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<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:contributor>Matthew J. Germino</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Marie-Anne de Graaff</dc:contributor>
  <dc:creator>Xochi Campos</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2017</dc:date>
  <dc:description>&lt;div id="ASec1" class="AbstractSection"&gt;&lt;p class="Heading"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aims&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p id="Par1" class="Para"&gt;Changing precipitation regimes in semiarid ecosystems will affect the balance of soil carbon (C) input and release, but the net effect on soil C storage is unclear. We asked how changes in the amount and timing of precipitation affect litter decomposition, and soil C stabilization in semiarid ecosystems.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div id="ASec2" class="AbstractSection"&gt;&lt;p class="Heading"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p id="Par2" class="Para"&gt;The study took place at a long-term (18&amp;nbsp;years) ecohydrology experiment located in Idaho. Precipitation treatments consisted of a doubling of annual precipitation (+200&amp;nbsp;mm) added either in the cold-dormant season or in the growing season. Experimental plots were planted with big sagebrush (&lt;i class="EmphasisTypeItalic "&gt;Artemisia tridentata&lt;/i&gt;), or with crested wheatgrass (&lt;i class="EmphasisTypeItalic "&gt;Agropyron cristatum&lt;/i&gt;). We quantified decomposition of sagebrush leaf litter, and we assessed organic soil C (SOC) in aggregates, and silt and clay fractions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div id="ASec3" class="AbstractSection"&gt;&lt;p class="Heading"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p id="Par3" class="Para"&gt;We found that: (1) increased precipitation applied in the growing season consistently enhanced decomposition rates relative to the ambient treatment, and (2) precipitation applied in the dormant season enhanced soil C stabilization.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div id="ASec4" class="AbstractSection"&gt;&lt;p class="Heading"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p id="Par4" class="Para"&gt;These data indicate that prolonged increases in precipitation can promote soil C storage in semiarid ecosystems, but only if these increases happen at times of the year when conditions allow for precipitation to promote plant C inputs rates to soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:identifier>10.1007/s11104-017-3221-1</dc:identifier>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
  <dc:publisher>Springer</dc:publisher>
  <dc:title>Enhanced precipitation promotes decomposition and soil C stabilization in semiarid ecosystems, but seasonal timing of wetting matters</dc:title>
  <dc:type>article</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>