HR: 17:45h
AN: B44A-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Climate Induced Changes in Global-Scale Decomposition Over the Last Hundred Years
AU: * Silver, W L
EM: wsilver@nature.berkeley.edu
AF: University of California, Berkeley, Ecosystem Sciences 137 Mulford Hall #3114 University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
AU: Parton, W J
EM: billp@nrel.colostate.edu
AF: Natural Resource Ecology Lab, Colorado State University, 200 W. Lake, Campus Mail 1499, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499, United States
AU: Riley, T
EM: triley@nrel.colostate.edu
AF: Natural Resource Ecology Lab, Colorado State University, 200 W. Lake, Campus Mail 1499, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499, United States
AB: Litter decomposition represents the largest annual flux of carbon from terrestrial ecosystems, and is highly sensitive to climate. Using a climate-decomposition index we demonstrate significant changes in litter decomposition rates globally over the last 100 years. Litter decomposition increased by 18% from 40-60 °N and by 29% from 20-40 °S latitude. The greatest relative increases in decomposition were in deserts (+23%), grasslands (+21%), and coniferous forests (+19%). Tropical forest decomposition decreased slightly (-2%). Contrary to expectations, the relative change in decomposition was more sensitive to precipitation than temperature. Results highlight decomposition hotspots that represent significant feedbacks to climate change.
DE: 0414 Biogeochemical cycles, processes, and modeling (0412, 0793, 1615, 4805, 4912)
DE: 0428 Carbon cycling (4806)
DE: 1600 GLOBAL CHANGE
DE: 1620 Climate dynamics (0429, 3309)
DE: 1626 Global climate models (3337, 4928)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting