Labile carbon addition has significant effects on soil organic carbon decomposition and temperature sensitivity across urban-rural gradient forests in Changchun City, northeast China

Abstract

Labile carbon availability can greatly affect the soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition through priming effect (PE). However, the effects of temperature on CO₂ emissions, PE, and the underlying mechanisms in forest soils along urban-rural gradient are still unclear, which will induce uncertainties in the prediction of terrestrial-climate feedbacks during urbanization. In this study, we thus performed a 35-day incubation experiment using ¹³C-labeled glucose, with soils collected from urban, suburban, and rural forests to test effects of labile C addition on priming and the temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀ values) of SOC decomposition. Results showed that the cumulative CO₂ emissions were significantly increased with increasing glucose addition and rising temperature, which exhibited a decreasing trend from urban to rural forest soil. CO₂ emissions from native rural soil were obviously lower than that of urban and suburban soils at the end of the incubation regardless of temperature. Cumulative primed C increased with the amount of glucose added, and the values at 25 °C (suburban soil with low glucose addition excepted) were significantly higher than that at 15 °C. The magnitude of the positive priming declined along the urban-rural gradient soils incubated at 15 °C. There were no significant differences in the Q₁₀ values of SOC decomposition during incubation, which were significantly decreased after glucose addition. Redundancy analysis indicated that Gm‒ (18.97%), Gm+/Gm‒ (18.02%), and bacteria (11.28%) accounted for most of the variation in CO₂ emissions at 15 °C. Whereas at 25 °C, the ratios of F/B (23.27%), Actinomycetes (21.07%), and Gm‒ (17.51%) had higher explanatory power, suggesting the different roles of microbial group in SOC decomposition at varied temperature. Our results provide novel insights into forest soil carbon cycling mechanisms that mediating soil-climate feedbacks in the context of rapid urbanization and global warming.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

¹³C glucose / temperature sensitivity / priming effect / soil microbial community / urban-rural gradient forests

Highlight

	● PEs and Q 10 values of urban-rural gradient forest soils were studied.
	● Glucose addition stimulated CO2 emissions and increased with the amounts added.
	● PEs and CO2 emissions increased with rising temperature along urban-rural soil.
	● Q 10 values not significantly altered along urban-rural forests and decreased after glucose addition.
	● Urbanization strengthens the magnitude of PE and more CO2 released.

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