The effects of nitrogen and warming on soil respiration in arctic and boreal ecosystems: microbial respiration during a 924-day laboratory incubation

We incubated (2006-2009) northern Alaskan soils (boreal and tundra) at two temperatures (5 degC and 15 degC) and two levels of nitrogen addition (with and without) to directly test for nitrogen limitation of soil organic matter decomposition and explore the interaction between temperature and nitrogen limitation. Over the 924-day laboratory incubation, we measured microbial respiration from organic and mineral soils from four different ecosystem types (boreal burned, boreal unburned, moist acidic, moist non-acidic).