Recent Photosynthates Are the Primary Carbon Source for Soil Microbial Respiration in Subtropical Forests

Zhijie Yang; Teng Chiu Lin; Lixin Wang; Shidong Chen; Xiaofei Liu; Decheng Xiong; Chao Xu; Mary Arthur; Rebecca McCulley; Sihong Shi; Yusheng Yang

doi:10.1029/2022GL101147

Recent Photosynthates Are the Primary Carbon Source for Soil Microbial Respiration in Subtropical Forests

Zhijie Yang
, Teng Chiu Lin
, Lixin Wang
, Shidong Chen
, Xiaofei Liu
, Decheng Xiong
, Chao Xu
, Mary Arthur
, Rebecca McCulley
, Sihong Shi
, Yusheng Yang

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tropical and subtropical forests represent the largest terrestrial carbon pool. Elucidating the carbon sources for soil microbial respiration (Rm) in tropical and subtropical forests is of fundamental importance to the global carbon cycle in a warming world. Based on hourly measurements, we quantified Rm of in situ forest soil and soil cores from a subtropical forest. We found recent photosynthates, not soil organic carbon (SOC), contributed 88% ± 12% of the carbon source fueling Rm. The control of recent photosynthates on Rm is also supported by the close relationship between Rm and photosynthetically active radiation as well as literature data synthesis results. These results challenge conventional models based on the tenet that Rm is mainly regulated by soil temperature in all forest ecosystems. The results imply that the widely observed warming-induced Rm increases are largely explained by the enhanced input of recent photosynthates in tropical forests, not SOC consumption.

Original language	English
Article number	e2022GL101147
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	49
Issue number	22
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL101147
State	Published - Nov 28 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 31930071 and 31670623); M. Arthur's contribution was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, McIntire‐Stennis Program under University of Kentucky accession number 1011623. We wish to acknowledge the Sanming Forest National Field Research Station staff for their excellent support, especially S. Zhang who checked equipment and replaced batteries every week in the field during the study period. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 31930071 and 31670623); M. Arthur's contribution was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, McIntire-Stennis Program under University of Kentucky accession number 1011623. We wish to acknowledge the Sanming Forest National Field Research Station staff for their excellent support, especially S. Zhang who checked equipment and replaced batteries every week in the field during the study period.

Funders	Funder number
Sanming Forest National Field
US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative
University of Kentucky	1011623
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)	31930071, 31670623

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 15 Life on Land

Keywords

photosynthetically active radiation
recent photosynthates
soil microbial respiration
soil organic carbon
subtropical forest
wavelet analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geophysics
General Earth and Planetary Sciences

Access to Document

10.1029/2022GL101147

Cite this

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title = "Recent Photosynthates Are the Primary Carbon Source for Soil Microbial Respiration in Subtropical Forests",

abstract = "Tropical and subtropical forests represent the largest terrestrial carbon pool. Elucidating the carbon sources for soil microbial respiration (Rm) in tropical and subtropical forests is of fundamental importance to the global carbon cycle in a warming world. Based on hourly measurements, we quantified Rm of in situ forest soil and soil cores from a subtropical forest. We found recent photosynthates, not soil organic carbon (SOC), contributed 88\% ± 12\% of the carbon source fueling Rm. The control of recent photosynthates on Rm is also supported by the close relationship between Rm and photosynthetically active radiation as well as literature data synthesis results. These results challenge conventional models based on the tenet that Rm is mainly regulated by soil temperature in all forest ecosystems. The results imply that the widely observed warming-induced Rm increases are largely explained by the enhanced input of recent photosynthates in tropical forests, not SOC consumption.",

keywords = "photosynthetically active radiation, recent photosynthates, soil microbial respiration, soil organic carbon, subtropical forest, wavelet analysis",

author = "Zhijie Yang and Lin, \{Teng Chiu\} and Lixin Wang and Shidong Chen and Xiaofei Liu and Decheng Xiong and Chao Xu and Mary Arthur and Rebecca McCulley and Sihong Shi and Yusheng Yang",

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T1 - Recent Photosynthates Are the Primary Carbon Source for Soil Microbial Respiration in Subtropical Forests

AU - Yang, Zhijie

AU - Lin, Teng Chiu

AU - Wang, Lixin

AU - Chen, Shidong

AU - Liu, Xiaofei

AU - Xiong, Decheng

AU - Xu, Chao

AU - Arthur, Mary

AU - McCulley, Rebecca

AU - Shi, Sihong

AU - Yang, Yusheng

PY - 2022/11/28

Y1 - 2022/11/28

N2 - Tropical and subtropical forests represent the largest terrestrial carbon pool. Elucidating the carbon sources for soil microbial respiration (Rm) in tropical and subtropical forests is of fundamental importance to the global carbon cycle in a warming world. Based on hourly measurements, we quantified Rm of in situ forest soil and soil cores from a subtropical forest. We found recent photosynthates, not soil organic carbon (SOC), contributed 88% ± 12% of the carbon source fueling Rm. The control of recent photosynthates on Rm is also supported by the close relationship between Rm and photosynthetically active radiation as well as literature data synthesis results. These results challenge conventional models based on the tenet that Rm is mainly regulated by soil temperature in all forest ecosystems. The results imply that the widely observed warming-induced Rm increases are largely explained by the enhanced input of recent photosynthates in tropical forests, not SOC consumption.

AB - Tropical and subtropical forests represent the largest terrestrial carbon pool. Elucidating the carbon sources for soil microbial respiration (Rm) in tropical and subtropical forests is of fundamental importance to the global carbon cycle in a warming world. Based on hourly measurements, we quantified Rm of in situ forest soil and soil cores from a subtropical forest. We found recent photosynthates, not soil organic carbon (SOC), contributed 88% ± 12% of the carbon source fueling Rm. The control of recent photosynthates on Rm is also supported by the close relationship between Rm and photosynthetically active radiation as well as literature data synthesis results. These results challenge conventional models based on the tenet that Rm is mainly regulated by soil temperature in all forest ecosystems. The results imply that the widely observed warming-induced Rm increases are largely explained by the enhanced input of recent photosynthates in tropical forests, not SOC consumption.

KW - photosynthetically active radiation

KW - recent photosynthates

KW - soil microbial respiration

KW - soil organic carbon

KW - subtropical forest

KW - wavelet analysis

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U2 - 10.1029/2022GL101147

DO - 10.1029/2022GL101147

M3 - Article

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SN - 0094-8276

VL - 49

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 22

M1 - e2022GL101147

ER -

Recent Photosynthates Are the Primary Carbon Source for Soil Microbial Respiration in Subtropical Forests

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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Cite this