Similar response of labile and resistant soil organic matter pools to changes in temperature. [Erratum: 2005 Aug. 11, v. 436, no. 7052, p. 881.]

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 433; no. 7021; pp. 57 - 59
• Main Authors: Fang, C, Smith, P, Moncrieff, J.B, Smith, J.U
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 06.01.2005; Nature Publishing; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agricultural and forest meteorology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; biological activity in soil; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; Carbon - metabolism; Cell Respiration; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; Climate; Climate change; Climatology, meteorology; Decomposition; Environmental impact; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Generalities. Techniques. Climatology. Meteorology. Climatic models of plant production; Global warming; Greenhouse Effect; Humanities and Social Sciences; letter; multidisciplinary; Organic Chemicals - metabolism; Organic matter; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Picea - physiology; Poaceae - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Scotland; Soil - analysis; Soil depth; Soil Microbiology; soil microorganisms; Soil organic matter; soil respiration; Soil science; Soil temperature; Soils; Synecology; Temperature; Temperature effects; Terrestrial ecosystems; Time Factors; Trees - physiology; Climatology; Organic carbon; Organic matter; Property composition relationship; Cultivated soil; Chemical stability; resistant pool; Temperature effect; labile pool; Ecology; Decomposition; Forest soil; Mineral soils; Earth science; Experimental study; Chemical instability; Carbon cycle; Biogeochemistry; Arable land; Global change; Pool; Climate modification; Grassland soil
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/nature03138

Our understanding of the relationship between the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil temperature affects our predictions of the impact of climate change on soil-stored carbon. One current opinion is that the decomposition of soil labile carbon is sensitive to temperature variation whereas resistant components are insensitive. The resistant carbon or organic matter in mineral soil is then assumed to be unresponsive to global warming. But the global pattern and magnitude of the predicted future soil carbon stock will mainly rely on the temperature sensitivity of these resistant carbon pools. To investigate this sensitivity, we have incubated soils under changing temperature. Here we report that SOM decomposition or soil basal respiration rate was significantly affected by changes in SOM components associated with soil depth, sampling method and incubation time. We find, however, that the temperature sensitivity for SOM decomposition was not affected, suggesting that the temperature sensitivity for resistant organic matter pools does not differ significantly from that of labile pools, and that both types of SOM will therefore respond similarly to global warming.