This study aimed to expound the coupling effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi,plants,and soils on seasonal dynamics of respiration rates in rocky desertification soils. We employed LI-6400-09 respiration chamber and portable photosynthesis measurement system to conduct a continuous field-positioning observation on seasonal dynamics of soil respiration rates under the inoculation Sabina chinensis plants with two AM fungi species,i.e.,Funneliformis mosseae (FM) and Rhizophagus intraradices (RI). Furthermore,we explored the association of respiration rates with plant growth and physicochemical properties under AM fungal inoculation treatments in rocky desertification soils. The results were as following:(1) the inoculation with two AM fungi species had a significant effect on seasonal dynamics of soil respiration rates in rocky desertification habitat,compared with the control treatment (CK,P<0.01). The treatments with two AM fungi species had a higher magnitude of seasonal variation in respiration rates compared with the CK in rocky desertification soils. The order of soil respiration rates was ranked as RI treatment (1.55-9.10 μmol m^-2 s^-1) > FM treatment (1.62-8.29 μmol m^-2 s^-1) > CK (1.23-4.46 μmol m^-2 s^-1). (2) Soil temperature and water content had a greater effect on soil respiration dynamics in AM fungal inoculations compared with the CK treatment. The contributions of soil temperature and water content to the variations in soil respiration rates were ranked as RI treatment (44.84%;52.35%) > FM treatment (17.18%;41.65%) > CK (2.66%;16.55%). (3) Soil respiration rates under AM treatments were positively correlated with soil organic matter, nitrate nitrogen,total nitrogen,available potassium,tree height,diameter at breast height (DBH),and root biomass (P<0.01 or 0.05),while they were negatively associated with soil pH (P<0.01). In contrast,soil respiration rates in CK treatment were negatively correlated with soil pH (P<0.05),but there was no significant correlation with other soil physicochemical properties. (4) Soil temperature and moisture,ammonium and nitrate nitrogen,organic matter,easily oxidized carbon, available potassium,total nitrogen and phosphorus had the greatest contributions to the variations in soil respiration rates,while the contributions of DBH,tree height,available phosphorus,microbial biomass,root biomass and pH to respiration dynamics were ranked the second. Therefore, the results suggest that the effects of the interactions among arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,plants,and soils on seasonal dynamics of soil respiration rates may be mainly determined by the modification of AM fungi inoculations on soil microclimate (e.g.,water content),carbon nutrient (organic matter and easily oxidized carbon),inorganic nitrogen pool (e.g.,ammonium and nitrate nitrogen),root biomass, and nutrient availability of phosphorus and potassium in rocky desertification habitat.