The response of heterotrophic CO2-flux to soil warming
In a forest ecosystem at steady state, net carbon (C) assimilation by plants and C loss through soil and litter decomposition by heterotrophic organisms are balanced. However, a perturbation to the system, such as increased mean soil temperature, will lead to faster decay, enhancing CO2 release from decomposers, and thus upsetting the balance. Recent in situ experiments have indicated that the sti