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Chen J, Elsgaard L, van Groenigen KJ, Olesen JE, Liang Z, Jiang Y, Laerke PE, Zhang Y, Luo Y, Hungate BA, Sinsabaugh RL, Jørgensen U. Soil carbon loss with warming: New evidence from carbon-degrading enzymes. Glob Chang Biol 2020; 26:1944-1952. [PMID: 31909849 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Chen
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- Center for Circular Bioeconomy, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- iCLIMATE Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Lars Elsgaard
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- iCLIMATE Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Kees Jan van Groenigen
- Department of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Jørgen E Olesen
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- iCLIMATE Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Zhi Liang
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
| | - Yu Jiang
- Department of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Poul E Laerke
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- iCLIMATE Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Yuefang Zhang
- Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, East China Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Development and Utilization of Rural Renewable Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing, China
| | - Yiqi Luo
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society and Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Bruce A Hungate
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society and Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | | | - Uffe Jørgensen
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- Center for Circular Bioeconomy, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
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