Soil warming increases soil temperature sensitivity in subtropical Forests of SW China

Background Soil respiration ( R S ) plays an important role in the concentration of atmospheric CO 2 and thus in global climate patterns. Due to the feedback between R S and climate, it is important to investigate R S responses to climate warming. Methods A soil warming experiment was conducted to explore R S responses and temperature sensitivity ( Q 10 ) to climate warming in subtropical forests in Southwestern China, and infrared radiators were used to simulate climate warming. Results Warming treatment increased the soil temperature and R S value by 1.4 °C and 7.3%, respectively, and decreased the soil water level by 4.2% (%/%). Both one- and two-factor regressions showed that warming increased the Q 10 values by 89.1% and 67.4%, respectively. The effects of water on Q 10 show a parabolic relationship to the soil water sensitivity coefficient. Both R S and Q 10 show no acclimation to climate warming, suggesting that global warming will accelerate soil carbon release.