Long-term effects of soil warming on soil respiration in subtropical and temperate forests

we experimentally warmed the surface soil of a subtropical (ST) and a warm temperate forest (WT) by ~ 1.5°C from 2012 to 2022 and compared the differences in SR, chemical stability of SOM, and microbial community composition between the two sites. Soil warming did not affect SR in the short term (2-3 years), but decreased it in the longer term (10 years) (-10.3%) at ST. Soil warming altered the chemical composition of SOM towards increased aliphaticity and decreased O-alkyl C content probably due to the elevated microbial K-strategist taxa at ST. At WT, soil warming significantly stimulated SR by 35.3% in the short term and by 29.8% in the longer term, mainly resulting from the enhanced decomposability of SOM (CC/MC) due to the substantial increase in fine root C input.