Activation Energy of Organic Matter Decomposition in Soil and Consequences of Global Warming

ABSTRACT The activation energy ( E a ) is the minimum energy necessary for (bio)chemical reactions acting as an energy barrier and defining reaction rates, for example, organic matter transformations in soil. Based on the E a database of (i) oxidative and hydrolytic enzyme activities, (ii) organic matter mineralization and CO 2 production, (iii) heat release during soil incubation, as well as (iv) thermal oxidation of soil organic matter (SOM), we assess the E a of SOM transformation processes. After a short description of the four approaches to assess these E a values—all based on the Arrhenius equation—we present the E a of chemical oxidation (79 kJ mol −1 , based on thermal oxidation), microbial mineralization (67 kJ mol −1 , CO 2 production), microbial decomposition (40 kJ mol −1 , heat release), and enzyme‐catalyzed hydrolysis of polymers and cleavage of mineral ions of nutrients (33 kJ mol −1 , enzyme driven reactions) from SOM. The catalyzing effects of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes reduce E a of SOM decomposition by more than twice that of its chemical oxidation. The E a of enzymatic cleavage of mineral ions of N, P, and S from their organic compounds is 9 kJ mol −1 lower (corresponding to 40‐fold faster reactions) than the hydrolysis of N‐, P‐, and S‐free organic polymers. In soil, where organic compounds are physically protected and enzymes are partly deactivated, microbial mineralization is ~140‐fold faster compared to its pure chemical oxidation. Because processes with higher E a are more sensitive to temperature increase, global warming will accelerate the decomposition of stable organic compounds and boost the C cycle much stronger than the cycling of nutrients: N, P, and S. Consequently, the stoichiometry of microbially utilized compounds in warmer conditions will shift toward organic pools with higher C/N ratios. This will decouple the cycling of C and nutrients: N, P, and S. Overall, the E a of (bio)chemical transformations of organic matter in soil enables to assess process rates and the inherent stability of SOM pools, as well as their responses to global warming.