Field-scale manipulation of soil temperature and precipitation change soil CO2 flux in a temperate agricultural ecosystem

Modifications in temperature and precipitation due to climate change will likely affect carbon cycling and soil respiration in terrestrial ecosystems. Despite the important feedback mechanism of ecosystems to climate change, there is still a lack of experimental observation in agricultural ecosystems. In July 2008, we established the Hohenheim Climate Change (HoCC) experiment to investigate effects of elevated temperature and altered precipitation on soil respiration in an arable soil (mean annual temperature and precipitation 8.7 °C and 679 mm, respectively). We elevated soil temperature to 4 cm depth by 2.5 °C, reduced the amount of summer precipitation by 25%, and extended dry intervals between precipitation events. For two years, CO2 fluxes were measured weekly and aboveground plant biomass and soil microbial biomass was determined. The results of the two-year study underline the importance of soil moisture as a driving factor in ecosystem response to climate change. Soil warming did not increase soil respiration in the first year; in the second year, a 27% increase was measured. The differential response of soil respiration to warming was most likely driven by soil moisture. In summer 2009, water limitation reduced microbial biomass in the heated plots thereby suppressing the stimulatory effect of elevated temperature on soil microorganisms. In summer 2010, the reduction in soil moisture was less pronounced and microbial biomass and respiration were not affected by water limitation. Temperature elevation significantly reduced Q10 values of soil respiration by 0.7–0.8. Altered precipitation showed only minor effects during the first two years of the experiment. We conclude from our study that the moisture regime of soils under elevation of temperature will largely determine whether different soils will serve either as carbon sources or as carbon sinks.

► We present one of the first climate change experiments in an agricultural ecosystem.
► The HoCC experiment combines soil warming and altered precipitation.
► Water limitation reduced microbial biomass and soil respiration in the first summer.
► Soil warming increased soil respiration in the second year by 27%.
► Moisture regime of soils largely determines their function as C sources or C sinks.