Autotrophic respiration's higher sensitivity drives soil organic carbon sequestration along precipitation gradients in saline wetlands

Intensified precipitation variability is expected to alter soil water and salt transport, potentially affecting soil carbon cycling in saline wetlands, particularly soil respiration (SR)—the largest source of atmospheric CO₂ emissions. However, due to differences in substrate sources and biological processes between autotrophic (SRa) and heterotrophic respiration (SRh), it remains unclear whether these components respond differently to precipitation changes and how their sensitivity affects soil organic carbon storage. To address this, a seven-year precipitation manipulation experiment with five treatments: (-60%, -40%, 0%, +40%, and +60% of ambient precipitation) was conducted in the Yellow River Delta wetlands. According to the above-mentioned research background and experimental design, we obtained the relevant dataset.