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Rapid turnover of DOC in temperate forests accounts for increased CO2 production at elevated temperatures

Author

Summary, in English

The evidence for the contribution of soil warming to changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations and carbon stocks of temperate forest ecosystems is equivocal. Here, we use data from a beech/oak forest on concentrations and stable isotope ratios of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), phosphate buffer-extractable organic carbon, soil organic carbon (SOC), respiration and microbial gross assimilation of N to show that respired soil carbon originated from DOC. However, the respiration was not dependent on the DOC concentration but exceeded the daily DOC pool three to four times, suggesting that DOC was turned over several times per day. A mass flow model helped to calculate that a maximum of 40% of the daily DOC production was derived from SOC and to demonstrate that degradation of SOC is limiting respiration of DOC. The carbon flow model on SOC, DOC, microbial C mobilization/immobilization and respiration is linked by temperature-dependent microbial and enzyme activity to global warming effects Of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere.

Publishing year

2007

Language

English

Pages

783-790

Publication/Series

Ecology Letters

Volume

10

Issue

9

Document type

Journal article (letter)

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Topic

  • Biological Sciences
  • Ecology

Keywords

  • soil organic carbon
  • respiration
  • biomass
  • microbial
  • carbon dioxide enrichment
  • dissolved organic carbon turnover
  • soil warming
  • stable isotopes

Status

Published

Research group

  • Microbial Ecology

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1461-023X