The sensitivity of microbial processes in Icelandic soils to increasing temperatures
Abstract. Temperature change is acknowledged to have a significance effect on soil biological processes and the corresponding sequestration of carbon and the cycling of key nutrients. Soils at high latitudes are likely to be particularly impacted by increases in temperature. In this study, the response of a range of soil microbial parameters (respiration, nutrient availability, microbial biomass carbon, arylphosphatase and dehydrogenase activity) to temperature changes was measured in sub-arctic soils collected from across Iceland. Sample sites reflected two soil temperature regimes (cryic and frigid) and two land uses (pasture and arable). The soils were sampled from the field frozen, equilibrated at −20°C and then incubated for two weeks at −10°C, −2°C, +2°C and +10°C. Respiration and enzymatic activity were temperature dependent. Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen mineralisation did not change with temperature. The main factor controlling soil respiration at −10°C was the concentration of dissolved organic carbon. At −10°C, dissolved organic carbon accounted for 88% of the fraction of labile carbon which was significantly greater than that recorded at +10°C when dissolved organic carbon accounted for as low as 42% of the labile carbon fraction. Heterotrophic microbial activity is governed by both substrate availability and the temperature and this has been described by the Q10 factor. Elevated temperatures in the short term may have little effect on the size of the microbial biomass but will have significant impacts on the release of carbon through respiration. These results demonstrate that gradual changes in temperature across large areas at higher latitudes will have considerable impacts in relation to global soil carbon dynamics.