Temperature optimum for marsh resilience and carbon accumulation revealed in a whole ecosystem warming experiment
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Abstract
Coastal marshes are globally important, carbon dense ecosystems simultaneously maintained and threatened by sea-level rise. Warming temperatures may increase wetland plant productivity and organic matter accumulation, but temperature-modulated feedbacks between productivity and decomposition make it difficult to assess how wetlands and their thick, organic rich soils will respond to climate warming. Here, we actively increased aboveground plant-surface and below-ground soil temperatures in two marsh plant communities, and found that a moderate amount of warming (1.7°C above ambient temperatures) consistently maximized root growth, marsh elevation gain, and below-ground carbon accumulation. Marsh elevation loss observed at higher temperatures was associated with increased carbon mineralization and increased microtopographic heterogeneity, a potential early warning signal of marsh drowning. Maximized elevation and below-ground carbon accumulation for moderate warming scenarios uniquely suggest linkages between metabolic theory of individuals and landscape-scale ecosystem resilience and function, but our work indicates nonpermanent benefits as global temperatures continue to rise.
Suggested Citation
Smith, A., Noyce, G.L., Megonigal, J.P., Guntenspergen, G.R., Kirwan, M.L., 2022, Temperature optimum for marsh resilience and carbon accumulation revealed in a whole ecosystem warming experiment: Global Change Biology, v. 28, no. 10, p. 3236-3245, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16149.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Temperature optimum for marsh resilience and carbon accumulation revealed in a whole ecosystem warming experiment |
| Series title | Global Change Biology |
| DOI | 10.1111/gcb.16149 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Publication Date | March 16, 2022 |
| Year Published | 2022 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center |
| Description | 10 p. |
| First page | 3236 |
| Last page | 3245 |