Environmental drivers of increased ecosystem respiration in a warming tundra

Maes, S. L.; Dietrich, J.; Midolo, G.; Schwieger, S.; Kummu, M.; Vandvik, V.; Aerts, R.; Althuizen, I. H. J.; Biasi, C.; Björk, R. G.; Böhner, H.; Carbognani, M.; Chiari, G.; Christiansen, C. T.; Clemmensen, K. E.; Cooper, E. J.; Cornelissen, J. H. C.; Elberling, B.; Faubert, P.; Fetcher, N.; Forte, T. G. W.; Gaudard, J.; Gavazov, K.; Guan, Z.; Guðmundsson, J.; Gya, R.; Hallin, S.; Hansen, B. B.; Haugum, S. V.; He, J.-S.; Pries, C. Hicks; Hovenden, M. J.; Jalava, M.; Jónsdóttir, I. S.; Juhanson, J.; Jung, J. Y.; Kaarlejärvi, E.; Kwon, M. J.; Lamprecht, R. E.; Moullec, M.; Lee, H.; Marushchak, M. E.; Michelsen, A.; Munir, T. M.; Myrsky, E. M.; Nielsen, C. S.; Nyberg, M.; Olofsson, J.; Óskarsson, H.; Parker, T. C.; Pedersen, E. P.; Bon, M. Petit; Petraglia, A.; Raundrup, K.; Ravn, N. M. R.; Rinnan, R.; Rodenhizer, H.; Ryde, I.; Schmidt, N. M.; Schuur, E. A. G.; Sjögersten, S.; Stark, S.; Strack, M.; Tang, J.; Tolvanen, A.; Töpper, J. P.; Väisänen, M. K.; van Logtestijn, R. S. P.; Voigt, C.; Walz, J.; Weedon, J. T.; Yang, Y.; Ylänne, H.; Björkman, M. P.; Sarneel, J. M.; Dorrepaal, E.

