title: Does the different photosynthetic pathway of plants affect soil respiration in a subtropical wetland?
abstract: Plants with different photosynthetic pathways could produce different amounts and types of root exudates and debris which may affect soil respiration rates. Therefore, wetland vegetation succession between plants with different photosynthetic pathways may ultimately influence the wetland carbon budget. The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River has the largest floodplain wetland group in China. Tian'e Zhou wetland reserve (29°48'N, 112°33'E) is located in Shishou city, Hubei province and covers about 77.5 square kilometers. Hemathria altissima (C4) was found gradually being replaced by Carex argyi (C3) for several years in this place. An in situ experiment was conducted in Tian'e Zhou wetland to determine the change of soil respiration as the succession proceeds. Soil respiration, substrate-induced respiration, and bacterial respiration of the C4 species was greater than those of the C3 species, but below-ground biomass and fungal respiration of the C4 species was less than that of the C3 species. There were no significant differences in above-ground biomass between the two species. Due to the higher photosynthesis capability, higher soil respiration and lower total plant biomass, we inferred that the C4 species, H. altissima, may transport more photosynthate below-ground as a substrate for respiration. The photosynthetic pathway of plants might therefore play an important role in regulating soil respiration. As C. argyi replaces H. altissima, the larger plant biomass and lower soil respiration would indicate that the wetland in this area could fix more carbon in the soil than before.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology Wuhan Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Hubei China; Institute of Soil & Fertilizer and Resources & Environment Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences Nanchang Jiangxi China.
authors.forename: Jingrui
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5301-1465
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology Wuhan Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Hubei China; Jiangxi Academy of Sciences Nanchang Jiangxi China.
authors.forename: Qiulin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology Wuhan Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Hubei China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology Wuhan Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Hubei China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Hubei Key Laboratory of Wetland Evolution & Ecological Restoration Wuhan Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan Hubei China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: bacterial respiration; fungal respiration; photosynthetic pathway; soil respiration; substrate‐induced respiration