Math model for Calibration of CO2Releases by Soil Respiration

Soil microbial respiration includes the gas exchange of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism by the process of oxygen uptake or carbon dioxide evolution by bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoans. Soil respiration results from the degradation (e.g. mineralization) of the organic soil's dead roots and residues through a soil biological activity consisting of numerous individual activities, and the formation of C02 is the last step of carbon mineralization. In undisturbed soils with no nutrient amendments, respiration is called “basal respiration” under the ecological balance between the organisms and their activities. The soil microbial respiration activity changes upon a disturbance, e.g. through the addition of organic matter. One can observe a change in soil respiration due to more rapid growth and higher mineralization of the microorganisms. This increased respiration is characterized by an initial, an acceleration, an exponential, a delay, a stationary, and a decreasing phase (Freytag, 1977). CO2 evolution from the soil is thus a measure of the total soil biological activity.