Temperature thresholds of ecosystem respiration at a global scale

Ecosystem respiration is a major component of the global terrestrial carbon cycle and is strongly influenced by temperature. Empirical studies have shown latitudinal shifts in the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration, but global syntheses suggest convergent temperature effects at a global scale. The global extent of the temperature-ecosystem respiration relationship, however, has not been fully explored. Here, we test linear and threshold models of ecosystem respiration across 210 globally distributed eddy covariance sites and the most extensive temperature range ever studied. Results show low and high temperature thresholds to the global temperature-ecosystem respiration relationship, below and above which the temperature dependence and sensitivity of ecosystem respiration changes. Global thresholds to the temperature-ecosystem respiration relationship give rise to higher temperature sensitivities of ecosystem respiration for low compared to high latitudes at short timescales. At longer timescales, annual ecosystem respiration rates show a markedly reduced temperature dependence and sensitivity, and the emergence of a single mid-temperature threshold for both air and soil temperature. Our study indicates a distinction in the influence of environmental factors, including temperature, on ecosystem respiration in warm, low latitude, and mild to cold, mid-high latitude, climates at short and long timescales.

JOHNSTON Alice;  MEADE Andrew;  ARDO Jonas;  ARRIGA Nicola;  BLACK Andy;  BLANKEN Peter;  BONAL Damien;  BRUMMER Christian;  CESCATTI Alessandro;  DUSEK Jiri;  GRAF Alexander;  GIOLI Beniamino;  GODED BALLARIN Ignacio;  GOUGH C.M.;  IKAWA Hiroki;  JASSAL Rachhpal;  KOBAYASHI Hideki;  MAGLIULO Enzo;  MANCA Giovanni;  MONTAGNANI Leonardo;  MOYANO Fernando;  OLESEN Jorgen E.;  SACHS T.;  SHAO Changliang;  TAGESSON Torbern;  WOHLFAHRT G.;  WOLF Sebastian;  WOODGATE William;  VARLAGIN Andrej;  VENDITTI Chris; 

2021-04-09

NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

JRC120935

2397-334X (online),   

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01398-z,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC120935,   

10.1038/s41559-021-01398-z (online),