Data from: Multiple scales of spatial heterogeneity control soil respiration responses to precipitation across a dryland rainfall gradient

Aims – Soil respiration (Rs) is a major pathway for releasing fixed carbon back to the atmosphere. However, controls over Rs are poorly understood in arid and hyper-arid systems where microbial activity is frequently constrained by moisture. We addressed key uncertainties in Rs: 1) How do short-term rainfall pulses affect Rs at sites that differ in long-term precipitation inputs?, 2) how do Rs responses to short and long-term rainfall differ across soil surfaces?, and 3) how are Rs responses affected by local-scale attributes? Methods – We measured Rs responses to rainfall pulses over a 48 h period. Working across a climate gradient, we compared Rs responses on two contrasting soil surfaces which both had two vegetation/soil morphology patch types that differed in organic matter inputs and accumulation. Results – Rates of Rs were low, but highly responsive to rainfall pulses. Stimulation of Rs by rainfall was generally greater in areas with higher annual rainfall. However, patterns for Rs responses to rainfall differed greatly on the two soil surfaces and among patch types. Conclusions – The strong role of patch type and soil surface in controlling Rs points to the need to carefully consider small-scale spatial and temporal variation when interpreting dryland biogeochemical fluxes.Funding provided by: National Science FoundationCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001Award Number: DEB-0953864Funding provided by: US Fulbright CommissionCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000592Award Number: Funding provided by: Environmental Investment Fund, Namibia*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: Funding provided by: Environmental Investment Fund, NamibiaCrossref Funder Registry ID:See manuscript details