Data for: Positive feedback on climate warming by stream microbial decomposers indicated by a global space-for-time substitution study

Decomposition of plant litter is a key ecological process in streams,
whose contribution to the global carbon cycle is large relative to their
extent on Earth. We examined the mechanisms underlying the temperature
sensitivity (TS) of instream decomposition and forecast effects of climate
warming on this process. Comparing data from 41 globally distributed
sites, we assessed the TS of microbial and total decomposition using
litter of nine plant species combined in six mixtures. Microbial
decomposition con- formed to the metabolic theory of ecology and its TS
was consistently higher than that of total decomposition, which was higher
than found previously. Litter quality influenced the difference between
microbial and total decomposition, with total decompo- sition of more
recalcitrant litter being more sensitive to temperature. Our projections
suggest that (i) warming will enhance the microbial contribution to
decomposition, increasing CO2 outgassing and intensifying the warming
trend, especially in colder regions; and (ii) riparian species composition
will have a major influence on this process.