Global negative vegetation feedback to climate warming responses of leaf litter decomposition rates in cold biomes

Whether climate change will turn cold biomes from large long-term carbon sinks into sources is hotly debated because of the great potential for ecosystem-mediated feedbacks to global climate. Critical are the direction, magnitude and generality of climate responses of plant litter decomposition. Her...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology Letters
Main Authors: CORNELISSEN JHC, VAN BODEGOM PM, AERTS R, CALLAGHAN TV, VAN LOGTESTIJN RSP, ALATALO J, CHAPIN FS, GUDMUNDSSON J, GWYNN JONES D, HARTLEY AE, HIK DS, HOFGAARD A, JNSDTTIR IS, KARLSSON S, KLEIN JA, LAUNDRE J, MAGNUSSON B, MICHELSEN A, MOLAU U, ONIPCHENKO VG, QUESTED HM, SANDVIK SM, SCHMIDT IK, SHAVER GR, SOLHEIM B, SOUDZILOVSKAIA NA, TOLVANEN A, TOTLAND, WADA N, WELKER JM, ZHAO X, GERDOL, Renato, BRANCALEONI, Lisa
Other Authors: Cornelissen, Jhc, VAN BODEGOM, Pm, Aerts, R, Callaghan, Tv, VAN LOGTESTIJN, Rsp, Alatalo, J, Chapin, F, Gerdol, Renato, Gudmundsson, J, GWYNN JONES, D, Hartley, Ae, Hik, D, Hofgaard, A, Jnsdttir, I, Karlsson, S, Klein, Ja, Laundre, J, Magnusson, B, Michelsen, A, Molau, U, Onipchenko, Vg, Quested, Hm, Sandvik, Sm, Schmidt, Ik, Shaver, Gr, Solheim, B, Soudzilovskaia, Na, Tolvanen, A, Totland, Wada, N, Welker, Jm, Zhao, X, Brancaleoni, Lisa
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2007
Subjects:
Alpine
carbon
circum-arctic
global change
growth form
litter turnover
mass lo
vegetation change
Arctic
Climate change
Global warming
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11392/470722
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01051.x
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Summary:Whether climate change will turn cold biomes from large long-term carbon sinks into sources is hotly debated because of the great potential for ecosystem-mediated feedbacks to global climate. Critical are the direction, magnitude and generality of climate responses of plant litter decomposition. Here, we present the first quantitative analysis of the major climate-change-related drivers of litter decomposition rates in cold northern biomes worldwide. Leaf litters collected from the predominant species in 33 global change manipulation experiments in circum-arctic-alpine ecosystems were incubated simultaneously in two contrasting arctic life zones. We demonstrate that longer-term, large-scale changes to leaf litter decomposition will be driven primarily by both direct warming effects and concomitant shifts in plant growth form composition, with a much smaller role for changes in litter quality within species. Specifically, the ongoing warminginduced expansion of shrubs with recalcitrant leaf litter across cold biomes would constitute a negative feedback to global warming. Depending on the strength of other (previously reported) positive feedbacks of shrub expansion on soil carbon turnover, this may partly counteract direct warming enhancement of litter decomposition.

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