Chapter 7

Soil Respiration and Soil Organic Matter Decomposition in Response to Climate Change

Jörg Kruse1, Judy Simon and Heinz Rennenberg,    Chair of Tree Physiology, Institute of Forest Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany,    1,Corresponding author: e-mail: joerg.kruse@ctp.uni-freiburg.de

Abstract

Climate change will likely affect the carbon balance of terrestrial soils via shifts in photosynthetic carbon input relative to soil respiratory CO2 loss. This review is focused on the effects of enhanced temperature and altered precipitation on soil respiration—that is, the sum of autotrophic root and heterotrophic microbial respiration. We highlight key processes that determine the substrate supply for the microbial decomposer ...

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