Impact of decade-long warming, nutrient addition and shading on emission and carbon isotopic composition of CO2 from two subarctic dwarf shrub heaths

- Increased wet and mesic heath ecosystem respiration due to in situ long-term warming.
- Warming tended to increase old soil organic carbon decomposition in a mesic heath.
- Soil carbon source utilization largely unaltered after long-term warming in wet heath.
- Warming in subarctic heath may induce a positive feedback on atmospheric CO2.
- Lower δ13C-CO2 in the soil with added litter showed that litter served as substrate.

This study investigated ecosystem respiration, soil respiration and carbon isotopic composition in CO2 emitted from two subarctic shrub heaths with contrasting moisture regimes. The reported measurements were conducted 22 years (mesic heath) and 12 years (wet heath) upon initiation of in situ climate change related manipulations of temperature, nutrient availability and light.The aim was to quantify expected climatic change effects on soil and ecosystem respiration, and to investigate whether the emitted CO2 originates from old carbon stores in the soil or from newly fixed carbon. Ecosystem and soil respiration was measured using closed chambers and CO2 in the soil profile was sampled with gas probes installed at different depths.At the mesic heath ecosystem respiration was increased 46% by warming while soil respiration increased 133% by nutrient addition. At the wet heath, warming increased ecosystem respiration by 99% and soil respiration by 58%. Litter addition, short time warming and shading generally did not change ecosystem- and soil respiration.The carbon isotope compositions of the sources to CO2 were not significantly altered by any of the treatments at the two heaths across the growing season. However, there was a tendency across growing season towards an increased δ13C source value after 22 years of warming in the mesic shrub heath, and the effect was statistically significant in June, indicating increased decomposition of 13C enriched material. Hence, although more of the old carbon stock in the soil was possibly mineralized under warmed conditions, indicating a risk of long lasting positive feedback on climate warming, the effect was only periodically strong enough to gain statistical significance, despite strong warming-induced effect on ecosystem respiration, and may be counteracted by increased C gain by higher primary production.