Research Article

Soil CO2 not CH4 flux determines soil carbon emission response to seasonal precipitation variation in a brackish wetland

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  • aSchool of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China

    bCAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, YICCAS, Yantai 264003, China

    cYellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Marsh Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying 257000, China

    eAdministration Bureau of the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, Dongying 257091, China

    fSchool of Ecology, Hainan University, Hainan 570228, China g School of Environmental and Material Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China

    *Corresponding author. E-mail: xjchu@yic.ac.cn

Received date: 2025-03-30

  Accepted date: 2025-08-22

  Online published: 2025-09-19

Supported by

This work was funded by National Key Research and Development Program in China (2022YFF0802101), the Natural Science Foundation of China (42101117, 42071126, U2106209), the International Science Partnership Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (121311KYSB20190029) and the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(ZR2019BC106)

Abstract

Global climate change-induced alterations in precipitation patterns have introduced uncertainty regarding soil carbon sequestration capacity in brackish wetlands. To investigate the effect of seasonal precipitation distribution (SPD) on soil carbon emissions, we conducted a field experiment in a brackish wetland in the Yellow River Delta, maintaining consistent annual precipitation but varying SPD (+73%, +56%, CK, –56%, and –73%). Increased precipitation during the spring was followed by decreased precipitation in the summer and fall (+73% and +56%), whereas decreased spring precipitation was followed by increased summer and fall precipitation (–56% and –73%). Precipitation remained consistent across all treatments during winter. The results revealed significant seasonal and inter-annual sensitivity of soil CO₂ fluxes to SPD, with the spring precipitation enhancement (+56%) treatment exerting a greater influence on emissions than the +73% treatment. In contrast, soil CH4 fluxes exhibited no statistically significant variations across seasons or in response to precipitation adjustments. Furthermore, hydrological mediation of SPD established inverse water-salt dynamics: increased precipitation in spring mitigated soil salinity, promoting vegetation colonization and growth, while reduced precipitation in summer and autumn alleviated inundation pressure, enhancing vegetation productivity. Increases in soil CO₂ fluxes driven by SPD were primarily attributed to alleviation of salinity stress and vegetation-mediated carbon partitioning, whereas CH₄ fluxes remained statistically constant across precipitation regimes. Therefore, we conclude that SPD predominantly affects soil carbon emissions in the brackish wetland by modifying soil CO₂ fluxes. These findings provide mechanistic insights for refining predictive models of wetland carbon cycling under climate-driven precipitation reconstruction.

Cite this article

Huiqi Zhang, Guangxuan Han, Wenli Jia, Wanxin Huang, Xiaoshuai Zhang, Xiaojie Wang, Mingliang Zhao, Baohua Xie, Feng Lu, Jianbin Song, Wei Zhang, Xiaojing Chu . Soil CO2 not CH4 flux determines soil carbon emission response to seasonal precipitation variation in a brackish wetland[J]. Journal of Plant Ecology, 0 : 1 . DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf138

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