Automated total and heterotrophic soil respiration in semi-arid shrubland and annual invasive patches

Soil respiration (Rs) is the largest terrestrial source of carbon (C) flux to the atmosphere but our understanding of Rs controls with shifts in plant-community composition remains limited. We used high frequency soil respiration measurements and root exclusion to evaluate how Rs component fluxes, autotrophic respiration (Ra) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh), vary between a perennial semi-arid shrub community and annual invasive community.Â