Elevated temperature shifts soil N cycling from microbial immobilization to enhanced mineralization, nitrification and denitrification across global terrestrial ecosystems

Zhongmin Dai; Mengjie Yu; Huaihai Chen; Haochun Zhao; Yanlan Huang; Weiqin Su; Fang Xia; Scott X. Chang; Philip C. Brookes; Randy A. Dahlgren; Jianming Xu

doi:10.1111/gcb.15211

journal article Jul 02, 2020

Elevated temperature shifts soil N cycling from microbial immobilization to enhanced mineralization, nitrification and denitrification across global terrestrial ecosystems

Zhongmin Dai

Mengjie Yu

Huaihai Chen

Haochun Zhao Yanlan Huang Weiqin Su Fang Xia

Scott X. Chang

Philip C. Brookes Randy A. Dahlgren

Jianming Xu

Global Change Biology Vol. 26 No. 9 pp. 5267-5276 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/gcb.15211

Abstract

AbstractWe assessed the response of soil microbial nitrogen (N) cycling and associated functional genes to elevated temperature at the global scale. A meta‐analysis of 1,270 observations from 134 publications indicated that elevated temperature decreased soil microbial biomass N and increased N mineralization rates, both in the presence and absence of plants. These findings infer that elevated temperature drives microbially mediated N cycling processes from dominance by anabolic to catabolic reaction processes. Elevated temperature increased soil nitrification and denitrification rates, leading to an increase in N2O emissions of up to 227%, whether plants were present or not. Rates of N mineralization, denitrification and N2O emission demonstrated significant positive relationships with rates of CO2 emissions under elevated temperatures, suggesting that microbial N cycling processes were associated with enhanced microbial carbon (C) metabolism due to soil warming. The response in the abundance of relevant genes to elevated temperature was not always consistent with changes in N cycling processes. While elevated temperature increased the abundances of the nirS gene with plants and nosZ genes without plants, there was no effect on the abundances of the ammonia‐oxidizing archaea amoA gene, ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria amoA and nirK genes. This study provides the first global‐scale assessment demonstrating that elevated temperature shifts N cycling from microbial immobilization to enhanced mineralization, nitrification and denitrification in terrestrial ecosystems. These findings infer that elevated temperatures have a profound impact on global N cycling processes with implications of a positive feedback to global climate and emphasize the close linkage between soil microbial C and N cycling.

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Details

Published: Jul 02, 2020
Vol/Issue: 26(9)
Pages: 5267-5276
License: View

Authors

Z

Zhongmin Dai

Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science College of Environmental and Resource Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment Zhejiang University Hangzhou China; The Rural Development Academy Zhejiang University Hangzhou China

M

Mengjie Yu

Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science College of Environmental and Resource Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment Zhejiang University Hangzhou China

H

Huaihai Chen

Biological Sciences Division Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland WA USA

H

Haochun Zhao

Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science College of Environmental and Resource Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment Zhejiang University Hangzhou China

Y

Yanlan Huang

Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science College of Environmental and Resource Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment Zhejiang University Hangzhou China

W

Weiqin Su

Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science College of Environmental and Resource Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment Zhejiang University Hangzhou China

F

Fang Xia

Southern Zhejiang Water Research Institute Key Laboratory of Watershed Environmental Science and Health of Zhejiang Province Wenzhou Medical University Wenzhou China

S

Scott X. Chang

Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada

P

Philip C. Brookes

Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science College of Environmental and Resource Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment Zhejiang University Hangzhou China

R

Randy A. Dahlgren

Department of Land, Air and Water Resources University of California Davis CA USA

J

Jianming Xu

Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science College of Environmental and Resource Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment Zhejiang University Hangzhou China; The Rural Development Academy Zhejiang University Hangzhou China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China Award: 41721001

Cite This Article

Zhongmin Dai, Mengjie Yu, Huaihai Chen, et al. (2020). Elevated temperature shifts soil N cycling from microbial immobilization to enhanced mineralization, nitrification and denitrification across global terrestrial ecosystems. Global Change Biology, 26(9), 5267-5276. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15211

Elevated temperature shifts soil N cycling from microbial immobilization to enhanced mineralization, nitrification and denitrification across global terrestrial ecosystems

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