Environmental drivers of increased ecosystem respiration in a warming tundra

S. L. Maes (), J. Dietrich, G. Midolo, S. Schwieger, M. Kummu, V. Vandvik, R. Aerts, I. H. J. Althuizen, C. Biasi, R. G. Björk, H. Böhner, M. Carbognani, G. Chiari, C. T. Christiansen, K. E. Clemmensen, E. J. Cooper, J. H. C. Cornelissen, B. Elberling, P. Faubert, N. Fetcher, T. G. W. Forte, J. Gaudard, K. Gavazov, Z. Guan, J. Guðmundsson, R. Gya, S. Hallin, B. B. Hansen, S. V. Haugum, J.-S. He, C. Hicks Pries, M. J. Hovenden, M. Jalava, I. S. Jónsdóttir, J. Juhanson, J. Y. Jung, E. Kaarlejärvi, M. J. Kwon, R. E. Lamprecht, M. Moullec, H. Lee, M. E. Marushchak, A. Michelsen, T. M. Munir, E. M. Myrsky, C. S. Nielsen, M. Nyberg, J. Olofsson, H. Óskarsson, T. C. Parker, E. P. Pedersen, M. Petit Bon, A. Petraglia, K. Raundrup, N. M. R. Ravn, R. Rinnan, H. Rodenhizer, I. Ryde, N. M. Schmidt, E. A. G. Schuur, S. Sjögersten, S. Stark, M. Strack, J. Tang, A. Tolvanen, J. P. Töpper, M. K. Väisänen, R. S. P. van Logtestijn, C. Voigt, J. Walz, J. T. Weedon, Y. Yang, H. Ylänne, M. P. Björkman, J. M. Sarneel and E. Dorrepaal
Additional contact information
S. L. Maes: Umeå University
J. Dietrich: Umeå University
G. Midolo: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
S. Schwieger: Umeå University
M. Kummu: Aalto University
V. Vandvik: University of Bergen
R. Aerts: Vrije Universiteit
I. H. J. Althuizen: University of Bergen
C. Biasi: University of Eastern Finland
R. G. Björk: University of Gothenburg
H. Böhner: The Arctic University of Norway
M. Carbognani: University of Parma
G. Chiari: University of Parma
C. T. Christiansen: University of Copenhagen
K. E. Clemmensen: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
E. J. Cooper: UiT—the Arctic University of Norway
J. H. C. Cornelissen: Vrije Universiteit
B. Elberling: University of Copenhagen
P. Faubert: Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
N. Fetcher: Wilkes University
T. G. W. Forte: University of Parma
J. Gaudard: University of Bergen
K. Gavazov: Umeå University
Z. Guan: Lanzhou University
J. Guðmundsson: Agricultural University of Iceland
R. Gya: University of Bergen
S. Hallin: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
B. B. Hansen: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
S. V. Haugum: University of Bergen
J.-S. He: Lanzhou University
C. Hicks Pries: Dartmouth College
M. J. Hovenden: University of Tasmania
M. Jalava: Aalto University
I. S. Jónsdóttir: University of Iceland
J. Juhanson: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
J. Y. Jung: Korea Polar Research Institute
E. Kaarlejärvi: University of Helsinki
M. J. Kwon: Korea Polar Research Institute
R. E. Lamprecht: Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences
M. Moullec: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
H. Lee: Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
M. E. Marushchak: Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences
A. Michelsen: University of Copenhagen
T. M. Munir: University of Calgary
E. M. Myrsky: University of Lapland
C. S. Nielsen: University of Copenhagen
M. Nyberg: University of Tasmania
J. Olofsson: Umeå University
H. Óskarsson: Agricultural University of Iceland
T. C. Parker: The James Hutton Institute
E. P. Pedersen: Umeå University
M. Petit Bon: Utah State University
A. Petraglia: University of Parma
K. Raundrup: Greenland Institute of Natural Resources
N. M. R. Ravn: University of Copenhagen
R. Rinnan: University of Copenhagen
H. Rodenhizer: Northern Arizona University
I. Ryde: University of Copenhagen
N. M. Schmidt: Aarhus University
E. A. G. Schuur: Northern Arizona University
S. Sjögersten: Sutton Bonington Campus
S. Stark: University of Lapland
M. Strack: University of Waterloo
J. Tang: Marine Biological Laboratory
A. Tolvanen: Natural Resources Institute Finland
J. P. Töpper: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
M. K. Väisänen: University of Lapland
R. S. P. van Logtestijn: Vrije Universiteit
C. Voigt: University of Eastern Finland
J. Walz: Umeå University
J. T. Weedon: Vrije Universiteit
Y. Yang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
H. Ylänne: University of Eastern Finland
M. P. Björkman: University of Gothenburg
J. M. Sarneel: Umeå University
E. Dorrepaal: Umeå University

Nature, 2024, vol. 629, issue 8010, 105-113

Abstract: Abstract Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems are large reservoirs of organic carbon1,2. Climate warming may stimulate ecosystem respiration and release carbon into the atmosphere3,4. The magnitude and persistency of this stimulation and the environmental mechanisms that drive its variation remain uncertain5–7. This hampers the accuracy of global land carbon–climate feedback projections7,8. Here we synthesize 136 datasets from 56 open-top chamber in situ warming experiments located at 28 arctic and alpine tundra sites which have been running for less than 1 year up to 25 years. We show that a mean rise of 1.4 °C [confidence interval (CI) 0.9–2.0 °C] in air and 0.4 °C [CI 0.2–0.7 °C] in soil temperature results in an increase in growing season ecosystem respiration by 30% [CI 22–38%] (n = 136). Our findings indicate that the stimulation of ecosystem respiration was due to increases in both plant-related and microbial respiration (n = 9) and continued for at least 25 years (n = 136). The magnitude of the warming effects on respiration was driven by variation in warming-induced changes in local soil conditions, that is, changes in total nitrogen concentration and pH and by context-dependent spatial variation in these conditions, in particular total nitrogen concentration and the carbon:nitrogen ratio. Tundra sites with stronger nitrogen limitations and sites in which warming had stimulated plant and microbial nutrient turnover seemed particularly sensitive in their respiration response to warming. The results highlight the importance of local soil conditions and warming-induced changes therein for future climatic impacts on respiration.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07274-7

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