Seasonal patterns and monthly dynamics of the total soil respiration (•), litter respiration (○), and the litter-free soil respiration (▾) in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests (mean ±1SD, <i>n</i> = 9).

<p>Seasonal patterns and monthly dynamics of the total soil respiration (•), litter respiration (○), and the litter-free soil respiration (▾) in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests (mean ±1SD, <i>n</i> = 9).</p

Initial substrate quality (mean ±1SD, <i>n</i> = 3) of leaf litter in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests studied.

<p>Note: different letters within a row indicate significant difference (<i>P</i><0.05) among the stands.</p

Relationships between litter decomposition (%) and soil temperature (a) or soil water content (b) in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests.

<p>Relationships between litter decomposition (%) and soil temperature (a) or soil water content (b) in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests.</p

Relationships between mean monthly litter decomposition and the total soil respiration (a), litter respiration (b), and litter-free soil respiration rate (c) for different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests.

<p>Note: respiration rate is the mean value across the litter decomposition period.</p

Effects of forest age and sampling time on the total soil respiration, litter-free soil respiration, and litter respiration in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests tested using repeated measures ANOVAs.

<p>Effects of forest age and sampling time on the total soil respiration, litter-free soil respiration, and litter respiration in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests tested using repeated measures ANOVAs.</p

Relationships between the total soil respiration (a, b), litter respiration (c, d), litter-free soil respiration (e, f) and soil temperature at 5 cm depth or soil water content at 5 cm depth in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests during the 18-months field observations.

<p>Relationships between the total soil respiration (a, b), litter respiration (c, d), litter-free soil respiration (e, f) and soil temperature at 5 cm depth or soil water content at 5 cm depth in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests during the 18-months field observations.</p

Observed (•) and predicted (○) values of litter dry mass remaining across the experimental period in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests (mean ±1SD, <i>n</i> = 9).

<p>Observed (•) and predicted (○) values of litter dry mass remaining across the experimental period in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests (mean ±1SD, <i>n</i> = 9).</p

The functions and model fit parameters (<i>n</i>, <i>R</i>² and <i>P</i>-values) between measured soil respiration with soil temperature (T), soil moisture content (SWC) and litter water content (LWC) in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests.

<p>The functions and model fit parameters (<i>n</i>, <i>R</i>² and <i>P</i>-values) between measured soil respiration with soil temperature (T), soil moisture content (SWC) and litter water content (LWC) in <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests.</p

Soil temperature (5 cm soil depth), soil water content (5 cm soil depth) and litter water content in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests studied across the experiment period.

<p>Soil temperature (5 cm soil depth), soil water content (5 cm soil depth) and litter water content in different-aged <i>Pinus massoniana</i> forests studied across the experiment period.</p