Thermal adaptation of soil microbial respiration to elevated temperature

In the short‐term heterotrophic soil respiration is strongly and positively related to temperature. In the long‐term, its response to temperature is uncertain. One reason for this is because in field experiments increases in respiration due to warming are relatively short‐lived. The explanations pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology letters 2008-12, Vol.11 (12), p.1316-1327
Main Authors: Bradford, Mark A., Davies, Christian A., Frey, Serita D., Maddox, Thomas R., Melillo, Jerry M., Mohan, Jacqueline E., Reynolds, James F., Treseder, Kathleen K., Wallenstein, Matthew D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acclimation
adaptation
Adaptation, Physiological - physiology
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Biomass
carbon cycling
climate change
climate warming
Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change
CO2
Earth, ocean, space
Ecology
Exact sciences and technology
Experiments
External geophysics
Forests
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Hot Temperature
Meteorology
microbial community
Regression Analysis
Seasons
Soil - analysis
Soil Microbiology
Soil microorganisms
soil respiration
Temperature
thermal biology
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Summary:In the short‐term heterotrophic soil respiration is strongly and positively related to temperature. In the long‐term, its response to temperature is uncertain. One reason for this is because in field experiments increases in respiration due to warming are relatively short‐lived. The explanations proposed for this ephemeral response include depletion of fast‐cycling, soil carbon pools and thermal adaptation of microbial respiration. Using a > 15 year soil warming experiment in a mid‐latitude forest, we show that the apparent ‘acclimation’ of soil respiration at the ecosystem scale results from combined effects of reductions in soil carbon pools and microbial biomass, and thermal adaptation of microbial respiration. Mass‐specific respiration rates were lower when seasonal temperatures were higher, suggesting that rate reductions under experimental warming likely occurred through temperature‐induced changes in the microbial community. Our results imply that stimulatory effects of global temperature rise on soil respiration rates may be lower than currently predicted.
ISSN:1461-023X
1461-0248
DOI:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01251.x