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Temperature Response of Soil Organic Matter Decomposition Rates: Construction and Applications of a Temperature Gradient Block
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Litter decay controlled by temperature, not soil properties, affecting future soil carbon.

Edward G Gregorich1, Henry Janzen2, Benjamin H Ellert2

  • 1Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Research & Development Centre, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0C6, Canada.

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Global warming accelerates plant litter decomposition, impacting soil carbon storage. Temperature, not soil type, is the key driver, with faster decomposition projected under climate change scenarios.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Climate Science

Background:

  • Terrestrial ecosystem processes like plant litter decomposition are influenced by global changes such as rising CO2, warming, and biodiversity loss.
  • Litter decomposition affects carbon cycling, influencing atmospheric CO2 levels and climate.
  • Predicting decomposition is complex due to interacting soil, climate, and management factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the kinetics of plant litter decomposition across diverse Canadian agricultural soils.
  • To determine the influence of soil properties versus temperature on decomposition rates.
  • To project the impact of climate change scenarios on litter decomposition and soil carbon storage.

Main Methods:

  • Application of 13C-labelled plant litter across a 3500-km transect in Canada.
  • Five-year monitoring of litter decomposition across ten distinct sites.
  • Utilizing a two-pool exponential decay model based on thermal time to analyze decomposition kinetics.

Main Results:

  • Litter decomposition kinetics were similar across sites after accounting for temperature, indicating minimal influence of soil properties.
  • A two-pool exponential decay model accurately described decomposition as a function of thermal time (R2 = 0.94).
  • Projected reductions in 50% and 90% litter decomposition times under climate change scenarios, varying by site temperature.

Conclusions:

  • Litter decomposition is highly sensitive to temperature increases, confirming climate change impacts.
  • Climate change may limit future soil carbon storage capacity.
  • Soil properties had a minimal discernible influence on decomposition kinetics compared to temperature.