Quantifying the short-term dynamics of soil organic carbon decomposition using a power function model

Ecological Processes

Table 2 Parameters and coefficient of determination (r ²) of the power function model fitting the change of soil heterotrophic respiration (R _h) with incubation time in three subtropical forest soils

		PE^a		SS			CB
	Initial R _h (R ₁) ^b	Power (k) ^b	r ²	Initial R _h (R ₁)	Power (k)	r ²	Initial R _h (R ₁)	Power (k)	r ²
Temperature (^oC)
10	0.628	0.236	0.720	0.582	0.136	0.612	0.747	0.268	0.555
17	0.768	0.243	0.793	0.702	0.134	0.581	1.137	0.307	0.946
24	0.944	0.238	0.760	0.998	0.167	0.764	1.456	0.293	0.905
31	1.276	0.253	0.855	1.647	0.266	0.963	2.054	0.268	0.942
38	1.712	0.252	0.821	1.913	0.232	0.965	2.523	0.242	0.937
Moisture (% water holding capacity)
20%	0.494	0.195	0.692	0.514	0.159	0.874	0.576	0.201	0.708
40%	0.847	0.270	0.858	1.038	0.206	0.913	1.179	0.278	0.917
60%	1.423	0.232	0.739	2.118	0.202	0.901	2.928	0.328	0.863
80%	1.578	0.266	0.893	1.262	0.201	0.891	2.364	0.314	0.922
100%	1.059	0.259	0.917	0.913	0.180	0.861	1.362	0.255	0.909

^aPE, SS, and CB represent the P. elliottii plantation, S. superba plantation, and conifer and broadleaf mixed forest soils, respectively
^bTo derive the empirical relation for each temperature level, R _h under the five moisture levels were averaged; to derive that for each moisture level, R _h under the five temperature levels were averaged. All models are significant at α = 0.05