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Nutrients and temperature additively enhance wood carbon fluxes
  • +9
  • Zhenhong Hu,
  • Ji Chen,
  • Guiyao Zhou,
  • Qinsi He,
  • Ming Nie,
  • Qian Xu,
  • Zhiyuan Xu,
  • Kai Yue,
  • Qiang Yu,
  • Hao Feng,
  • Zhiqun Huang ,
  • Sean Michaletz
Zhenhong Hu
Northwest A&F University

Corresponding Author:zhhu2020@nwafu.edu.cn

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Ji Chen
Aarhus Universitet
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Guiyao Zhou
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
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Qinsi He
University of Technology Sydney
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Ming Nie
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
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Qian Xu
Northwest A&F University
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Zhiyuan Xu
Northwest A&F University
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Kai Yue
Fujian Normal University
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Qiang Yu
Northwest A&F University
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Hao Feng
Northwest A&F University
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Zhiqun Huang
Fujian Normal University
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Sean Michaletz
The University of British Columbia
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Abstract

The flux of CO2 from wood decomposition is a fundamental component of the global carbon cycle, but the impact of human-induced changes in temperature and nutrients on this flux is not well understood. We examined the effects of nitrogen and phosphorous addition on the temperature-dependence of CO2 fluxes from wood with differing traits (angiosperm and gymnosperm) over a three-year period. Results showed that CO2 fluxes were driven primarily by phosphorus and only secondarily by nitrogen, and that the effect of phosphorus was mediated by wood traits, with a greater increase in gymnosperms than angiosperms. The temperature dependences of CO2 fluxes were remarkably constant across nutrient levels, consistent with metabolic scaling theory hypotheses. These results suggest that phosphorus availability is a key driver of variation in wood CO2 fluxes, but has a limited impact on the temperature dependence. Our findings can inform predictions for wood carbon fluxes in a changing climate.