Soil enzymes in response to climate warming: Mechanisms and feedbacks

Soil enzymes are central to ecosystem processes because they mediate numerous reactions that essential in biogeochemical cycles. However, how soil enzyme activities will respond global warming is uncertain. We reviewed the literature on mechanisms linking temperature effects and microbial communities, outlined a conceptual overview these changes may influence carbon fluxes terrestrial ecosystems. At scale, although can have positive effect enzymatic catalytic power short term (i.e. via instantaneous response of activity), this be countered over time by inactivation reduced substrate affinity. short-term increase accelerated synthesis turnover, but shifts community composition growth efficiency long term. Although increasing accelerate labile decomposition months years, our review highlights initial stage followed following phases: (a) reduction loss, due changing use among communities or depletion, which together decrease biomass activity (b) an acceleration structure greater allocation oxidative for recalcitrant degradation. Studies bridge scales space required assess whether there attenuation loss through very conclude determine sensitivity warming, traits change time. Improving representation models requires long-term studies characterize wide-ranging hydrolytic traits—catalytic power, kinetics, inactivation—and responses govern synthesis. Read free Plain Language Summary article Journal blog.