Changes in Soil Carbon Dynamics in Response to Long-Term Soil Warming - Integration Across Scales from Cells to Ecosystems
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA (United States)
This project produced a series of papers documenting the effects of soil warming on fluxes of carbon dioxide between soils and the atmosphere, and the temporal changes in structure and function of soil microbial community. A diversity of techniques was used in the study including: pyrolysis–GC/MS to analyze soil chemistry; isotopically–labeled organic compounds to estimate microbial carbon use efficiency; and Illumina sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene to study bacterial community composition. We found that soil warming resulted in a four–phase pattern of soil organic matter decay and carbon dioxide fluxes to the atmosphere, with phases of substantial soil carbon loss alternating with phases of no detectable loss. Several factors combined to affect the timing, magnitude, and thermal acclimation of soil carbon loss. These include depletion of microbially accessible carbon pools, reductions in microbial biomass, a shift in microbial carbon use efficiency, and changes in microbial community composition. Our results support projections of a long–term, self–reinforcing carbon feedback from mid–latitude forests to the climate system as the world warms.
- Research Organization:
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Biological Systems Science Division
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0010740
- OSTI ID:
- 1502957
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-MBL-10740
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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