HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Blet-Charaudeau, C. Articles by Laudelout, H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Blet-Charaudeau, C. Articles by Laudelout, H. Agricola Articles by Blet-Charaudeau, C. Articles by Laudelout, H.

Kinetics of Carbon Dioxide Evolution in Relation to Microbial Biomass and Temperature

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Station de Châlons-sur-Marne, Route de Montmirail, Fagnières, France

H. Laudelout^*

Forestry Dep., Univ. of Louvain-la-Neuve, Route de la Fagne, B6460 Chimay, Belgium

*Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

Intensification of agricultural practices on calcareous soils leads to drastic changes in biogeochemical processes due to modifications of CO₂ partial pressure in soil pores. For this reason, CO₂ evolution was measured in vitro from Typic Rendoll soils of the Champagne Crayeuse at four temperatures. Microbial biomass was also estimated by a plate-count technique that had been calibrated by two independent methods: chloroform fumigation and bioluminescence. Carbon dioxide evolution curves fit an equation consisting of a zero- and first-order reaction. The three parameters of this equation were interpreted as: (i) the amount of easily decomposable organic matter generated by the disturbance, (ii) the time constant for the disappearance of that disturbance, and (iii) the sustained respiration of the native microflora. This model implies that the rate of CO₂ evolution is maximum at the start of the incubation, while the observed maximum in bacterial biomass occurred about 5 d later. Comparison of the results presented here with data from the literature shows that there is an almost continuous spectrum of values for the amounts of easily decomposable organic matter generated by any disturbance, and that the time constant for its mineralization is of the order of a very few days. Therefore, the use of the double exponential model is superfluous unless the duration of the incubation experiments exceeds 100 d.

Received for publication August 4, 1989.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. B. Wuest, D. Durr, and S. L. Albrecht Carbon Dioxide Flux Measurement During Simulated Tillage Agron. J., May 1, 2003; 95(3): 715 - 718. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]