Objective This study aims to clarify the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil respiration (Rs) and its driving factors on the Loess Plateau (LP). Methods Taking LP as the research area, Rs data from 2000 to 2020 were integrated with data on five categories of environmental factors-climate, biology, topography, soil, and human activities. The Theil-Sen median trend analysis, correlation analysis, multiple regression residual analysis, geodetector, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to investigate the spatiotemporal variation of Rs across the entire LP and its six ecological subregions (A1 and A2: loess tableland gully regions; B1 and B2: loess hilly-gully regions; C: sandy land and agricultural irrigation region; D: earth-rocky mountainous and river valley plain region), as well as their dominant influencing factors. Results 1) On an interannual scale, Rs exhibited a significant increasing trend from 2000 to 2020, with an average annual increase of 7.61 g/(m²·a)(calculate in C) (p<0.05). The highest growth rate was observed in subregion B2 [17.57 g/(m²·a) ( calculate in C)], while the lowest was in subregion D [3.85 g/(m²·a)( calculate in C)]. Correlation analysis revealed that biological factors and human activities had correlation coefficients exceeding 0.80 (p<0.01) with Rs interannual variations across the entire LP and its six ecological subregions. Residual analysis indicated that human activities had a significantly higher independent explanatory power for Rs interannual variation compared to climatic factors, contributing 75.28%. 2) Spatially, Rs exhibited a decreasing gradient from the southeastern to the northwestern parts of the LP. High Rs values [>900 g/(m²·a) (calculate in C)] were concentrated in the southeastern LP (mainly in the southern part of subregion D), whereas lower values [<300 g/(m²·a) (calculate in C)] were primarily observed in the northwestern LP (subregion C, northern part of subregion A, and northwestern part of subregion B). The geodetector results indicated that biotic factors had the highest q values among all factors (q>0.6), followed by climatic factors (except temperature with q>0.5), and the q-value after the interactions of these two factors was even greater. SEM revealed that climatic and biotic factors had the highest standardized total effects (0.781 and 0.686, respectively), while those of topography, soil, and human activities were relatively small (all below 0.1). Conclusion Biotic factors and human activities are the primary drivers of Rs interannual variation in the study area. Over the past 20 years, Rs has shown a significant increasing trend, influenced by the enhancement of climatic factors (such as temperature and precipitation) and the positive effects of human factors (large-scale ecological projects such as afforestation). The spatial pattern of Rs on the Loess Plateau is jointly controlled by the positive interactions between biotic and climatic factors. Climatic factors indirectly influence the spatial distribution of Rs by regulating biotic factors, whereas the impacts of other factors on spatial variation are minimal. These findings provide a scientific basis for promoting green and low-carbon development and achieving "dual carbon" goals in the area.
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