Respiration Dynamics and Thermal Sensitivity (Q₁₀) in Mediterranean Agricultural Soils Under Different Tillage and Fertilization Systems [Dataset]

Mediterranean agricultural systems are highly vulnerable to increased climatic variability, which threatens soil water availability and the functionality of the soil carbon (C) cycle. Soil management practices strongly influence water dynamics and C-substrate quality, thus potentially affecting the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. We evaluated the combined effects of tillage (traditional tillage, TT; reduced tillage, RT), fertilization (mineral, MF; addition of biosolid compost, BC), and rainfall inputs (ambient conditions, C; reduction of 30 % rainfall inputs, EX) on soil water content (SWC) and storage (SWS), and in-situ soil respiration (Resp) dynamics over three agricultural seasons in a Mediterranean legume-wheat rotation, using a factorial field experiment. We also evaluated how the sensitivity of soil respiration to temperature could be affected by tillage and fertilization types in a complementary laboratory experiment under controlled moisture and temperature conditions. RT was effective in improving SWS and mitigating surface desiccation although this advantage was attenuated in wet years due to homogenization of moisture along the soil profile. Soil Resp was primarily controlled by SWC. BC consistently stimulated Resp over MF, but this substrate-driven effect was completely suppressed under water stress conditions, confirming a moisture "override effect." The diurnal cycle of Resp showed a clear decoupling from diurnal soil temperature. Crucially, the intrinsic thermal sensitivity of respiration (Q10) remained stable across all tillage and fertilization treatments, suggesting that field variability is driven by water dynamics and crop phenology, and not by microbial responses to changes in substrate availability. Our results confirmed the hierarchical role of climate on C-cycling processes.