Soil carbon loss with warming: New evidence from carbon‐degrading enzymes |
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Authors: | Ji Chen Lars Elsgaard Kees Jan van Groenigen Jrgen E Olesen Zhi Liang Yu Jiang Poul E Lrke Yuefang Zhang Yiqi Luo Bruce A Hungate Robert L Sinsabaugh Uffe Jrgensen |
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Institution: | Ji Chen,Lars Elsgaard,Kees Jan van Groenigen,Jørgen E. Olesen,Zhi Liang,Yu Jiang,Poul E. Lærke,Yuefang Zhang,Yiqi Luo,Bruce A. Hungate,Robert L. Sinsabaugh,Uffe Jørgensen |
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Abstract: | Climate warming affects soil carbon (C) dynamics, with possible serious consequences for soil C stocks and atmospheric CO2 concentrations. However, the mechanisms underlying changes in soil C storage are not well understood, hampering long‐term predictions of climate C‐feedbacks. The activity of the extracellular enzymes ligninase and cellulase can be used to track changes in the predominant C sources of soil microbes and can thus provide mechanistic insights into soil C loss pathways. Here we show, using meta‐analysis, that reductions in soil C stocks with warming are associated with increased ratios of ligninase to cellulase activity. Furthermore, whereas long‐term (≥5 years) warming reduced the soil recalcitrant C pool by 14%, short‐term warming had no significant effect. Together, these results suggest that warming stimulates microbial utilization of recalcitrant C pools, possibly exacerbating long‐term climate‐C feedbacks. |
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Keywords: | climate‐carbon feedback experimental warming extracellular enzyme labile carbon pool recalcitrant carbon pool soil carbon storage soil microorganism warming duration |
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