Annual variation of carbon flux and impact factors in the tropical seasonal rain forest of Xishuangbanna, SW China

Two years of eddy covariance measurements of above- and below-canopy carbon fluxes and static opaque chamber and gas chromatography technique measurements of soil respiration for three treatments (bare soil, soil+litterfall, soil+litterfall+seedling) were carried out in a tropical seasonal rain forest. In addition, data of photosynthesis of dominant tree species and seedlings, leaf area index, litter production and decomposing speed, soil moisture, soil temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density within the forest were all measured concurrently. Data from January 2003 to December 2004 are used to present annual variability of carbon flux and relationships between carbon flux and impact factors. The results show that carbon flux of this forest presented unusual tendency of annual variation; above-canopy carbon fluxes were negative in the dry season (November-April) and mainly positive in the rainy season, but overall the forest is a carbon sink. Carbon flux has obviously diurnal variation in this tropical seasonal rain forest. Above-canopy carbon fluxes were negative in the daytime and absolute values were larger in the dry season than that in the rainy season, causing the forest to act as a carbon sink; at night, carbon fluxes were mainly positive, causing the forest to act as a carbon source. Dominant tree species have greater photosynthesis capability than that of seedlings, which have a great effect on above-canopy carbon flux. There was a significant correlation between above-canopy carbon flux and rate of photosynthesis of tree species. There was also a significant correlation between above-canopy carbon flux and rate of photosynthesis of seedlings; however, the below-canopy carbon flux was only significantly correlated with rate of photosynthesis of seedlings during the hot-dry season. Soil respiration of the three treatments displayed a markedly seasonal dynamic; in addition, above-canopy carbon fluxes correlated well with soil respiration, litterfall production, litterfall decomposition rate, precipitation, and soil moisture and temperature. A primary statistical result of this study showed that above-canopy carbon flux in this forest presented carbon source or sink effects in different seasons, and it is a carbon sink at the scale of a year.