiencing drying–rewetting (DRW) cycles. Such rewetting can lead to a surge in soil CO2 emissions; however, the main regulatory factors involved in this priming effect are unclear.
Methods
In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis using data extracted from 43 published papers, to determine the direct regulatory factors involved in the priming effect of soil CO2.
Results
The results indicated that the priming effect of rewetting on soil CO2 emissions was influenced by ecosystem type, soil properties, climatic factors, and the number of DRW cycles. The priming effect was the highest in cropland but the lowest in grassland when taking flux values observed before rewetting as the control group. It was also greater in acidic soils (pH < 6.5) and soils with a high clay fraction (clay ≥ 30%) than in other soils. The effect size (lnRR) of soil CO2 emissions was exponentially related to the mean annual precipitation (MAP), and decreased with increases in MAP. In DRW experiments, the priming effect of the first rewetting on soil CO2 emissions was the largest, an effect that gradually decreased with the number of DRW cycles, before disappearing completely. Most importantly, soil moisture influenced the peak time and the pulse time of the priming effect: the greater the change in soil moisture, the longer the peak time duration; the higher the maximum soil moisture content after rewetting, the longer the pulse time duration; and the lower the initial soil moisture content, the bigger the priming effect.
Conclusion
Generally, physical mechanisms, especially soil moisture, directly regulate the CO2 priming effect during DRW cycles. Thus, this study provides a theoretical basis for assessing and predicting the impact of future precipitation changes on soil carbon cycling. Future studies should also carefully monitor any changes in soil microorganisms in response to changes in soil moisture during DRW cycles, because these appear to be significantly involved in CO2 release from soils.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to give their heartfelt thanks to Zhuo Pang and Haiming Kan, for their kindness, illuminating guidance, and profound knowledge. Despite their busy schedules, they read the paper carefully and provided detailed comments. We also express our appreciation to all those who have helped with this research.
Funding
This work was supported by the Excellent Youth Scholars Program and the Special Project on Hi-Tech Innovation Capacity (KJCX20210416) from Bei**g Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (BAAFS), National Natural Science Foundation of China (32001149, 31971507), Applied Basic Research Project of Qinghai Province (2022-ZJ-716), and Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (2022436).
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Li, X., Wu, J., Yang, Y. et al. Effects of drying–rewetting on soil CO2 emissions and the regulatory factors involved: a meta-analysis. Plant Soil 499, 349–361 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06210-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06210-4