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Faster turnover of new soil carbon inputs under increased atmospheric CO 2
Author(s) -
Groenigen Kees Jan,
Osenberg Craig W.,
Terrer César,
Carrillo Yolima,
Dijkstra Feike A.,
Heath James,
Nie Ming,
Pendall Elise,
Phillips Richard P.,
Hungate Bruce A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.13752
Subject(s) - soil carbon , environmental science , ecosystem , soil science , soil water , environmental chemistry , carbon sequestration , terrestrial ecosystem , carbon cycle , carbon fibers , agronomy , chemistry , ecology , carbon dioxide , biology , composite number , composite material , materials science
Rising levels of atmospheric CO 2 frequently stimulate plant inputs to soil, but the consequences of these changes for soil carbon (C) dynamics are poorly understood. Plant‐derived inputs can accumulate in the soil and become part of the soil C pool (“new soil C”), or accelerate losses of pre‐existing (“old”) soil C. The dynamics of the new and old pools will likely differ and alter the long‐term fate of soil C, but these separate pools, which can be distinguished through isotopic labeling, have not been considered in past syntheses. Using meta‐analysis, we found that while elevated CO 2 (ranging from 550 to 800 parts per million by volume) stimulates the accumulation of new soil C in the short term (<1 year), these effects do not persist in the longer term (1–4 years). Elevated CO 2 does not affect the decomposition or the size of the old soil C pool over either temporal scale. Our results are inconsistent with predictions of conventional soil C models and suggest that elevated CO 2 might increase turnover rates of new soil C. Because increased turnover rates of new soil C limit the potential for additional soil C sequestration, the capacity of land ecosystems to slow the rise in atmospheric CO 2 concentrations may be smaller than previously assumed.