Stoichiometrical regulation of soil organic matter decomposition and its temperature sensitivity

The decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) can be described by a set of kinetic principles, environmental constraints, and substrate supply. Here, we hypothesized that SOM decomposition rates (R) and its temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) would increase steadily with the N:C ratios of added substrates by alleviating N limitation on microbial growth. We tested this hypothesis by investigating SOM decomposition in both grassland and forest soils after addition of substrates with a range of N:C ratios. The results showed that Michaelis–Menten equations well fit the response of R to the N:C ratio variations of added substrates, and their coefficients of determination (R²) ranged from 0.65 to 0.89 (P < 0.01). Moreover, the maximal R, Q₁₀, and cumulative C emission of SOM decomposition increased exponentially with the N:C ratios of added substrates, and were controlled interactively by incubation temperature and the N:C ratios of the added substrates. We demonstrated that SOM decomposition rate and temperature sensitivity were exponentially correlated to substrate stoichiometry (N:C ratio) in both grassland and forest soils. Therefore, these correlations should be incorporated into the models for the prediction of SOM decomposition rate under warmer climatic scenarios.