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Microbial responses to inorganic nutrient amendment overridden by warming: Consequences on soil carbon stability
Mengmeng Wang1, Junjun Ding1,2, Bo Sun3
1State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Environmental Microbiology
|July 28, 2018
Summary
Climate warming and eutrophication interact to affect soil carbon. Warmer temperatures override nutrient effects on soil microbes, weakening carbon sequestration despite increased plant growth.
Area of Science:
- Soil Science
- Microbiology
- Climate Change Ecology
Background:
- Eutrophication and climate warming are concurrent global anthropogenic stressors impacting soil carbon stability.
- Soil microbial communities are critical drivers of soil carbon dynamics, making their response to these stressors a key research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interactive effects of climate warming and nutrient enrichment on soil microbial communities and soil organic matter.
- To determine if soil microbial responses to nutrient amendment are altered by climate warming.
Main Methods:
- Simulated climate warming by transferring Mollisol soil from temperate to warmer temperate and subtropical zones.
- Applied nutrient amendment (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) to assess effects on plant biomass, soil organic matter, and microbial communities.
- Quantified changes in soil organic matter, plant biomass, microbial taxa abundance, and carbon-degrading genes.
Main Results:
- Climate warming (southward soil transfer) decreased soil organic matter by 6%-12%.
- Nutrient amendment increased plant biomass but had limited effect on soil organic matter in warmer climates.
- In subtropical zones, nutrient amendment significantly increased specific recalcitrant carbon-degrading fungi and genes, suggesting a priming effect that negated carbon sequestration benefits.
Conclusions:
- Soil transfer to warmer regions significantly alters microbial community composition and function, overriding responses to nutrient amendment.
- Climate warming weakens the potential for soil carbon sequestration, even under nutrient-rich conditions.
- Understanding these interactions is crucial for predicting soil carbon stability under future environmental change.
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