Effects of Temperature and Moisture on Soil Organic Matter Decomposition Along Elevation Gradients on the Changbai Mountains, Northeast China

doi:10.1016/S1002-0160(15)60052-2

Pedosphere

Volume 26, Issue 3, June 2016, Pages 399-407

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0160(15)60052-2 Get rights and content

Abstract

Decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) is of importance for CO₂ exchange between soil and atmosphere and soil temperature and moisture are considered as two important factors controlling SOM decomposition. In this study, soil samples were collected at 5 elevations ranging from 753 to 2 357 m on the Changbai Mountains in Northeast China, and incubated under different temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C) and soil moisture levels (30%, 60%, and 90% of saturated soil moisture) to investigate the effects of both on SOM decomposition and its temperature sensitivity at different elevations. The results showed that incubation temperature (F = 1 425.10, P < 0.001), soil moisture (F = 1 327.65, P < 0.001), and elevation (F = 1 937.54, P < 0.001) all had significant influences on the decomposition rate of SOM. The significant effect of the interaction of incubation temperature and soil moisture on the SOM decomposition rate was observed at all the 5 sampling elevations (P < 0.001). A two-factor model that used temperature and moisture as variables fitted the SOM decomposition rate well (P < 0.001) and could explain 80%–93% of the variation of SOM decomposition rate at the 5 elevations. Temperature sensitivity of SOM decomposition, expressed as the change of SOM decomposition rate in response to a 10 °C increase in temperature (Q₁₀), was significantly different among the different elevations (P < 0.01), but no apparent trend with elevation was discernible. In addition, soil moisture and incubation temperature both had great impacts on the Q₁₀ value (P < 0.01), which increased significantly with increasing soil moisture or incubation temperature. Furthermore, the SOM decomposition rate was significantly related to soil total Gram-positive bacteria (R² = 0.33, P < 0.01) and total Gram-negative bacteria (R² = 0.58, P < 0.001). These findings highlight the importance of soil moisture to SOM decomposition and its Q₁₀ value, which needs to be emphasized under warming climate scenarios.

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Effects of Temperature and Moisture on Soil Organic Matter Decomposition Along Elevation Gradients on the Changbai Mountains, Northeast China

Abstract

Forest Ecol Manag

Soil Biol Biochem

Soil Biol Biochem

J Microbiol Meth

Soil Biol Biochem

Soil Biol Biochem

Soil Biol Biochem

Soil Biol Biochem

Soil Biol Biochem

Eur J Soil Biol

Agr Forest Meteorol

Soil Biol Biochem

How interactions between microbial resource demands, soil organic matter stoichiometry, and substrate reactivity determine the direction and magnitude of soil respiratory responses to warming

Global Change Biol

Site and temporal variation of soil respiration in European beech, Norway spruce, and Scots pine forests

Global Change Biol

Spatial and temporal effects of soil temperature and moisture and the relation to fine root density on root and soil respiration in a mature apple orchard

Plant Soil

Temperature and soil organic matter decomposition rates—synthesis of current knowledge and a way forward

Global Change Biol

Temperature and moisture effects on microbial biomass and soil organic matter mineralization

Soil Sci Soc Am J

Climates of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries simulated by the NCAR climate system model

J Climate

Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change

Nature

Modeling soil CO2 emissions from ecosystems

Biogeochemistry