The researchers studied how the respiration of a manilagrass lawn ecosystem in China changes throughout the day. They used a special system to measure the respiration of the soil and plants. They found that the respiration rates had a peak around 1-2 PM, with the lowest rates in the early morning or late at night. The ecosystem released more CO2 during the day than at night. Soil respiration made up about half to three-quarters of the total respiration. The temperature of the soil affected the respiration rates. The Q10 values, which show how much respiration changes with temperature, varied throughout the year.