Soil respiration in a montane forest in China varies seasonally and daily. It is higher in the wet season (May-October) than the dry season (November-April). Soil respiration is influenced by soil temperature and moisture. The rate of soil respiration changes throughout the day, with higher rates at night in some months. Overall, soil respiration is strongly linked to soil temperature and moisture. However, these relationships are not consistent throughout the day. The study found that estimating carbon flux based on short-term measurements may lead to inaccurate results due to the lack of correlation between soil respiration and temperature over a 24-hour period.