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Priming effect and microbial diversity in ecosystem functioning and response to global change: a modeling approach
Nazia Perveen1, Sébastien Barot, Gaël Alvarez
1INRA, UR874 (Unité Recherche d'Ecosystème prairial), 5 Chemin de Beaulieu, 63039, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Global Change Biology
|December 17, 2013
Summary
Priming effect (PE) and microbial diversity are key to predicting ecosystem carbon dynamics under global change. Modeling these factors in the SYMPHONY model improves predictions of soil carbon storage and nitrogen leaching.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Biogeochemistry
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Priming effect (PE) is crucial for ecosystem carbon (C) dynamics but is not yet integrated into ecosystem models.
- Understanding PE and microbial diversity is vital for predicting ecosystem responses to global change.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop plant/soil models incorporating PE and microbial diversity.
- To explore their influence on soil/plant interactions and ecosystem C and nitrogen (N) dynamics under elevated CO2 and N deposition.
Main Methods:
- Developed and parameterized the SYMPHONY model.
- Included PE-induced soil organic matter (SOM) destruction and interactions between microbial decomposers and builders.
- Simulated ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 and atmospheric N deposition.
Main Results:
- SYMPHONY accurately predicted forage production, soil C storage, and N leaching.
- Predicted CO2-induced SOM mineralization and decreased soil C stocks.
- Showed N deposition may increase SOM accumulation via microbial community shifts.
Conclusions:
- PE and microbial diversity can be incorporated into ecosystem models with few parameters.
- This integration improves the accuracy of predictions for ecosystem C and N dynamics.
- Enhanced models are crucial for predicting climate change impacts on ecosystems.
Keywords:
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