A Comparison of Symmetric and Asymmetric Warming Regimes on the Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics of Grassland Ecosystems

Global mean temperatures have increased 0.10 to 0.16°C per decade over the last 50 years, and continued increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are expected to cause temperatures to increase by more than 3°C by the middle of the 21st century. While many warming experiments have been performed, most have determined impacts of equal increases in day and night temperatures on production, diversity, or ecosystem carbon dynamics. However, there have been faster increases in daily minimum temperature (Tmin) than daily maximum temperature (Tmax), a phenomenon commonly referred to as asymmetric warming. Photosynthesis and respiration are differentially affected by altered day and night temperatures, and thus the ecological effects of alterations in Tmin could differ from alterations in Tmax. Therefore, it is imperative that we expand our understanding of potential impacts of global warming to include the effects of asymmetrically elevated temperature profiles. To examine the affects of asymmetric vs. symmetric warming, we used Terracosm chambers with planted grassland communities native to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The warmed chambers are subjected to an average increase of +3.5°C/day, with asymmetrically warmed chambers having an increase of dawn Tmin of +5°C, and an increase of midday Tmax of +2°C; and with symmetrically warmed chambers having a constant increase of +3.5°C. The goals of this project are to assess (1) whether patterns of increased NPP, changes in species composition and altered C, H2O and nutrient cycles shown for symmetric warming are similar in the asymmetric profiles, or whether entirely different patterns emerge unique to the asymmetrically elevated temperature treatments, and (2) whether the impacts of asymmetric and symmetric warming differ for soil C stabilization and destabilization processes. Our data indicate that whole ecosystem carbon balance was negative, with higher respiration than photosynthesis, for both symmetric and asymmetric treatments after four years. Here we present the most recent data collected from the Terracosms, focusing on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics.